Rear ended today ... F me
 

Driving home from work today, and I got rear ended by some kid at a 2003 Explorer while I was coming to a stop.

I have a Ford hitch cover that is held in by a locking hitch-pin...probably 3/4 of an inch thick for the pin. This hitch cover that goes into my hitch receiver, and it took almost ALL of the impact.

I have no idea how fast the kid was going, but there is obvious damage where the bumper was pushed in, as it's clearly no longer flush where it wraps around the back of my 2010.

So the bumper is toast, and I am sure it's not cheap as it has the back-up sensors in it. However, I am most worried about the fact that almost all of the impact was sent through the hitch receiver and into the frame of the truck.

I thought it didn't look too bad, until I looked at my truck closer at home. I also noted while I was driving that things just felt off and steering was weird.

Questions to all of you who have been through a similar accident, or work at a body shop:

1. Is it possible my frame is bent? I know the f150 has a strong frame, but like I said, things feel "off". If I had to guess, and I stress this is a guess, I'd say the explorer was going 15 mph when he hit me. Like I said, doesn't seem that fast, but almost all the impact was focused on a very small spot, rather than distributed throughout the entire bumper.

2. If the frame is bent, is it a big fix? Also, will it/can it ever be as strong as it was before?

3. Any other insights would be helpful or things I need to look for, etc.

Thanks. I hate my life. :censored:

The trailer hitch isn't designed for an impact, just a tow, look at that and and the frame.

Pics?

Sorry, didn't have any time to take any. Had to do the child swap with my wife while I got home and she went to work, and my baby is sick right now. I'll try to get some. It honestly doesn't look bad, but I know nothing.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
Get your truck on a good frame machine at a body shop before you sign off on any settlement.....it's pretty amazing what those new computerized frame machines can do as far as straightening out a vehicle and returning it to specs.

After you get your truck fixed, get yourself one of these! Check out superbumper.com. They have several different models of auxiliary bumpers that attach to your vehicle via your receiver hitch. The one I have is called a bumpershield. It will withstand an impact of up to 20 mph with no damage to your vehicle. I purchased mine after I was rear ended by a texting teenager five days after I bought my new truck! Fortunately, the only damage to my truck was a scraped plastic bumper pad. My truck did not have a hitch from the factory. I installed one just so I could use the bumpershield! Well worth the piece of mind, as I don't see this distracted driving problem getting anything but worse as time goes on.

that looks like you are asking to be hit lol!

I was hit recently... actually, a van hit a red SUV and pushed it into me.

I was concerned about the same type of damage since I had my ball mount in.
I think it turns out that the bumper mounts to the hitch anyway, so most of the impact looks like it would get transferred to the hitch and frame.

I didn't have any frame damage, but I think the only way to know is to bring it to a shop that can assess that. Interestingly enough, the shop I went to said most insurance companies aren't going to pay to have the frame measured just to be sure it wasn't damaged. The shop has to suspect that it has (been damaged) to warrant the cost of checking it.

Either way, assuming everyone is alright, its just a giant hassle more than anything else.

Sorry to hear about this... it definitely sucks.

I got rear ended last year. It was about a 10mph hit. I had a ball mount on. The mount went though the kids grill and radiator. Other than some scratched up plastic on my bumper there was really no damage. Long story short I just wrote it off after a visual inspection. If it felt weird to me I'd take it in and get the dealer to look at it. Good luck.

Thanks to all those who replied. Spoke to insurance company here and thankfully here in Alberta (Canada), when an accident is not your fault, you are off the hook for your deductible.

Spoke to the body shop manager of the dealer I will be taking my truck to (AB law says you can take it anywhere you want, not just "approved" body shops) and I described the accident to him. He said the bumper with sensors is about $700-$800, not including labour. From there, if any sensors are pooched, they have to be replaced. EACH sensor is nearly $200, he said. So we're starting to get expensive here.

As far as the impact being focused on the trailer receiver, the body shop manager said it would have more than likely caused some damage to the something attached to the frame, which supports the tailgate, back of the bed, etc. They'll have to check that out. I'd also suspect my alignment is messed up, as steering input felt off. Again, something they'll have to check.

Also, my child seat must be replaced. I have an expensive one ($300) which, according to Transport Canada, should also be replaced in the event of ANY accident due to unforeseen forces acting upon it (yes, this IS very different from the NTSB rules in the U.S.)

My early guess: $2000-$3000.