Idiot son wrecked my baby!

[Ken_W]

I have to get this off my chest, before I scream.

Curfew around here is midnight. Between 12:15am and 12:44am I called and called and called my 16 yr-old son, growing increasingly concerned because the rain that started at midnight was starting to turn to sleet. He did not answer his phone.

At 12:44am he answered, hysterical, saying that he had had an accident moments before -- only 200 yards from the house! Upon making a left-hand turn onto our street, he did not turn sharply enough, and the slight slippage of the tires caused him to slam into a curb. He then continued over the curb into an earthen berm.

I ran out the door. The boy was fine, but the car was not. The RH-front wheel had been shoved into the sheet metal in front of the door. The tire was blown and the rim visibly bent where it had hit the curb. The fender was visibly bent. There were bits of front fascia all over the place. The headlights were okay and still work.

I got in and tried to back it out of the wet earth. It started up fine, but neither front wheel would budge, probably due to the RH one being jammed into the frame.

I called the police and a towing company. Fortunately I have comprehensive insurance on this car -- I had a hunch it would be needed.

A sherriff's deputy showed up and took the report. He was very nice, and said that he would give my son a break on being out past curfew. The tow truck showed up and got his hydraulic flatbed under the rear wheels easily, and then hooked up a chain to the RH rear axle. He then gently started pulling it out. It made all sorts of horrible noises -- I think this process actually added additional damage. The driver kept stopping to adjust the chain. Also, the damaged RH front wheel wound up getting pulled forward toward the headlights, crunching things unknown in front of the wheelhouse liner. The front fascia / splash shield made various snapping noises as more bits were broken off while the car, tilted forward by the tow truck, was getting dragged out of the hard earth.

Then the tow truck driver got some info from me and drove off with my baby -- the car I spent all summer working on. They will take it to their yard, for the claims adjuster to inspect, and then to the body shop at my ex-Pontiac dealer, who now sells Buick/GMC. I know from past experience that this body shop is excellent.

So now I'm sitting here wondering what will happen next...

Best case: everything gets fixed, I pay only my $500 deductible, but watch insurance rates go up in the future. Maybe have some mystery glitches in the car forever after.

Worse case: car gets totalled... I see at least $2500 damage here, maybe a thousand more. The car is only worth around $4500. It is worth far more to me personally, however, due to its excellent condition prior to today, and all the many many hours of love I put into her this summer. Hours that may now turn out to have been wasted...

Worst case: Would be if insurance company wants to make an issue of low tread on tires and deny coverage or something... That would really suck, especially considering that they would have been replaced today if the special-order tires had arrived at Costco before Thanksgiving. The existing tires' treads vary between 1/16 to 3/16, depending upon which wheel you look at (the 1/16 is on the RH-rear). My son admits it was more driver error than tire traction that was to blame, but the insurance company might see it differently.

Anyways; if you've read this far, thanks for letting a heartbroken Bonny lover vent. I will go now, to wipe my tears and get some sleep before Thanksgiving in a few hours.

Ken_W

[myfirstbonnie]

No matter the fault and future with the insurance, I am glad your son is okay.

Did they cite him for anything?

As for the damage, there could be a lot that is not seen yet. These cars have the aluminum oil pan which will break before they bend like the old steel ones.

Best of luck with the insurance.

[00Beast]

I agree with Matt. Your son made a mistake, but the most important thing is that he is OK. The car is replaceable, him, not so much. I know you're just upset, so it seems like you're more angry than you probably are.

Sounds like the car might be totalled. Doesn't take a whole lot to total even a $4500 car.

[PRD2BDF]

We all used to be 16 years old. Just put yourself in his shoes and think how you would want your own father to handle this situation. I think your son already learned a lesson, it's one of these lessons that cannot be learned until after it happens.

[skregal]

I hope my sons, who can't drive yet, learn that first hard lesson about cars
with the same outcome as yours. Too many times young drivers don't get
a second chance and end up in the graveyard.

A friend of mine told me when my first son was born that everything I own
will now be systematically destroyed. He was pretty accurate.

Good luck with the repairs, and good luck with those "second chance" conversations
you and your son will have.

[harofreak00]

All 16yr olds should start driving in a $500 beater... not your "baby"

[comatoast]

All 16yr olds should start driving in a $500 beater... not your "baby"

Exactly what I was thinking. If he's old enough to drive he's old enough to work and buy a car. Sucks about the car tho

[zuper8]

Sorry to hear about your Bonne :( that is a depressing way to head into Thanksgiving.

[94SilverSSEi]

All 16yr olds should start driving in a $500 beater... not your "baby"

Totally I agree. That's how I started and if I broke I had to fix (with a little help from dad) but it really teaches you to value things and the work that has to be put into them.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Sorry to hear about your car. At least your son is alive and unhurt.

[GMC Guy]

I agree with Harofreek00

My GF has a son just turned 16... she is still trying to figure out what to do about driving and vehicles.
I hope all works out for the best with your baby.

Glad to hear the 16 year old is OK (wondering how long the grounding is for...)

[bonnelover]

i wasn't able to drive alone until i was almost 18. once, when i was driving his 70 chevelle, someone backed into the side of it. dad being a good dad, looked at it and walked off. seeing that i was okay, was all that mattered. he got the car fixed and i was behind the wheel again. to this day, he still has that chevelle!!!!

[BonneMe]

It's a learning experience for him, but it should be for you too, sounds like the tires are too worn to be safe. There's not enough water shedding/ice grabbing tread depth, and harder tread compounds at those depths aren't good in cold/wet either.

For full disclosure, I am a tire Nazi, but When i was in college i was in an accident because of near bald tires.

[Sadden]

I got my first car at 13.....
Didnt start driving till 17

[John Deere Boy]

I paid for my car at 15...that was enough to make me be careful with it. But i also paid for my bike and ended up wheels up with it. So i guess being young and having to buy your own vehicle isn't a cure-all.

[2000Silverbullet]

I grew up in a poor family. We had a 1960 Chev when I was 10 but couldn't afford to fix it so didn't have a car at all until my Grandmother bought me a 1970 Pontiac Tempest when I was 21 to use for work so I could afford to go to school.

Your son will learn nothing unless he suffers. Make him pay the $500 deductible and make him walk for at least 6 months!
The next time he might not be so lucky.

My son was the same way. He's been walking and bussing for the last 16 months.

[99BonnevilleSE]

I agree with everybody else here also. He's 16, time for him to get a job and buy his own car. I'm 16, work my butt off at McDonalds 30 hours a week and goto school. I'm proud of my car and I was fortunate enough to be able to buy my Bonneville that I have now. I take care of it for this very reason. I pay my insurance and all maitnence on the car. It's responsibility I wish other kids around me would have.

[Ken_W]

I have (for the most part) been the "adult" and stayed calm. I even insisted that he drive our minivan tonight on and errand he and I had to do. He did not want to drive, but I told him that it would best to "get back in the saddle" as soon as possible.

He is not a reckless driver, as far as I know. It was his first time driving in the rain at night, and he made a mistake. As others have noted, at least he is not hurt. Could be a lot worse, I guess. I am just mad that he was out 45 min after curfew. If he had been home on time, he would have missed the rain entirely. The sherriff's deputy who took the report decided not to cite him on the curfew issue, since he 1) had no alcohol on his breath, and 2) "seemed like a good kid", and 3) had a clean driving record (no tickets, etc.).

I let him drive the car because he had worked out in the yard for four hours in the cold, raking leaves by himself without complaining. I promised him that he could drive over to visit his girlfriend, and normally give him our minivan for that. My wife was late in getting back from errands, so the Bonne was the only car available when it was time to go. He had worked so hard all afternoon that I was feeling generous, plus he had driven the Bonne before without any problems. Oh well.

As for the posts above about getting a job; he has been trying, but backed off once school started. Given what has happened, I think we will be pushing him harder here.

As for consequences; I agree with the sentiments above that he should share in this loss. I'm still thinking about how to handle this.

As for the Bonneville itself; my insurance company recommended that I go to the collision shop and get all my stuff out of it until its final fate is decided. An insurance adjuster will come out next Wedsnesday to inspect it and in the meantime the body shop will work up an estimate. When I stopped by today, the shop manager asked me if, given a choice, I would be more likely to "total" it or fix it (apparently this might affect his quote). I said that if at all possible I would prefer for it to be fixed. I really like the car. He seemed to like hearing that (more work for his shop ).

When I went to get my stuff from it, I could see the damage much better. The drive axle was ripped out of the trans, the lower control arm was broken into two pieces, the sway bar link was dangling in space, the swoopie rim has a 4" gash on one edge, the fender is crumpled a bit, the strut is mangled, and then I stopped looking because it was too painful. (I now wish I had looked at the front fascia at least.) My son (who I insisted accompany me) took this photo:



It doesn't look so bad in this pic. At least the whole front end isn't crumpled. Maybe the insurance company will be willing to let it be fixed. It will all depend upon the cost.

I'll post a few more updates later, for those who might be curious about how something like this plays out. In the meantime, thanks for the support. I really appreciate it, especially coming from you guys here, who have been of so much help with all the work I did on this car. Hopefully this car can be fixed and there will then be more projects to talk about in the future.

Ken_W

[99BonnevilleSE]

I have (for the most part) been the "adult" and stayed calm. I even insisted that he drive our minivan tonight on and errand he and I had to do. He did not want to drive, but I told him that it would best to "get back in the saddle" as soon as possible.

He is not a reckless driver, as far as I know. It was his first time driving in the rain at night, and he made a mistake. As others have noted, at least he is not hurt. Could be a lot worse, I guess. I am just mad that he was out 45 min after curfew. If he had been home on time, he would have missed the rain entirely. The sherriff's deputy who took the report decided not to cite him on the curfew issue, since he 1) had no alcohol on his breath, and 2) "seemed like a good kid", and 3) had a clean driving record (no tickets, etc.).

I let him drive the car because he had worked out in the yard for four hours in the cold, raking leaves by himself without complaining. I promised him that he could drive over to visit his girlfriend, and normally give him our minivan for that. My wife was late in getting back from errands, so the Bonne was the only car available when it was time to go. He had worked so hard all afternoon that I was feeling generous, plus he had driven the Bonne before without any problems. Oh well.

As for the posts above about getting a job; he has been trying, but backed off once school started. Given what has happened, I think we will be pushing him harder here.

As for consequences; I agree with the sentiments above that he should share in this loss. I'm still thinking about how to handle this.

As for the Bonneville itself; my insurance company recommended that I go to the collision shop and get all my stuff out of it until its final fate is decided. An insurance adjuster will come out next Wedsnesday to inspect it and in the meantime the body shop will work up an estimate. When I stopped by today, the shop manager asked me if, given a choice, I would be more likely to "total" it or fix it (apparently this might affect his quote). I said that if at all possible I would prefer for it to be fixed. I really like the car. He seemed to like hearing that (more work for his shop ).

When I went to get my stuff from it, I could see the damage much better. The drive axle was ripped out of the trans, the lower control arm was broken into two pieces, the sway bar link was dangling in space, the swoopie rim has a 4" gash on one edge, the fender is crumpled a bit, the strut is mangled, and then I stopped looking because it was too painful. (I now wish I had looked at the front fascia at least.) My son (who I insisted accompany me) took this photo:



It doesn't look so bad in this pic. At least the whole front end isn't crumpled. Maybe the insurance company will be willing to let it be fixed. It will all depend upon the cost.

I'll post a few more updates later, for those who might be curious about how something like this plays out. In the meantime, thanks for the support. I really appreciate it, especially coming from you guys here, who have been of so much help with all the work I did on this car. Hopefully this car can be fixed and there will then be more projects to talk about in the future.

Ken_W

Ouch. That hurts. Not as bad as I expected. But still bad. And as for your son, give him an incentive to get a job. Tell him if he does get a job and since he does like your Bonneville, that you will you help him find an affordable one and you can BORROW (if you have the available funds) a few bucks to him for it. Maybe even an older model or something. My 99 is great for me. When my parents told me this, I went all out to find a job. Found one in a few weeks, they kept their end of the bargin and got the car for me the
next day!
After a few moths of hard work, long shifts, and plenty of overtime... I owe $150 back to my parents after they borrowed me $1300 back in April. I plan on paying it off with my Christmas money from relatives and I'll have the start of a new year to start working on it and getting it the way I want to. I'm sure this will work with your son, like you said he's a good kid.

[harofreak00]

Thats a very easy fix... you could probably do it for around $100 in parts from me.