Train Crossing Arm hit my car

[Fmc]

A train crossing arm lifted then fell on my roof. Is it worth repairing or just ignore it?

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[mkg3]

Looks like you were moving through the track when the crossing arm hit the top of the vehicle.

If it was my vehicle, I absolutely would get it fixed.

 

[captainjp]

A train crossing arm lifted then fell on my roof. Is it worth repairing or just ignore it?

God bless you if you are able to ignore it. I’d be on the horn with my PDR guy minutes after it happening.

 

[shamoo]

That's totally up to you and how you value appearance, and/or cost.

If it were me, I would 100% repair it. Zero hesitation. Every little ding/scratch/etc I would repair because that's me.

I don't know how much it would cost to repair yours, but you can consider looking into comprehensive coverage repairs. You probably have it in your policy and it is made for stuff exactly like this. Make sure you mention "it hit you" and you didn't "run into it" because the latter is collision and that impacts your premiums.

There's going to be some comprehensive deductible you pay and that's it. Comprehensive claims do not increase your rates, but you can't be filing these all the time.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Did you capture drive cam of the incident? I'd go through insurance for that, perhaps for whoever owns the rail line or the city.

 

[Fmc]

Looks like you were moving through the track when the crossing arm hit the top of the vehicle.

If it was my vehicle, I absolutely would get it fixed.

Yes. The arm lifted then it came back down as I was halfway through the crossing

 

[Jeff B.]

Drive Cam to the rescue. Hopefully you have it enabled. I would go after the railroad company if it is clear on the drive cam that the arm fell on your vehicle after raising and the flashing lights / siren were off. However, if the lights were still flashing and the siren was still sounding while you were trying to drive under the arm, that would likely be your be your fault.

 

[Ramfamnh]

I had a large tree branch fall from the sky a couple of month ago and it slammed onto the roof of my R1T with enough force to dislodge the interior console that houses the SOS and hazard buttons among other things. Fortunately it hit metal and not glass but it did scare the crap out of me and a couple of my boys who were with me that day lol. I was really bummed at first and contemplated fixing the dents / cracked paint. I decided to just seal it up temporarily and think about a repair later. Sure enough, I haven't thought about it once in many weeks and don't have any plans to repair it. I spend very little time looking at the roof of my truck I've learned.

 

[CharonPDX]

I can't tell if that's actually "scraped all the way through the Rivian's paint" or "paint transferred from the arm".

if it's paint transfer, and your paint is fine underneath, I wouldn't bother getting the dents fixed. (Then again, my Rivian is treated as a truck, not a beauty pageant contestant.) If it is through the Rivian paint, I'd get it touched up at least

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Strange question to ask strangers. It's your property. If it's a malfunctioning crossing arm, you could try and see if the railway operator would cover it. You could probably turn to your insurance agent/company for guidance on how you might proceed... before you try anything to fix/clean it. It isn't your fault, so even if through insurance, it shouldn't affect your record. Hard to tell but it looks like it might even be dented/deformed?

 

[SwampNut]

Get whoever is responsible for the crossing to cover all your losses.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Technically speaking... You are supposed to wait until the lights stop flashing before you proceed through the train crossing. I never do, and most don't either, but that is the law. Unless the lights were off when it came back down, you pretty much are SOL.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Technically speaking... You are supposed to wait until the lights stop flashing before you proceed through the train crossing. I never do, and most don't either, but that is the law. Unless the lights were off when it came back down, you pretty much are SOL.

Was wondering the same. And - if the video shows you crossing while it wasn't fully clear - you're insurance would give you the 180-degree opposite response you'd be hoping for. Back to your question, I'd certainly repair it.

 

[Fmc]

Sadly these are newly installed. I am not even sure if the lights were working. But also no dashcam footage so who knows.

 

[Tikiman71]

I just got mildly side-swiped by a tow truck driver--their side toolbox door flung open as they braked on my passenger side and it whacked my rear wheel arch. I immediately tried to hit the drive cam save button, but it was not there. When I looked further, it had been switched off from one of the updates, even though my SSD was still attached. So check regularly that it remains on for when you need it!

My PDR guy is coming tomorrow: Loren, The Metal Massager in San Diego. He's excellent if you ever need some dent relief.

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