9th Gen goes to "hospital"

Bob-blehead

Well-Known Member
224
67
Midland, MI
Vehicle Model
Civic
Body Style
EX Sedan
The boy decided to drive our 9th Gen into the back of a pickup on Sunday night. He's fine, as the front end of the Civic did the job it was designed to do, and as it was on a city street, he wasn't going too fast. Just went over and signed the authorization for the work to be done. Still waiting for the official word from the adjuster. Will probably be toward the end of next week to get the car back.

The front end and quarter panels will need to be replaced, as well as the A/C condenser. The airbag on the steering wheel deployed, so that will need replacing. This was all upon a quick visual inspection at the scene. I'll know more after the adjuster calls later today.
 
Sucks, glad your Son's ok........ For us as a learning experience.. how'd it happen......... Unless that's pending for the legal peeps..........
 
No, I didn't get any pics of the damage. I probably should have. As for how it happened, simple. He looked away from the road when he should have been looking at the traffic in front of him. He wasn't texting or anything like that, and it wasn't an equipment malfunction. Simple driver error. It will be an expensive lesson for him, but one he should learn from. There has been some light-hearted kidding, and some not-so-light-hearted kidding (from younger brothers, which I've tried to keep in check), but he has taken it in stride. He's a good kid. He knows he screwed up and he's taking responsibility for it. I admire the heck out of him for that, and I've told him so. A lot of kids his age would have tried to lie their way out of it. He stood up to the officer and told him the facts, even though he knew what would be coming. This is probably why we have been so easy on him, in terms of using this as a larger learning experience for life, rather than getting mad and throwing a fuss. He has to pay his fine out of his own money, and he has to pay the deductible. He also has to put up with getting carted around by his parents again while the car is being fixed, which for a 17 year old kid, HAS to be the worst part of it.

And I'll give this to the officer on the scene: he knew he was dealing with a scared kid, and handled it calmly. I think my son's honesty went a long way toward the ticket being written for a lesser offense ( a 2-point vs. a 3-point violation, and a fine $100 less).

Rest of the parts should be in on Monday, and we're looking at the end of the week to get it back.
 
Update.

Well, we did get the car back, quicker than promised, and the shop did a great job! Very pleased with their service.

Then, this last Sunday, he wound up in the median on US-10 here in Midland, on his way home from a day of clinical experience for his CNA class. At first, I didn't notice anything wrong, until I went to open the driver side door. Apparently, when he went into the soft median, the rocker molding was pushed up a bit. Door will still close and latch, but I'm taking it back to the shop tomorrow to have this issue evaluated now. I'm hoping that this is ALL that is wrong with the car. I'll have them give it a thorough inspection underneath just to catch anything, including a check of the frame.

AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
 
Time to buy him a used pickup truck............ and some pay attention pills.
Well, if anyone is getting a pickup truck in this family first, it is me! That said . . . I've thought a lot about a lot of options. We have thought, a number of times, that it would have been better to keep the old Olds Intrigue, with just the PL/PD coverage.

$2,000 is the lowest estimate. Man, this sucks.
 
My Dad said if I want to drive, get my own car and pay my own insurance, etc. .......... If I had ever wrecked one that would have been the last.... times they are a' changing. Good luck!
 
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