So I got rear-ended today on the way home from work... waiting to make a left turn behind a pickup truck to get on the freeway. Car behind me was stopped, so 3 of us lined up waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so we could turn left onto the freeway ramp. For some reason, the chick behind me in a Buick let her foot off the brake & suddenly my daughter & I have our heads snapped back into the headrests. My first thought was "Siht, so much for avoiding this for years by braking early & leaving more space in front of me @ a stop than required by law... and siht again!"



Tail pipe sticks out a little more than usual:


Pics of the damage here. I need opinions on if this is likely to require more than a new rear bumper... how is the steel beam mounted to the body behind the bumper plastic? Is it designed to absorb shock without having to be replaced, or will there be other metal parts under the plastic that need replacing. Her insurance should be covering it all, and mine is very comprehensive (USAA) so I'm not worried about cost. Just want to be prepared for what to expect. My last rear-end collision was when my lifted Jeep Cherokee was hit by an uninsured Infinity driver, and her car stopped when her engine block met my rear hitch receiver - but it buckled the rear body enough to make it a "total" loss, so I got screwed out of a vehicle on that one.

Be careful out there - you never know what kind of dumb-a$$es are out there waiting to do something stupid that results in your work and money going down the tube.

 

Sorry to hear/see

 

I feel your pain having had a similar idiot hit me earlier this month. I hope you and your daughter made it out without serious bodily injury. Even thought the cars mean quite a bit with the time and money put into them, family and personal health means even more.

Subaru may have good crash ratings, but it's still a really small car compared to the other things out there on the road.

 

So does anyone know of a way to make that third brake light strobe before going solid as a way to get people's attention? I don't know if that would make a difference, but I added something like that to my bike to increase visibility and get the attention of drivers immediately behind me.

 

Found this website http://www.flashingbrakelights.com/

 

Sorry to hear. Same thing happened to me in Dec. of 06 except not only did I get mad whiplash, but also a misaligned spine. Went through about 6 months of therapy, major drag. Anyway, I hope it`s not too bad.
I think your car`s chassis should be strong enough to withstand the impact meaning minimal damage only to your bumper.