Does Someone Here Know How to Calculate Required Force?

[triviawayne]

My car has been destroyed

Person pulled out from a stop sign and there wasn't time for me to stop. I have (had) a 2500 pound car and hit a 6000 pound truck square in the middle. The driver of the truck after impact and in the process of moving out of the intersection decided to pad any type of insurance payout by sideswiping a parked minivan about 15 feet from the curb and claiming that was caused by the impact.

This is impossible, it was a standard city intersection, I was going north, the truck was going east, this happened in the east lane of my north/south facing road. The minivan was on the east/west road, parked on the south side of the street.

How fast would a 2500 pound car need to be moving at the time of impact to even move a 6000 truck when it was hit in the middle? I could see some movement if I had it in the quarterpanel, but not this; and believe any impact would send her to her left, not to her right.

[silverscreenselect]

My car has been destroyed

Person pulled out from a stop sign and there wasn't time for me to stop. I have (had) a 2500 pound car and hit a 6000 pound truck square in the middle.

Don't know the answer, but I hope you're all right. And if means anything, a car that's stopped at a stop sign always has to yield to oncoming cars for precisely that reason. I hope the police noted that on the accident report.

[Bob78164]

My car has been destroyed

Person pulled out from a stop sign and there wasn't time for me to stop. I have (had) a 2500 pound car and hit a 6000 pound truck square in the middle. The driver of the truck after impact and in the process of moving out of the intersection decided to pad any type of insurance payout by sideswiping a parked minivan about 15 feet from the curb and claiming that was caused by the impact.

This is impossible, it was a standard city intersection, I was going north, the truck was going east, this happened in the east lane of my north/south facing road. The minivan was on the east/west road, parked on the south side of the street.

How fast would a 2500 pound car need to be moving at the time of impact to even move a 6000 truck when it was hit in the middle? I could see some movement if I had it in the quarterpanel, but not this; and believe any impact would send her to her left, not to her right.

I'm glad you're okay.

You haven't provided enough information to answer your question because it depends, at a minimum, on the friction between the truck and the road. For example, you'd find moving the truck much easier if it were sitting on ice than if it were mired in mud. --Bob

[tlynn78]

Yikes! No idea, but glad you are unhurt.

[mrkelley23]

Momentum is linear, so the car would have to be going about 2.5 times as fast as the truck to cause it to move significantly north or south. Of course, there are lots of other complicating factors here, so that's not a reliable answer. The distribution of weight in the truck would be important as to the direction of motion after the crash. Take pictures of the skid marks, if there are any. The driver of the truck will likely claim you were going too fast. The length of any skid marks could help you refute that claim.

I'm glad the only damage was to vehicles.

[triviawayne]

Because the ground was wet from it having rained (rain stopped), police report states I was driving too fast for conditions, even though there is no way for them to know my speed.

Why is this in the report? Because the person who ran the stop sign, when moving her truck out of the way, decided to sideswipe a parked minivan about 15 feet from the corner, and close to 20 feet from the point of impact; and said she was pushed into it from me hitting her. Seems impossible anyway as the minivan was to her right, and I would've pushed her to her left.

She has an old beat-up truck, and wanted more money obviously.

So because of that police report, I am being found 10% liable while she is getting a nice check for committing fraud.

The truck was moving from my left to my right through the intersection, I would say 10mph would be a generous speed for that distance.

I was moving at 30mph, and hit the truck square on behind the passenger side door; near the middle of the wheelbase of the truck.

[Vandal]

Time to make a call:

[Beebs52]

I was a claim adjuster 800 yrs ago, but do y'all have no fault insurance in your state?

[triviawayne]

I was a claim adjuster 800 yrs ago, but do y'all have no fault insurance in your state?

PA has it, but it only covers medical and maybe lost wages. There were no injuries

[Beebs52]

You have liabilty and collision? Let insurance fight it out.

[triviawayne]

You have liabilty and collision? Let insurance fight it out.

If i am 10% liable, that means I have to pay deductible and rental. Then there’s sure to be a premium increase. No, not just letting insurance decide this.

[mellytu74]

Glad that you are okay.

Scary stuff. I wish I knew how to answer the question.

[Bob Juch]

Your vehicle may have a computer that recorded your speed before the accident. If so, get the data from that read by a professional and present it to your insurance company.

Get a dashcam with a rear camera for your next auto.

[triviawayne]

Your vehicle may have a computer that recorded your speed before the accident. If so, get the data from that read by a professional and present it to your insurance company.

Get a dashcam with a rear camera for your next auto.

There is no black box in my car

[triviawayne]

found this online:

https://www.gigacalculator.com/calculat ... ulator.php

wondering if I'm using it correctly when I conclude:

A 2500 pound car hitting at an impact speed of 20mph would exert a force of 150 kilonewtons on the impacted object. The impacted object (truck) weighs 5800 pounds, and a force of 150 kilonewtons would cause 28 inches of movement in the direction opposite that of which the force is applied. This is to mean an impact from the right side of the truck would force said truck to move only 28 inches to its left.


There were no injuries in the accident, and I didn't even have brush burns on my face from the airbag. I figure 20mph at impact is being generous and probably hit at a lower speed.

[mrkelley23]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

[Bob Juch]

Your vehicle may have a computer that recorded your speed before the accident. If so, get the data from that read by a professional and present it to your insurance company.

Get a dashcam with a rear camera for your next auto.

There is no black box in my car

See if nearby businesses have security cameras that recorded the accident.

[Bob Juch]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

I don't see the reasoning behind a big payday.

When I T-boned a car in downtown Boise years ago, I took the insurance check for my totaled Bronco II to a local Ford dealer and bought an almost exact replacement except for the color and 25,000 fewer miles by signing the check over to them. I was in need of clutch repair on my old one.

[triviawayne]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

Where did I say both were totaled? Mine is totaled, hers is still driveable. "big payday" is relative, and it is your wording, not mine. Her truck is a 2005 (or 6, I don't care to look now), and beat up prior to this. Not only will she get something for the side of the truck where I hit, she will get something for the nose of the truck while she only put what was more than likely yet another dent. This will be nice money for her based on the income levels of the demographics of where she lives.

Did I mention my car was only 2500 pounds, and this is a 6000 pound truck? Oh yeah, I did. How you think any other outcome from the one that is here with mine totaled and hers with some damage, well i don't know.

30mph in a 2500 pound car is certainly not too fast for conditions.

[triviawayne]

Your vehicle may have a computer that recorded your speed before the accident. If so, get the data from that read by a professional and present it to your insurance company.

Get a dashcam with a rear camera for your next auto.

There is no black box in my car

See if nearby businesses have security cameras that recorded the accident.

there are none.

[tlynn78]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

Where did I say both were totaled? Mine is totaled, hers is still driveable. "big payday" is relative, and it is your wording, not mine. Her truck is a 2005 (or 6, I don't care to look now), and beat up prior to this. Not only will she get something for the side of the truck where I hit, she will get something for the nose of the truck while she only put what was more than likely yet another dent. This will be nice money for her based on the income levels of the demographics of where she lives.

Did I mention my car was only 2500 pounds, and this is a 6000 pound truck? Oh yeah, I did. How you think any other outcome from the one that is here with mine totaled and hers with some damage, well i don't know.

30mph in a 2500 pound car is certainly not too fast for conditions.

And, she ran the stop sign, didn't she? I assumed you had the right of way.

[Beebs52]

Proximate cause. Was there any lighting at all?

[Beebs52]

You're still gonna give a statement to their ins company. Or have to get an attorney.

[mrkelley23]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

Where did I say both were totaled? Mine is totaled, hers is still driveable. "big payday" is relative, and it is your wording, not mine. Her truck is a 2005 (or 6, I don't care to look now), and beat up prior to this. Not only will she get something for the side of the truck where I hit, she will get something for the nose of the truck while she only put what was more than likely yet another dent. This will be nice money for her based on the income levels of the demographics of where she lives.

Did I mention my car was only 2500 pounds, and this is a 6000 pound truck? Oh yeah, I did. How you think any other outcome from the one that is here with mine totaled and hers with some damage, well i don't know.

30mph in a 2500 pound car is certainly not too fast for conditions.

I don't know how insurance companies are in your area, but when my sons were involved in accidents, if they wanted a check from the insurance company, they had to get multiple estimates, then provide proof of repair. And hitting another car, when you are 90% liable, is not going to increase her check, just increase her premiums. Or, more likely, cancel the policy. Driveable does not necessarily mean not totaled, either. The one totaled car we've had in the family -- the car had to be turned over before we could get the payment for it. I guess some could see a semantic difference between "nice payout" and "big payday."

30 mph is certainly too fast for conditions if you can't stop in time to avoid still going 15 mph when you hit a truck in the middle. I use 15 because that's the absolute minimum you had to be going at time of impact if you were wearing a seat belt and the air bags deployed. That means, if you were actually going 30 mph initially, the brakes were only applied for a little over a half a second before the collision -- a distance of about 20 ft. Unless you have a visibility argument to make, that seems off.

[mrkelley23]

Okay, I hate to be the one to say it, but...

If you T-boned a truck in the middle of an intersection and totaled both vehicles, it would be my opinion that you were going too fast for conditions. I think you're actually lucky getting away with 10% liability. I understand that you're upset and looking for a way to justify that, but I don't think you'll be able to. Maybe a really smart lawyer could, but that's definitely not me.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that the woman's getting a big payday. Unless she's suing you somehow, the payout on her truck is not going to be near what it's going to cost her to replace it. And that's if she has decent insurance.

I'll grant you, I wasn't there, didn't see any of the evidence, don't know anything other than what you've provided here. But as a relatively impartial observer, I'd advise you not to fight it too hard.

I don't see the reasoning behind a big payday.

When I T-boned a car in downtown Boise years ago, I took the insurance check for my totaled Bronco II to a local Ford dealer and bought an almost exact replacement except for the color and 25,000 fewer miles by signing the check over to them. I was in need of clutch repair on my old one.

Was that car less than 5 years old at the time, perhaps? I learned this month (since my wife's car turned five) that a car less than 5 years old will usually carry "replacement value" insurance; in other words, they pay out what it would cost you to replace the car, NOT the market value of the car at the time. Older than 5 years, you just get the market value. Just out of curiosity, I looked up the market value for a 2005 Ford F-150. It's about $2500. Nice payout, my left eye.