My brand new Model X was rear-ended: Any advice?

[vitions]

I got my new Model X LR around the end of last month, and this happened to me today (I haven't even received the real license plate yet)

I was driving on a roadway and made a complete stop due to traffic congestion in front. A car following me did not stop and rear-ended my car. I and the other driver exchanged the insurance information and got a police report.
It is my first time being involved in a major accident so it will be really helpful if you can give me any advice on how to get this sorted out. I am located in CA.

1) Since the car was brand-new and the retail price of it was $130K, I am sure the accident has diminished the car's value significantly. I would like to file a diminished value claim, but it looks like I need to do it with the other party's insurer. Will it be better to hire a lawyer in this case?

2) I and the passenger went to ER today for a check-up and we will probably need some follow-up treatments. Will the other party's insurer fully cover the medical expenses incurred by the accident if they admit the other party is at fault 100%? I am wondering what will happen if it's above their insurance limit.

3) Has anyone gotten their Tesla repaired after a major accident? I have not been satisfied with the manufacturing and repair quality of my Model X, so it makes me worried that the car will have many issues even if the car is repaired by the Tesla service center.

 

[ElectricIAC]

How good is the responsible party’s insurance?

 

[vitions]

How good is the responsible party’s insurance?

It was AAA. Don't have information about their policy limit obviously.

 

[father_of_6]

That looks like a low speed residential neighborhood. They were likely following *way* too close or texting while driving (or both).

I would've asked the officer to check their cellphone. Seems criminal.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Hope it all works out okay.

 

[Ostrichsak]

File with your insurance via subrogation. They'll be FAR more motivated to work with you & will do all of the heavy lifting with the other driver and their insurance.

After repair estimates are provided they'll cut you a check less your deductible until they establish fault w/ the other driver which should happen quickly given the nature of the impact so long as you also have a police report.

This is why you have full coverage insurance. Don't be afraid to use it.

 

[Ostrichsak]

That looks like a low speed residential neighborhood. They were likely following *way* too close or texting while driving (or both).

I would've asked the officer to check their cellphone. Seems criminal.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Hope it all works out okay.

Criminal? Let's all take a deep breath here.

 

[glide]

I would've asked the officer to check their cellphone. Seems criminal.

This isn’t Law and Order. That’s not how it works in real life.

 

[ElectricIAC]

Law and order, Special Vehicles Unit.

 

[DCGOO]

I got my new Model X LR around the end of last month, and this happened to me today (I haven't even received the real license plate yet)

1) Since the car was brand-new and the retail price of it was $130K, I am sure the accident has diminished the car's value significantly. I would like to file a diminished value claim, but it looks like I need to do it with the other party's insurer. Will it be better to hire a lawyer in this case?

2) I and the passenger went to ER today for a check-up and we will probably need some follow-up treatments. Will the other party's insurer fully cover the medical expenses incurred by the accident if they admit the other party is at fault 100%? I am wondering what will happen if it's above their insurance limit.

3) Has anyone gotten their Tesla repaired after a major accident? I have not been satisfied with the manufacturing and repair quality of my Model X, so it makes me worried that the car will have many issues even if the car is repaired by the Tesla service center.

Many folks with older, less expensive cars, do not have enough liability insurance to cover smacking a $130,000 car. If you have underinsured coverage on yours though, it won't be a problem. Your insurance co will figure it out.

Besides diminished value on your car, it can take a very long time to repair.

That really sucks, big time! Good luck.

 

[brainhouston]

This is a very light accident from salvage perspective. Cars like this on auctions are very desired.
No quarter panel damage, just bumper n tub. Easy fix.

 

[Big Dog]

Sorry to see, this sux.

definitely contact your own insurance company. California law prohibits insurers from raising your rates when the other guy is at fault. Let your insurer take teh lead in getting your car fixed, and a full sized rental. That's what you pay your insurer for. They'll go after the other insurance company for reimbursement, including your deductible.

This looks like thousands. Not only the bumper (and all of its sensors), but also the back door/hatch.

Call your primary care doc and get a full exam.

 

[focher]

We had a similar incident happen to our X recently. It's currently in the shop getting repaired, and fortunately no damage under the quarter panel. Everything seemed to be under the bumper and we appear to even avoided the lift gate. Ours will come in a little under $10K, so I'm guessing yours will be under $15k. Well within even the lowest California policy.

Diminished value claim will be interesting, as their insurer (Zurich) hasn't been very responsive. If they drag it out, I'll just go back to the insured and make it their problem. DV claims are always the biggest hassle of the whole thing.

Good luck with it. Sucks, but these things happen and that's what insurance is for.

 

[vitions]

That looks like a low speed residential neighborhood. They were likely following *way* too close or texting while driving (or both).

I would've asked the officer to check their cellphone. Seems criminal.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Hope it all works out okay.

The accident happened on a 6-lane roadway with a 35 mph speed limit. I took the second picture after moving my car to a residential road. Obviously the other driver did not pay attention to the road for whatever reasons.

 

[vitions]

Many folks with older, less expensive cars, do not have enough liability insurance to cover smacking a $130,000 car. If you have underinsured coverage on yours though, it won't be a problem. Your insurance co will figure it out.

Besides diminished value on your car, it can take a very long time to repair.

That really sucks, big time! Good luck.

Thanks! I have uninsured/underinsured coverage so hope that will help.

 

[vitions]

Sorry to see, this sux.

definitely contact your own insurance company. California law prohibits insurers from raising your rates when the other guy is at fault. Let your insurer take teh lead in getting your car fixed, and a full sized rental. That's what you pay your insurer for. They'll go after the other insurance company for reimbursement, including your deductible.

This looks like thousands. Not only the bumper (and all of its sensors), but also the back door/hatch.

Call your primary care doc and get a full exam.

Thank you for the suggestions! I filed a claim with my insurance company (Tesla Insurance). I will get a full examination as you suggested.

 

[vitions]

We had a similar incident happen to our X recently. It's currently in the shop getting repaired, and fortunately no damage under the quarter panel. Everything seemed to be under the bumper and we appear to even avoided the lift gate. Ours will come in a little under $10K, so I'm guessing yours will be under $15k. Well within even the lowest California policy.

Diminished value claim will be interesting, as their insurer (Zurich) hasn't been very responsive. If they drag it out, I'll just go back to the insured and make it their problem. DV claims are always the biggest hassle of the whole thing.

Good luck with it. Sucks, but these things happen and that's what insurance is for.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Was it easy to schedule a repair appointment with a Tesla collision center? There is one Tesla-owned collision center in my local area but that looks fully booked for months. I am thinking about going with a Tesla-certified collision center (body shop) and it would be awesome if you can share your experience with that as well.

AFAIK, DV claims should be made to the other party's insurance company so I am thinking about hiring a lawyer due to that. I don't want to waste my time talking with the other party's insurance company. It would be great if my insurance company can deal with that as well.

 

[njmurvin]

My daughter was rear-ended in her same color 2019 MX (which I now own) shortly after she got it. She had it repaired by a Tesla certified collision center. They did a good job. I don’t think she pursued a diminished value claim. I tried once with another car and I was blown off by the other insurance company. It wasn’t big enough to fight. So I let it go.

 

[vitions]

File with your insurance via subrogation. They'll be FAR more motivated to work with you & will do all of the heavy lifting with the other driver and their insurance.

After repair estimates are provided they'll cut you a check less your deductible until they establish fault w/ the other driver which should happen quickly given the nature of the impact so long as you also have a police report.

This is why you have full coverage insurance. Don't be afraid to use it.

Missed your reply. Thank you for suggesting that. I learned about subrogation from your comment. I filed a claim with my insurance provider (Tesla Insurance). I hope they will do a good job sorting this out. I appreciate your advice.

 

[vitions]

My daughter was rear-ended in her same color 2019 MX (which I now own) shortly after she got it. She had it repaired by a Tesla certified collision center. They did a good job. I don’t think she pursued a diminished value claim. I tried once with another car and I was blown off by the other insurance company. It wasn’t big enough to fight. So I let it go.

Thank you for sharing your experience. This gives me more confidence in going with a certified body shop.

 

[father_of_6]

This isn’t Law and Order. That’s not how it works in real life.

This isn't real life, people... this is a Model X. If it were real life it'd be a Chevy Tahoe or something. Don't let this criminal get away and do this to someone else's Model X!