Not a good day for my M3 today ... got rear-ended

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Stopped at a red light as it turned green I started to move slowly to turn right keeping my eyes on 2 pedestrians that were about to jump into the street and as I stopped for them to pass I got hit by a van in the back. Naturally the pedestrians did not look and yes they had the right of way. The fellow in the back was just too close and it seams he had very poor reaction time. He must have seen the 2 pedestrians as well as I did ... nevertheless my rear bumper is all scratched up.

I hate it when people hug your rear end that close, they seam not to know the rule of the street that is ... stop behind the fellow in front so that you can see his rear wheels closely.

I guess for me the future lesson will be given the same situation, not to move 1 inch before the pedestrians cleared the road ... for they never pay any attention in fact one of them was texting. Guess the repair bill will be over $1000- I'm sure.

So keep your eyes on the texting pedestrian since we never know if the driver behind you might not be doing the same thing.

UPDATE: FOR FINAL SEE BELOW

Well this is Monday afternoon and I spend most of the day running around getting estimates, reporting the issue to the Insurance Company and the Police. The repair "guesstimate note I did not say estimate" is $3,012.00 with our local 13% tax. In the final analysis the cost may go up.

It will now be handled by the Insurance Co. Hope all will go well in the end.
Some items I need to watch out for in the future are ...

1) Things are never what they seam (plan was to settle with the party that hit my rear end, I simply felt sorry for him a) he is a Veteran and b) he is 78 and c) I thought the damage is below $1000.00 at the time of the accident).

2) Know what is required by Law (since I am new to the province of Ontario I was not aware that a) One needs to report to the Police within 24 hours of the accident if damage is above $1000.00 b) Police will not come to the accident scene unless there are injuries.

3) What should I do in future (best to act immediately, a) Report to the Police irregardless immediately after the incident, after all we are paying taxes. b) report to the insurance and do not engage in any other arrangement. and c) keep a check list in my glove compartment of steps that need to be followed at once [Police Reporting Centre Address and Insurance Phone No. etc.] doing that will result in much less stress and grief

The Police Officer was very nice he asked me "What did you thing at the time of the accident how much it would cost to fix"? I told him below $1000- the damage is mainly superficial as one member here pointed out "looks like a flesh wound" the Officer then went on to say "You are not required to know how to fix cars therefore (after he inspected the damage to my rear bumper) I agree with you this looks well below $1000- and you did quite right the way you handled it" He then went on and said "Since you did not feel at the time that the damage would exceed $1000.00 there is no need to issue a Police report, I will enter pertinent information into our system to record that you were here at the Police Reporting Centre today" He did exactly that.

The Body Shop people have trained eyes so they immediately noted a hairline crack in the bumper, the fasteners behind the bumper bend. All this requiring to replace the bumper and additional parts etc. etc. ... Let us see what the bottom line will be ....

I will update this tread with final costs for repair ... Meanwhile Fellow Members take noting for granted on you Bimmer should you have an accident as I said Things are never what they seam ........ FINAL UPDATE TODAY NOV. 21, 2011 ... after taking my car to the body shop they discovered that additional parts need to be replaced. Since I agreed with the guilty party that hit me on a cash settlement I will be out some $400- when all is said and done. The lesson I've learned here and I share it with you so you will not make the same mistake .... is "At the outset go with the Insurance and make a report to the Police" ... It simply does not pay to be Mr. nice guy anymore

Thanks for all your comments and posts ... Happy Motoring

[CarbonAlpine]

Sorry to hear bro. This happened to me at McDonalds once.

Hope your weekend wasn't impacted

[M3SQRD]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Yes, there are a lot of stupid drivers not paying attention these days. Sounds like solid advice - don't move until the pedestrians are out of the way because then the worst the guy behind you can do is honk his horn.

Glad to hear you are OK - the bumper can be fixed/replaced!

[gthal]

Glad it wasn't too serious. That stuff sucks and makes me paranoid around other cars.

[gblansten]

Sorry Rolf. Been there before myself. Too many times. At least that should be a straightforward repair.

[Smokey]

Damn! Glad you weren't injured.

[1sikbmr]

hope you get everything sorted out soon.

[MSPORTWORLD]

Get well soon....to the car that is. Atleast you walked away uninjured.

[mamadub]

Hi Rolf. So sorry to hear about your accident. Thankfully you weren't hurt, and that's what is important. I get very nervous when I drive my M3, because that's when I see all the idiots out on the road. Funny, as I never seem to see any when I'm driving my Suburban!

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by Rolf-Dieter

Stopped at a red light as it turned green I started to move slowly to turn right keeping my eyes on 2 pedestrians that were about to jump into the street and as I stopped for them to pass I got hit by a van in the back. Naturally the pedestrians did not look and yes they had the right of way. The fellow in the back was just too close and it seams he had very poor reaction time. He must have seen the 2 pedestrians as well as I did ... nevertheless my rear bumper is all scratched up.

I hate it when people hug your rear end that close, they seam not to know the rule of the street that is ... stop behind the fellow in front so that you can see his rear wheels closely.

I guess for me the future lesson will be given the same situation, not to move 1 inch before the pedestrians cleared the road ... for they never pay any attention in fact one of them was texting. Guess the repair bill will be over $1000- I'm sure.

So keep your eyes on the texting pedestrian since we never know if the driver behind you might not be doing the same thing.

stupid pedestians and jerk in a van doesnt give a crap. ahole hit you so he will pay

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Thanks all for your posts and comments. The fellow that hit me is 79 and I will get an estimate tomorrow to get it fixed. I will give him the opportunity to pay for it rather then addressing it with his insurance. At his age I figure his insurance company will increase his rate sharply. However, if he gives me problems the issue will be forwarded to his and my insurance straightaway tomorrow via registered mail with details and photos.

Thanks again all,

Cheers and be safe out there winter is moving in

Rolf-Dieter

PS. Stay clear of streets with trees still having leaves in the trees after a heavy snow fall. Some terble accidents in the Northeast after yesterdays heavy snow fall.

[Leonardo629]

My M3 was rear-ended last month at a stop sign, cost the insurance co. around $8000 to fix. The damage looked minimal from the outside, but my BMW certified collision center had to replace things inside the bumper.

[GOLFFRR]

been there i know how you feel. sorry to see this glad it wasn't worst for the car or you.

[SchnellM3]

Sorry to hear about that

At least there doesn't seem to be too much damage, hopefully you'll be back up and running in no time. A similar thing happened to my Grandma in the CTS I got for her at Christmas.

[jqsmooth]

Man, that sucks! I'm always worried. When I drive the pathfinder, I'm like "hit me if you want". I drive aggressively with it and I'm worry free. The M3 is another story. I'm getting white hair driving it. hahaha

A small cosmetic blemish. Hope you get it fixed soon. It'll be good as new. Still sucks though. Good luck!

[ThunderMoose]

sorry to hear

[ES_TRADER]

Exact same thing happened to me but in my 1990 Camry. Got out, couldn't find a single scratch ding or dent... Guy said he reacted late and foot slipped off the brake. Well it sure as hell felt really hard. Too bad they don't make bumpers like they used to. Scratched my head and let him go.

[Chowster]

Sorry to hear. It'll be fixed like new.

Originally Posted by bobbyd1961

stupid pedestians and jerk in a van doesnt give a crap. ahole hit you so he will pay

This had nothing to do with the pedestrian. He/she had the right of way to walk. Texting across the street is irrelevant other than if it makes them go slower or at the inappropriate time.

[klammer]

Bummer, but looks like merely a flesh wound.

[BMWJ]

ouch

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Sorry to hear. Hope things get fixed quickly.

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Originally Posted by Leonardo629

My M3 was rear-ended last month at a stop sign, cost the insurance co. around $8000 to fix. The damage looked minimal from the outside, but my BMW certified collision center had to replace things inside the bumper.

Thanks Leonardo, for the heads up I'll have my dealership look at it first in the morning before I take it to the body shop that BMW uses.

Everyone else above, thanks Fellow Members, yes I know it is only very minor, however, one can never tell.

I should have left her in the garage yesterday she was sparkling clean. It has been raining for 3 days and yesterday the sun was out, the temptation was just to great .. you all know the feeling Oh well all will be fine in a week or two ... Thanks again Fellow Members