Messed up the front end of my truck this weekend

Shadowfax · March 17, 2003

Because someone didn't have the decency to take their dog to the pound

Was headed up to Shreveport this weekend in my Xtreme to see my sis. Well about 7 miles from my exit, a dog walks out into the middle of the road. I couldn't go left because of the car next to me, and my only option was the shoulder. Which I took....

Dog had began to run into the middle of the interstate and as I thought I was gonna have her cleared, she ran back to the shoulder and BAM!!!!!! All I heard was a big boom, breaking glass and plastic and a thud and then smoke pouring off the left front after I hit her.

Knocked the dog out into the interstate and I totally trashed my airdam and bent the bumper. After running out into the highway after traffic had cleared, I got the mangled airdam out of the road and I pulled the dog off the highway outta respect.

I then had to pulll brackets and piece of air dam outta the left front wheel well (air dam piece got hung up and was rubbing the tire, hence the smoke). had to pull the brackets and bend them outta the way. Totally messed up the front below the bumper. Front bumper is bent underneath and is offset now a lil bit. After making sure nothing was destroyed to where I couldn't drive it, I proceeded to my sisters house where I vented.

To add insult to injury, she tells me that the exit that was near where I hit the dog is a place where people drop their unwanted pets off all the time, and there is always a dog or something getting run over there. Cmon man, how come somone can't just bring their dog to the pound or give it away instead of doing something stupid like this? I mean if you are gonna drop it off, at least do it in the middle of the countryside, not next to a 70mph interstate.

Only had this truck since october, and is brand new, New smell hasn't even gotten outta the cab yet, and now I have to replace the airdam, get new fog lights, filler plate, fix the bumper and no telling what else I may have missed while under there.

chevy4x4trucks · March 17, 2003

Ouch, sorry to hear about that. It really sucks because you tried to avoid the dog, but ended up hitting it anyways

I hope you can get your truck fixed up soon and looking great.

I'm sure right now you feel like this

lrymal · March 17, 2003

...I hope you can get your truck fixed up soon and looking great.

This might be the time to go ahead and use the insurance money to get a bumper replacement from Ranchhand or many of the other commercial-grade bumper replacement companies.

chevy4x4trucks · March 17, 2003

...I hope you can get your truck fixed up soon and looking great.

This might be the time to go ahead and use the insurance money to get a bumper replacement from Ranchhand or many of the other commercial-grade bumper replacement companies.

Well probably not a ranchand since it's an S-10 Extreme, but I'm sure you can get a sportier air dam/bumper. Was there any hood damage? Best time to get a ram air hood especially since the insurance company will be forking over part of the cost.

Shadowfax · March 17, 2003

Nah no hood damage, and I think the bumper is fixable. Its bent up underneath its lip where you can't see it. I may be offset some, who knows I hit a guesstimated 50lb dog at 70-65mph so I may have stuff I can't see with the naked eye.

As for the insurance, I got off the phone with the agent a while ago and an adjuster is coming out tomorrow to give an estimate. Im going to go and get one myself during lunch.

As for the air dam, I want a direct replacement Xtreme one from GM. All I want to do is make it look like the day it rolled off the assembly line. Not to big on the aftermarket airdamns. Most of them look like a cow catcher on a train hehehehe. Plus I like the way the Xtreme Gfx look on the truck. Good thing I have full coverage :thumb:

BlueRado · March 17, 2003

Bummer man.

Glad no-one was hurt though. Poor dog too. Never have understood how anyone could abandon animals like that. ???

Shadowfax · March 17, 2003

Me neither. The dog I have now was the result of a "Dumped off animal" 2 months after my lab died, I found a blue heeler hiding under our thousand gallon water tank trailer. Thought it was the neighbors heeler cause he has 5 but it wasn't his. So I took her in and shes been the loyalist dog a man could ask for. :thumb:

Just a shame that people rather dump off a living, breathing animal on the side of the freeway rather than bring it to an adoption shelter for free, or next to nothing.

antig24 · March 17, 2003

sorry to hear about ur truck

Hope you get it fixed soon.

99silveradoz71 · March 18, 2003

That sucks, hope you get her fixed up without too many problems. I know when I was still doing my volunteer work with another department, the regular officer I was riding with hit a Sheppard when we were heading to the station after picking up dinner...I saw the thing coming across, but couldn't get the words out fast enough.