Accident!! In the Focus Electric

[hybridbear]

Last night my wife & I were stopped at a traffic light and got rear-ended. The woman who hit us told us that she had been fasting for her religion and thus was feeling faint before the accident. She says she was slowing down for the red light and then doesn't know what happened after that. We estimate she hit us at about 20-30 MPH. Fortunately, I had stopped far enough back from the car in front of us that we didn't hit that car even though the impact moved us forward more than 5 feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her car wasn't damaged much, and based on her comments and the volume of other dents/scratches on it she doesn't plan to have it repaired. And her Highlander is new! It's a 2013! And it's already filled with scratches & dents.

[corncobs]

It doesn't look that bad and good to hear that you are ok.

[hybridbear]

It doesn't look that bad and good to hear that you are ok.

We're a bit sore. My wife mostly from the seatbelt across her right shoulder and she's a bit bruised on her face because it hit the vanity mirror which she had open at the time. I'm sore mostly in my right hip, likely from having my foot on the brake at the time of impact. My neck is a little sore, but I had been playing tennis right before we left home so my muscles were pretty loose. And the accident happened less than 3 blocks from home. And the woman who hit us lives about 2 blocks away from us.

[hybridbear]

The other question I have is: how much do we need to be concerned that this car is leased and now its value is diminished because of the accident? What do leasing companies do about that?

[hybridbear]

One thing that certainly helped us is the weight of the Focus Electric. Its curb weight is listed at 3624 lbs. The Highlander is listed at 3946 lbs. For comparison, a gas Focus weighs 2960 lbs & the FFH weighs 3615 lbs.

[acdii]

As long as it is repaired, shouldn't impact value as far as the lease is concerned. Is MN an at fault state like IL?

[Sleddog]

Glad you are OK! It's another case of someone that should not have been driving.

[hybridbear]

As long as it is repaired, shouldn't impact value as far as the lease is concerned. Is MN an at fault state like IL?

MN is a no-fault state. But each previous time I've been rear-ended while stopped at a red light the other driver's insurance has handled everything & I have not had to deal with my insurance. Rear-end collisions are almost always 100% the fault of the other driver so there no-fault insurance doesn't matter.

[hybridbear]

Glad you are OK! It's another case of someone that should not have been driving.

That's what my wife said. If she was feeling faint from fasting then she should not have been driving. I was very disappointed that the police officer didn't give her a ticket. All the cop did was document that my wife & I were stopped at a red light & she hit us. The cop also documented that I had a headache right away after the accident & that my wife had a headache & some shoulder/neck pain.

[darrelld]

Sorry about your accident. I would make certain about lease implications and require compensation if the lease is affected. The lady that hit my wife's C-Max was well along in her pregnancy.

[hybridbear]

Sorry about your accident. I would make certain about lease implications and require compensation if the lease is affected. The lady that hit my wife's C-Max was well along in her pregnancy.

Thanks for the suggestion. I also posted about the accident on the Focus Electric Forum and one poster suggested that I should not have the work done anywhere except a Ford dealer because of the possible lease implications. Having the car fixed at a Ford dealer should keep Ford Credit happy.

[hybridbear]

Now I know what the plastic was that shattered.

 

First is a pic another Focus Electric owner posted of their bumper underside. Second is our pic.

 

 

The part that he labeled "plastic brace" is completely gone on our car.

[kuzzi]

I don't know about the lease circumstance, but Texas is a no fault state and that didn't stop my diminished value claim in civil court.

[corncobs]

Now I know what the plastic was that shattered.

 

The part that he labeled "plastic brace" is completely gone on our car.

Interesting picture it definitely shows that the brace did it's job. It's hard to tell if the metal got bend but it doesn't look like it.

 

It will be interesting to hear what the body shop has to say. Just like with acdii's Flex it didn't look too bad but a lot of under body damage.

 

Good luck in any case.

[Ram]

Hope you and your wife work out your kinks, glad to hear nothing drastic happened. Its a crying shame that the other party was not cited for being under the influence of religion induced hunger that impaired her abilities to drive safely.

[acdii]

They most likely will be replacing the steel bumper, looks like it got bent in a bit.

[djminfll]

It's never easy to detect damage until the car goes through a complete inspection. There can be a lot of surface damage with little inside, and vice versa, minimal damage on the outside, but a mangled mess under the skin.

As far as the leasing question, as long as you maintain the car and keep within the mileage limits, the dealer can't charge you anything more when you turn it in. I agree with the person who recommended getting the body work done at Ford so they can't charge you any penalties if they determine the body work to be sub-standard.

Glad to hear you are all OK, and it's good to see how the Ford took a hit and came out in pretty good shape.

[Waldo]

Glad you're ok and that the damage is pretty minor. There's no way that was even close to a 20mph impact though, I'd estimate less than 10mph based on the damage. Here's an example of a 10mph impact that shows similar damage, if not a bit more:

[GrySql]

Now that a couple days have passed since the accident, how are you both feeling? The adrenaline has worn off and your body systems are feeling exactly what type of trauma was received from the impact.

I hope it is minor and things get better.

[hybridbear]

Glad you're ok and that the damage is pretty minor. There's no way that was even close to a 20mph impact though, I'd estimate less than 10mph based on the damage. Here's an example of a 10mph impact that shows similar damage, if not a bit more:

Remember how heavy the Focus Electric is. It weighs slightly more than the FFH. The Highlander that hit us doesn't hardly weigh any more than the Focus Electric. Also, I had my foot hard down on the brake and she still pushed us close to 10 feet. I usually press the brake to the floor when stopped at a red light as a protection in the case of a rear-end collision.

 

Now that a couple days have passed since the accident, how are you both feeling? The adrenaline has worn off and your body systems are feeling exactly what type of trauma was received from the impact.

I hope it is minor and things get better.

I'm fine. I don't have any extra soreness. My wife feels fine too, just the cut on her cheek.

 

The Focus was dropped off at the collision center of a local dealer last night. I'll call them in the afternoon for an update. The Enterprise rental provided by insurance is a 2014 Toyota Camry SE. It'll be interesting to compare it to the Fusion.

[hybridbear]

Things are moving very slowly. The insurance company approved all the repairs yesterday & parts were ordered then but they won't arrive until Monday or Tuesday. I'm quite disappointed that the parts aren't being overnighted from Ford in Michigan to the repair shop in MN. I'd think the insurance would have preferred to pay for that rather than pay for extra days of rental car...

[acdii]

Rental car is cheaper than overnighting a bumper cover! :) Ground on the one we got for the Lincoln was $34. Quadruple that for overnight.

[hybridbear]

The car is back and repaired. The repair was shockingly cheap! Only about $1200. The steel bumper cost less than $300 and the plastic shock absorber only cost about $25. The bumper cover didn't need to be replaced but was just repaired and repainted. The hatch closes correctly and the cover for the storage area just inside the hatch also now closes correctly. I'm very satisfied with the repair work.

[acdii]

not bad at all. The cover didnt crack or split?

[hybridbear]

not bad at all. The cover didnt crack or split?

I thought it had cracked but the body shop said it was just "stress creases" in the plastic which they could repair. I was a bit unsure, but it looks as good as new. I know the approximate area where the damage was, but I can't tell where now when looking at the bumper. Edited August 16, 2014 by hybridbear