How Fast Do You Think The SUV Was Going? (insurance, vehicle, Japanese)

[jazzcat22]

We were parked in a mostly empty parking lot tonight. When we came out of the restaurant, we saw that our car (a Honda Accord) was parked on a diagonal taking up two parking spaces. We momentarily couldn't wrap our brains around it---my husband said, "Wow---I didn't think I parked that badly"---and then in the next second, saw that the back was completely damaged---trunk smushed in, bumper askew. The Chevy Tahoe that had hit us (young woman claimed her foot slipped---she was wearing flip flops, but it seems more likely she just wasn't paying attention and was dealing with her kids or being on the phone) didn't have much damage at all. We called the police even though she wanted us to not call the police or insurance company (when I said no way---we didn't know you and can't trust you, she replied, "I have kids" as if that suddenly made her trustworthy.

We will see if the car has to be totalled. No one was hurt, so that's good. Glad we weren't in the car when it happened. Just can't imagine that she had parked/backed up so close to us as the parking lot was almost empty and we had parked away from the stores and restaurants (we like to get a few extra steps in and thought it was safer to park where not many people would park in the small strip shopping center.

How fast do you think she would have been going to move the car about 45 degrees? I understand damage from rear end collisions, but can't fathom actually pushing a parked car like that...

[ukrkoz]

Who cares. It's done. Main thing you both are OK.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Probably not that fast. If it was the full size Tahoe, those things have a lot of mass to them. Force = MA... so with a big heavy vehicle, it doesn't need to be going very fast to make your little Accord slide across the pavement.

[Soviet]

Was the asphalt wet? Did it rain recently?

[CPPU12345]

It were probably some people pulling a prank on the Japanese automobiles.

The people did not like the foreign cars. Some people could not get used to the foreign ideas.

I wanted a Honda, too. It was economic to keep. It was a great car for a loner like me.

But if you had family, you probably wanted a car which looked more sturdy. The robust looks could ward off a lot troubles in "the woods".

EDIT: And back to the topic: if nobody pulled a prank on your Accord, then a Chevy SUV could really push your car 45 degrees. You might not know Chevy: this gasoline hog could push Honda to the next lance by jerking the wheel 2 degrees your ward.

[JaxRhapsody]

It would be hard to tell, without a pic, anyway.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Probably not that fast. If it was the full size Tahoe, those things have a lot of mass to them. Force = MA... so with a big heavy vehicle, it doesn't need to be going very fast to make your little Accord slide across the pavement.

Originally Posted by JaxRhapsody

It would be hard to tell, without a pic, anyway.

correct on both accounts. in this case to determine how fast the SuV was going, we would need the length of any skid marks on the pavement made by both cars. in fat just knowing the distance your car was actually moved, and the weight of both vehicles, a good mathematician can give you a very close estimate.

[lizardspock]

Originally Posted by jazzcat22

We called the police even though she wanted us to not call the police or insurance company....

I'm guessing this isn't the first time she's done something like this. Odds are she either doesn't have insurance or she's on some minimum plan that will have her paying thru the nose for an accident.

[GeoffD]

87 mph. Any faster and the flux capacitor would have kicked in.

[jackmccullough]

I know you're just trying to satisfy your curiosity, but it really doesn't matter how fast she was going. There is no combination of facts that, after she hit and destroyed your vehicle in an almost deserted parking lot, she isn't liable.