RV value in an accident

There are two problems here that are only partly addressed.
Did you notice that both the MI people were saying that your insurance should deal with it? That is only true in Michigan and the other "No Fault" states. (It is also why Michigan has the highest insurance cost in the nation.)

It is true that in most states, the "at fault" drivers insurance should cover you. That is if the other driver even has insurance. Either way, with a custom RV you are in a bad place. You can try to find someone knowledgeable to write an appraisal based on the "before" condition as assumptions. That can be hard.

The other issue is "Total". The fact that the vehicle is called does not mean it has no value. A "total loss" just means that the cost of repair will exceed the cost of replacement. If there is no replacement, then this point is moot.

Those of us (like bsinmich) that have classic coaches go with an appraisal and agreed value. Few companies still write AV policies and they are not cheap. But, if one of our coaches gets hit hard, we have a good chance to recover a good coach when everything clears up.

Matt

OP:
Lets get back to fixing the rig.
Has the shop checked to see if a replacement front axle is available through truck salvage facilities?
What kind of truck chassis is your rig on?
What other components are needed to repair it back to where it was before the incident?

People bum rap lawyers until they need one, then they want the hungriest shark in the sea.

Lawyers working on contingency fees are the common man's best defense against big time corporations and insurance companies (who employ battalions of lawyers themselves). And that's why the big shots seek to hamstring lawyers with so called "tort reform".

If it weren't for lawyers we'd still have exploding Pintos and death on the job would still be common.

3oaks wrote:

sayoung wrote:

Bird Freak wrote:
Amazing!! A vehicle that odd to try to affix a value to and some of you saying lawyer up already and others thinking checks should be flying to you.
I deal with insurance co's all the time and it is going to be about the same as trying to figure parts and value of a classic. It takes time to find parts sometimes and they haven't even made him an offer yet and some of you want to get a lawyer.

Yes it's lawyer time as there is more liability than just fixing the rv. Potential long term medical issues if this was an in-motion accident,have you lost time from work, do you live in it or on the road and must get a motel room,etc.

Spoken like a lawyer. Anything to make more money. A lot of times lawyers fees cost more than the settlement or after the contingency is deducted the plaintif receives little more or even less than a person or company offered for a settlement in the first place, without lawyering up.

Yep, he must be a lawyer or just plain greedy. This is what our nation has come to now and this is whats wrong with it. As I stated before. They have not even gotten a offer yet and people like this are screaming for more. Some lawyers are the scum of the earth like ambulance chasers.

FWIW, in my experience, every time the airbags deploy, its totaled. From what I've been told, true or not, its just way too costly to replace things like entire dashboards and upholstery covered in the airbag dust or propellant or whatever it is. Then you have the structural stuff. So for the ins company its much easier and less costly to total it, given the depreciation of most vehicles.

I was going to say the value of an RV in an accident depends on many things. Including what you value the most.

For example I'm driving a 24,000 pound HOUSE and my feet are about the height of the roof on most cars.. So if some idiot in say a Dodge Neon (2500 pounds and the car I used for the height compairson) slamms into me he's going to go directly under my feet. and do relative minor damage to the RV.. Thus I should, in theory, walk without a scratch since I believe strongly in seat belts and the driver's seat is well protected from flying "Contents" (Solid wall behind me).

Thus I'd say the value of the RV in such a crash is IMMENSE.

Rear ending a steel hauler.. Not so much.

sayoung wrote:

Bird Freak wrote:
Amazing!! A vehicle that odd to try to affix a value to and some of you saying lawyer up already and others thinking checks should be flying to you.
I deal with insurance co's all the time and it is going to be about the same as trying to figure parts and value of a classic. It takes time to find parts sometimes and they haven't even made him an offer yet and some of you want to get a lawyer.

Yes it's lawyer time as there is more liability than just fixing the rv. Potential long term medical issues if this was an in-motion accident,have you lost time from work, do you live in it or on the road and must get a motel room,etc.

Spoken like a lawyer. Anything to make more money. A lot of times lawyers fees cost more than the settlement or after the contingency is deducted the plaintif receives little more or even less than a person or company offered for a settlement in the first place, without lawyering up.

Bird Freak wrote:
Amazing!! A vehicle that odd to try to affix a value to and some of you saying lawyer up already and others thinking checks should be flying to you.
I deal with insurance co's all the time and it is going to be about the same as trying to figure parts and value of a classic. It takes time to find parts sometimes and they haven't even made him an offer yet and some of you want to get a lawyer.

Yes it's lawyer time as there is more liability than just fixing the rv. Potential long term medical issues if this was an in-motion accident,have you lost time from work, do you live in it or on the road and must get a motel room,etc.

Amazing!! A vehicle that odd to try to affix a value to and some of you saying lawyer up already and others thinking checks should be flying to you.
I deal with insurance co's all the time and it is going to be about the same as trying to figure parts and value of a classic. It takes time to find parts sometimes and they haven't even made him an offer yet and some of you want to get a lawyer.

Yes, your insurance should be writing checks to satisfy you and then they should be going after the other guy.