Crashed the Liberty: pics inside.

[JasonJ]

Crashed the Liberty: pics inside. UPDATED 2/19/2016 See page 3!!!

Was travelling down S. M-13 south of Bay City, just north of the Titabawassee bridge I hit a long stretch of black ice. Cruise control was on, set to 55mph (the speed limit).. Roads were clear and dry-ish up to this point.

Rear end swung around to the left of me... I corrected, rear end swung out to the other side, then back again as I did a 360 across the oncoming traffic lane. Then it straightened out a bit and slowed down to about 20mph.

Guard rail was coming up, SMACK into the front right corner. The truck bounced off the guard rail and stopped in a normal pull-off-onto-the-shoulder position.

Impact put a hole in the sidewall of my tire (only about 6-7000 miles on the new AT's), popped the turn signal lens assembly out, busted the right driving lamp, cracked the fender flare near the bottom and dislodged it from the metal fender, inner fender/splash guard came loose and fell onto tire, and the front bumper cover was smashed in the corner and cracked across the front.

No airbag deployment, no injuries. This happened last Wed. Still waiting for body shop to do an estimate--- getting irritated.

Here is the before, opposite side, I know, but you get the idea that the Jeep was in excellent to pristine condition, externally:

You must be registered for see images attach

And here is the damage:

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Fixable, I'm sure. Thankfully I still carry full coverage insurance on it, despite being paid off and 12 years old. Towing bill alone for was $449! And we didnt even go more than 10 miles total.

To make matters worse, the two brake lines popped on my Grand Marquis I'm driving in the meantime, and my family's new cat escaped sometime yesterday and hasn't come home yet.

Great... just great.

 

[ouroboros]

$449 for a tow??? Holy shit, did you go through Kreagers or..? Leonards in Montrose towed me from M-57 to Pierson Rd. in Flint for $60..

 

[M38 Bob]

Total suck.:blah:

Bob

 

[CzarKJ]

Ah that *****. Glad you are ok!

 

[JasonJ]

$449 for a tow??? Holy shit, did you go through Kreagers or..? Leonards in Montrose towed me from M-57 to Pierson Rd. in Flint for $60..

Saginaw County Sherrif came out to assist, he called the tow for me, it was Kreagers. Sherrif deputy was especially helpful and polite, even waited with me until the tow truck arrived.

$449 was a lot, and if I had it towed anywhere but their yard or to a repair shop, it would have been out of pocket too!

I also forget, it destroyed my washer solvent tank as well. Because ya know, those are important too.

Yep, I'm ok, just really REALLY pissed off about it. Never made it to where I was going. Left at 630am to head down to Grand Rapids for a tech conference/training. Had to burn a day off of work too.

Could have been worse. I could have rolled it, gone through the guard rail and into the 20ft ditch, or hit by a truck or passing vehicle.

 

[CactusJacked]

At least you're ok, the Jeep can be fixed. Bet ya didn't know (till now) it can be hazardous to use cruise control when the roads are wet/slippery/potentially icy? The vehicle may slow down, but the wheels will speed up to compensate, and possibly break free. By the time you can react with your right foot, you may have already lost control.

 

[JasonJ]

At least you're ok, the Jeep can be fixed. Bet ya didn't know (till now) it can be hazardous to use cruise control when the roads are wet/slippery/potentially icy? The vehicle may slow down, but the wheels will speed up to compensate, and possibly break free. By the time you can react with your right foot, you may have already lost control.

You are absolutely correct. And I think this contributed to my accident. The roads, while slightly wet up to the point I lost it, cruise seemed ok. This 100 yard stretch of road (which happened to be around a curve) just came out of nowhere.

I am a fairly conscientious, and I think, rather skilled, defensive driver. But in this case, I got complacent or lazy. Four-wheel drive, all-terrain tires, none of that means squat when you are sliding on ice. Only thing that would have helped was metal studded tires at this point.

 

[ouroboros]

Saginaw County Sherrif came out to assist, he called the tow for me, it was Kreagers. Sherrif deputy was especially helpful and polite, even waited with me until the tow truck arrived.

$449 was a lot, and if I had it towed anywhere but their yard or to a repair shop, it would have been out of pocket too!

I also forget, it destroyed my washer solvent tank as well. Because ya know, those are important too.

Yep, I'm ok, just really REALLY pissed off about it. Never made it to where I was going. Left at 630am to head down to Grand Rapids for a tech conference/training. Had to burn a day off of work too.

Could have been worse. I could have rolled it, gone through the guard rail and into the 20ft ditch, or hit by a truck or passing vehicle.

Yea, never really been a fan of Kreagers... Good thing you're alright though, the Jeep can be repaired/replaced, you can't! :waytogo: That part of 13 does get a little sketchy at times!

 

[uss2defiant]

glad you're okay.
that's one tough libby.

 

[LibertyTC]

Sorry to hear about the accident. The main thing is you are ok.
By the look of it it, will buff right out, with many new plastic parts.
Relax and let a good body shop estimate it, and take it from there..

 

[profdlp]

I'm glad you are OK. Stuff is stuff and can be fixed or replaced. Sorry to hear about it, though.

 

[JasonJ]

Thanks for all of the well-wishes everyone, I appreciate it quite a bit. Of the dozen or so web forums I frequent, this one certainly has one of the best communities for camaraderie. Good group of people here.

Regarding the damaged Jeep; man, I thought that considering the impact, the truck absorbed it and took the hit especially well! No airbag deployment, although it was probably pretty close to a fast, hard enough hit to need them.

I'm just glad it slid and didn't roll, and the damage didn't extend into the core support, radiator, etc.

Waiting on the estimate, still. Today has been a week exactly. Someone at the body shop is going to feel my wrath very soon.

 

[ouroboros]

Thanks for all of the well-wishes everyone, I appreciate it quite a bit. Of the dozen or so web forums I frequent, this one certainly has one of the best communities for camaraderie. Good group of people here.

Regarding the damaged Jeep; man, I thought that considering the impact, the truck absorbed it and took the hit especially well! No airbag deployment, although it was probably pretty close to a fast, hard enough hit to need them.

I'm just glad it slid and didn't roll, and the damage didn't extend into the core support, radiator, etc.

Waiting on the estimate, still. Today has been a week exactly. Someone at the body shop is going to feel my wrath very soon.

What body shop are you using? I know it might be a bit of a hassle to move your Jeep but Midstate Collision has always treated me and my co-workers well. They're over on Midland Rd in Freeland (989)695-5843 and tell them Belle Tire sent you! They did some dent repairs on my co-workers truck and it was done within a few days, though yours will probably take extra time, they're pretty prompt. :mexsmoke:

 

[twowings]

Wow...hope she ends up good as new! Glad you are alright...except for the estimate vigil....

 

[CalcityRenegade]

Glad to hear that you are okay! Hopefully Jeep will be fixed as good as new for you. I can only assume your insurance company will take care of the tow bill if you claim this accident through insurance? They will cover all that up here in Canada but I am not familiar with insurance in the states.

 

[teeje]

Glad to hear that you are okay! Hopefully Jeep will be fixed as good as new for you. I can only assume your insurance company will take care of the tow bill if you claim this accident through insurance? They will cover all that up here in Canada but I am not familiar with insurance in the states.

As long as you have full coverage and it's deemed fixable, you're correct. However if you live in a no fault state and get into an accident, you're responsible for the damage.


2002 Jeep Liberty 3.7L with brand new engine
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JasonJ]

As long as you have full coverage and it's deemed fixable, you're correct. However if you live in a no fault state and get into an accident, you're responsible for the damage.


2002 Jeep Liberty 3.7L with brand new engine
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Michigan is No-fault, however my Insurance policy does cover the towing, but only to the tow yard, or to a repair shop. To my house, or anywhere else not the day of the accident, then it is on me to pay.

I got the estimate, not including replacement of the tire (tire shops were closed at end of the day when the estimate was done) and an alignment, which I demanded be added (duh.. it got whacked in the tire, how is an alignment check, at minimum, NOT included?!), the estimate total is about $2300 in damage.

I'll pay a $500 deductible, which wouldnt even cover the cost of a new plastic bumper cover. That leaves insurance to pay about $1800 + $449 in towing.

I estimate my Jeep to be worth about $4000-$4500 private party, so it seems to me to still make sense to keep full coverage on it. I figure since it's paid off, and a $10-11k auto loan would cost me about $200/month, $2400/year, I'm coming out ahead.

Will update the post here as new details arise.

 

[CalcityRenegade]

Michigan is No-fault, however my Insurance policy does cover the towing, but only to the tow yard, or to a repair shop. To my house, or anywhere else not the day of the accident, then it is on me to pay.

I got the estimate, not including replacement of the tire (tire shops were closed at end of the day when the estimate was done) and an alignment, which I demanded be added (duh.. it got whacked in the tire, how is an alignment check, at minimum, NOT included?!), the estimate total is about $2300 in damage.

I'll pay a $500 deductible, which wouldnt even cover the cost of a new plastic bumper cover. That leaves insurance to pay about $1800 + $449 in towing.

I estimate my Jeep to be worth about $4000-$4500 private party, so it seems to me to still make sense to keep full coverage on it. I figure since it's paid off, and a $10-11k auto loan would cost me about $200/month, $2400/year, I'm coming out ahead.

Will update the post here as new details arise.

Glad to hear things are working out for you. Years back I had some kid pull into the side of my Sierra HD and dented the driver side front fender and hit the driver front wheel. Truck was pulling to the side pretty good and the adjuster tried saying it does not need an alignment. I got mad and asked him how many years has he worked in a shop as a tech. They paid for the alignment lol.

 

[Birdman330]

Glad to hear things are working out for you. Years back I had some kid pull into the side of my Sierra HD and dented the driver side front fender and hit the driver front wheel. Truck was pulling to the side pretty good and the adjuster tried saying it does not need an alignment. I got mad and asked him how many years has he worked in a shop as a tech. They paid for the alignment lol.

I like it when they come out look over the vehicle and put the wrong specs in. Causing a huge issue with parts.

 

[LibertyFever]

I'm glad that nobody was seriously injured Jason.

Last month I had a similar experience. While driving at night, on what appeared to be dry pavement, 2WD with cruise control on I hit a slippery patch of road and the rear end of my Jeep kicked out.

It sounds like you handled it well Jason. When this happens you quickly turn off the cruise control and slowly correct the steering. Don't brake, don't hit the gas & don't oversteer.

Towing can be real expensive. When you're in a ditch and the tow truck has arrived it's difficult to argue price.
That's why I have CAA, the Canadian equivalent to AAA. Its well well worth the $139 a year I pay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk