Date:         Tue, 4 Dec 2001 18:39:10 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: rollover accident in a 1971 VAN
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.GSO.3.96.1011203144444.7042G-100000@shasta.cnw.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>My
>insurance company says that we won't get compensated for work time missed,
>minimal for rental car, none for property damage, etc. etc. because the
>drunk driver had no insurance.


WHAT? What do you pay premiums for??

Here in NZ cover means cover (however slippery insurers are, they
can't slip out of this one); you don't need extra coverage for
uninsured accident-causers. My wife's Corolla was rear-ended by
someone like this (though not drunk), and her insurance coughed up
without question.

I'm really sorry to hear about the accident. However it is an
opportunity to tell listees how the accident happened, where the
impact was, how the van handled the initial impact, how it behaved on
the road before the final roll and what the total damage was.

Of course Westys and other campers are generally unbalanced because
of the cabinetry & fridge etc on one side or other of the vehicle;
where a stock VW van is extremely nimble and surefooted, a camper
will fail the moose test if you have to swerve away from the cabinet
side (swerving to the  right in LHD vehicles).

--
Andrew Grebneff
165 EvansSt, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Ph: 0064 (3) 473-8863 fax: 0064 (3) 479-7527
1986 Toyota Corolla 1.8DX CE80 diesel sedan
1989 Toyota Corolla 1.8DX CE96 diesel van
1989 Toyota Corona 2.0D Select CT170 diesel sedan
1992 Toyota Estima Lucida 2.2 turbodiesel MPV (=narrow "Previa")
1984 VW Caravelle GL (to be fitted with 260hp Subaru SVX flat-6 &
Porsche G50 trans)
Seashell, Macintosh, VW & Toyota van nut