So I got rearended last night...

So there I was, driving in to work last night. Pulled up to a red light and stopped to wait for traffic to clear before turning right. BANG - the idiot behind me in the Honda Civic stopped at first, then stepped on the gas for some reason and hit the back of the Jeep. I have no idea what was going through his pea-sized brain at the time. Damage looks minimal - it looks like he bounced off the trailer hitch ball and went under the bumper on the driver's side. He crushed the electrical box for the trailer wiring harness hookup and bent the bottom of the bumper up a bit (possibly also bent the bumper mount slightly). No Jeep body panels involved (yeah!), but he may have very slightly wrinkled the unibody frame rail on the driver's side. It was dark and he was driving a dark car, so I didn't see how much damage he did to the front of the Civic (probably a lot, however). The cop gave him a ticket for failure to stop (he was driving on another ticket at the time - he surrendered his license as bond for the first ticket about a week ago). I plan on turning the whole mess over to my insurance company - they will make sure everything gets fixed right and go after the other guy to collect (shouldn't raise my rates at all - another plus!). What else, if anything, should I have them look for when they check out the Jeep?

Spring for the extra bucks and get a tomken or custom4x4 rear bumper and maybe a gas tank skid. Had a big pontiac hit me in my trooper LS, he was doing about 30 and on the cell phone, I was stopped on interstate 80 for a spin out in front of me, it was snowing. I ended up with both my rear tires against his A pillars and the pintle hitch mount plate opened his roof up really nicely. Ended up driving off his hood which upset the nj state trooper for some reason :dunno: he told me I could leave... gotta love those low noses on the new cars...

I had a civic drive into the back of my heep last winter, I guess they werent watching when the light turned red, they ran their hood up under my hitch and gas tank skid, rather than wait for me to jack up the back of my rig so they could get out from under it, the dummy backed up, and ripped the front clip of the civic to bits, lots of plastic, lots of damage, the xj added another small scrape to the hidden hitch and gas tank skid....that investment has paid for itself a few times over ....the other driver got a ticket for failing to stop and reckless driving.....

Have the shop check the unibody where the driver's side bumper bracket attaches. Also have them carefully inspect the leaf spring and shackle for possible bending, and also inspect the pocket where the shackle attaches to the unibody.

They should also inspect the gas tank and support straps. It's virtually impossible to run a Civic under the bumper without hitting the gas tank.

Had an 84 Olds rear end my Tracker once at about 25. He pushed my rear quarter panel onto the rear tire and crinkled the bumper pretty good, but he went right under me and demolished the nose of his car on this steel bar the got under the rear bumper for some reason. Crushed his grill, broke a headlight, left his turn signal stuck in my bumper and crinkled the passenger side fender real good. However he was driveable and I woulda had to pull my fender out again to drive...

Update on the heap: The body shop found no damage to the frame from this accident, but they did discover some old work - it appears that the Jeep was hit in the back sometime before I bought it (of course, I didn't see that when I was looking at it before I bought it, and nobody bothered to mention it, even when I asked...). They did check it out on the rack and said that everything was straight, so I guess it's no problem. They ended up replacing the trailer hitch assembly - the metal "half box" that the socket mounts in was destroyed in the accident, and this is (apparently) a non-replacable part (it is welded on and integral to the the hitch assembly). The socket was also completely destroyed. Of course, after they got the new factory hitch installed, they discovered that it didn't come with the wiring harness - they called around and discovered that D/C does not make this part any more. They wanted to send it out to a hitch shop and have one custom made - I told them not to bother. I will end up checking with Ted at Lou's in Geneva - if there are any left anywhere in the country, Ted will have them. If not, I will just splice in a socket to the existing harness (lots cheaper and quicker).

Ted's the best...that's for sure! If it can be gotten, he can get it. Oh yeah...that reminds me....I need to call him tomorrow too....thanks.....and sorry about the rear ending.

Yea, Ted's the best. I should get a gas cap from him before too long, just got the notice that I gotta take the '98 Limited in for the old tailpipe probe.

Got rearended in my truck once by a Ford Probe. The chick driving had the nerve to get out while still on the phone and then say "whoops I think I hit you." No shit. Anyway she ran both my tailpipes (4" duals) through the front bumper of her car (made nice fog light mounting holes) and then said "well we better exchange information." I was like I don't think that will be necessary since I don't have any damage. When I drove away she was still on the phone looking dumbfounded as ever.

jeepguy97 said:

Got rearended in my truck once by a Ford Probe. The chick driving had the nerve to get out while still on the phone and then say "whoops I think I hit you." No shit. Anyway she ran both my tailpipes (4" duals) through the front bumper of her car (made nice fog light mounting holes) and then said "well we better exchange information." I was like I don't think that will be necessary since I don't have any damage. When I drove away she was still on the phone looking dumbfounded as ever.

Click to expand...

Ya gotta be careful doing that now... your can get hit with a leaving the scene of an accident charge.....

a buddy of mine got rear-ended, but with no damage to his vechicle... the other driver had minimal damage and "didnt want to call the cops".
well apparently the other driver wrote down my buddies tag number and called the cops after he left.
my buddy ended up getting charged for leaving the scene of an accident, and got fault for the accident.

Well here in PA the cops won't even come unless one or both vehicles can't be driven so.....