rumrunn6

on my way to work this morning, while stopped in traffic, a small school van rear-ended me. it felt hard but I guess she was only going slowly. she said: "you know, my foot slipped off the brake". um, no

the bike was at home, so her vehicle pushed the rack into my hatchback & broke the rack in variously places. I liked this rack cuz it was tiny & light & I hunted for something like it for over a year. it cost me less than $100 on CL. I filed a claim w/ my insurance for the hatchback cuz that's the expensive thing. I can try to get compensation for the rack by going after the other driver's insurance company, but I won't bother

if the rack wasn't there, her bumper would have hit mine, at the licensee plate & instead of fixing the hatch door I'd be fixing the bumper (I think)



I think the hitch is OK, I think the rack got bent up, so it's not vertical anymore





looks like she came at me at an angle. wonder if she dropped her coffee or something

Jon T

Better check the receiver welds to make sure they're not cracked.
Jon

Rides4Beer

You were rear ended, make her insurance pay for everything, new hatch and a new rack. Why wouldn't you "bother"? She is at fault, I wouldn't pay for a thing.

FiftySix

Indeed.

mr_bill

Just a reminder - ****If You've Been Hit By A Motor Vehicle: ALL MEMBERS READ**** .

(Even though the driver didn't hit you while you were on your bike, all of the good advice still applies.)

-mr. bill

TiHabanero

Why in the world not claim the rack? Regardless of the dollar volume of the claim, your premium will go up. Insurance companies never lose, they just increase your premium. I know, as I work for an insurance co. How many thousands of dollars have you shelled out over the years? Claim the rack. Rates are going up no matter what.

GlennR

Take is as a sign that you should transport your bike IN the vehicle.

indyfabz

Why would his rate go up? Sounds like she was totally at fault. He was stopped in traffic and she hit him from behind. I got rear ended while stuck on an off ramp. My rate stayed the same.

rumrunn6

my agent says she'll get back to me after filing the claim. initially she said for the rack, I'd have to file a claim myself with the other company. I bought it used for less than $100 from a guy in a parking lot, no receipt, etc. she said that my insurance wouldn't cover the rack

rumrunn6

thanks Bill, was thinking the same thing, but I think I'm OK, but I'll stay mindful

rumrunn6

it's a U-Haul bolt-on, but I'll invesigate further at home. gonna also put another rack on & check the angle to see if there's damage to the hitch. the way my agent talks sounds like if there is, the add-on hitch is not covered ... fwiw the threaded pin came out easy peasy, when I removed the rack. I'm thinking the cheap rack shaft was flexible enough to absorb the impact & deflect it up toward the hatch

Miele Man

Well, I'm glad you are okay and that your bike was at home and not damaged and that any damage to your car was light.

Still, it must irk people to discover that their motor vehicle insurance doesn't cover things like the bike rack. It seems to me that insurance companies are delighted to take your money in premiums paid but are VERY stingy in paying out and then they raise your rates anyway. Over the years the increase in your rates often negates the amount the company paid out.

Good luck.

Cheers

Metieval

It shouldn't matter how much you paid for the rack, they need to replace the rack at what ever it cost them to replace it? yes?

TiHabanero

DOH! I was off, way off. Live in a no fault state and anything claimed raises my premium, even if I am not at fault. It sucks, but this discussion has been had before.

Metieval

I hope this doesn't steer to far away from thread intent. but what advantages are there to the "no fault" thing?

VegasTriker

Check with the other driver's insurance company. They are obligated to make you "whole". If they balk at paying $100 for the bike rack threaten to take her to small claims court and give here the option to pay you for the rack out of her pocket. Just the threat may be enough. You aren't going to be able to find much in the way of a hitch rack new for less than the $100.

Rajflyboy

Her insurance should pay

have adjuster add that into the crash

her fault not yours

fight like hell. Don’t let the insurance weenies win.

Miele Man

I made sure that all items under my insurance are insured for REPLACMENT value.

Cheers

Jon T

It should be covered under "Comprehensive". That's the "catch-all" for items not specifically listed.
Jon

Leinster

It shouldn’t matter where you bought the rack. Fact is, you now don’t have a rack and it’ll cost you to replace it. If she had somehow just broken your bike rack with no vehicles involved, you would expect her to pay to replace it and the same should apply here.

Wilfred Laurier

I disagree with your decision to not pursue the other driver for replacement of the rack.
I also got my rack - a Thule 4 bike hitch mount - second hand for cheap, but if it was damaged I would have to spend much more to replace it - good racks are hundreds of dollars.

c_m_shooter

I prefered the roof mounted rack when I had one. Every hitch mounted rack I have owned has been ran into. Each time the other driver has fled before I could get a plate number. Seemed ironic that the local bike shops refused to sell me a roof rack because so many people try to pull into their garages with a bike up there.

indyfabz

Yep. I had my roof rack stolen off my car. I didn't have comprehensive coverage (primarily a beater city car), which would have covered the theft.

Rajflyboy

NoWhammies

Oh man. That's terrible about your luck. I hope you're physically ok.

Your post reminds me of what I'm always worried about when a) my bike is on my rack or b) I'm driving around with the rack on my car. That someone will not be paying attending and slam in to me. The rack will get ruined, not to mention the additional damage to the car. I hope you're able to find a suitable replacement that you like just as much.