Budget buster - DH got in an accident

[springandmac]

Can anybody give me some tips on what to do?

DH says that he thought he had the green arrow but he definately had the green light and he went to make a left turn (a block from our house) but he hit the oncoming car because they also claim to have had the green light (along with a witness, who conveniently drove off plus the driver admitted to lights shining in her eyes & she couldn't see DH turning). Anyway, her Audi A4 is all tore up my Toyota Sequoia is a tank & sustained minimal damage. DH drove it home last night but the whole front end is trashed. And DH was charged with failure to yeild the right of way.

I have full coverage, will my insurance pay to fix my vehicle too even though it was DH's fault?

 

[lastminutemom]

Yes.. minus your deductible. Given the amount of her damages, I would let the insurance company handle the whole thing.

So sorry.

 

[maggieusa]

Just be prepared you Insurance pay go up See if he can go to driving school to get the points removed from his License.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Also find out if there is a traffic camera at the intersection that would have caught the accident.

 

[hildarumpole]

Some insurance companies will forgive the 1st accident. Otherwise, be prepared for your rates to go up to reimburse the insurance company for their payout. A few years ago, I had a small fender bender in a parking lot. The other driver and I were found equally at fault by our insurance companies (unsafe backing), but no tickets were issued by the police. My insurance paid for the new rear bumper, minus the deductible, but for the following 2 years I had a "Safe Driver" charge on my premium. Have your DH contact your insurance company as soon as possible to open the case file and get his side of the story on record with them. No doubt the other driver and insurance company are already planning on seeking payment from your insurance company for her damage. Good luck. The important thing is that no one was hurt.

 

[DMickey28]

I am glad your DH is ok. Your insurance WILL pay for the repairs minus your deductible regardless of fault.

 

[springandmac]

DH called last night to report the accident and report the claim. They called him back this morning and they're going to investigate.

Hopefully they'll forgive us, we've been accident free for the 10 years we've had a policy with them.

 

[dex08]

I'd for sure check for a traffic camera. Since your DH was making a left, the Audi had the right-of-way unless you can prove that your DH actually did have a green arrow.

 

[Juliee8]

Unfortunately if your dh was issued a ticket by the police that will favor the other person when they investigate the acident. I would recommend calling your insurance agent or company and asking them if they offer accident forgiveness. Some companies automatically include it if you have been with them for a long time and others offer it as a seperate coverage that you can purchase for an extra premium. I would suggest checking into it and see if you can get it and how much it will cost you, without it the accident will be on his record and charged for 3 years.

 

[msmayor]

Unfortunately if your dh was issued a ticket by the police that will favor the other person when they investigate the acident. I would recommend calling your insurance agent or company and asking them if they offer accident forgiveness. Some companies automatically include it if you have been with them for a long time and others offer it as a seperate coverage that you can purchase for an extra premium. I would suggest checking into it and see if you can get it and how much it will cost you, without it the accident will be on his record and charged for 3 years.

Too late to even consider buying that coverage now to cover this accident.

 

[Juliee8]

Not with all companies....our allowed us to add it on after the fact.

 

[Janice B]

Glad your husband is okay.
I have first hand experience in what you are going though. OUr DS17 was charged with the exact same thing this Sept.
His insurance will be going up, but by how much we will not know till August.
We had to pay the deductable but they fixed the car and gave us a rental while our car was being fixed. Not sure how much damage was done to your vechicle or the age, however our van was 7 yrs old at the time of the accident. Our damages were vary close the the write off point of the vechile. The insurance company gave us the chose to either fix it our write it off, we chose to fix it. Check your policy to see if you have rental coverage. Also if you havent already contact your insurance company and work very closely with them. They will be able to give you all the info you need.

Can anybody give me some tips on what to do?

DH says that he thought he had the green arrow but he definately had the green light and he went to make a left turn (a block from our house) but he hit the oncoming car because they also claim to have had the green light (along with a witness, who conveniently drove off plus the driver admitted to lights shining in her eyes & she couldn't see DH turning). Anyway, her Audi A4 is all tore up my Toyota Sequoia is a tank & sustained minimal damage. DH drove it home last night but the whole front end is trashed. And DH was charged with failure to yeild the right of way.

I have full coverage, will my insurance pay to fix my vehicle too even though it was DH's fault?

 

[a1tinkfans]

Glad dh is okay!

It is not just "left turning person is automatically wrong" if it is a comparative negligent state the carrier will EVALUATE and then compare the negligence assigning it based on the 100%. Part of that evaluation is the POI (point of impact) In other words, if your DH hit the OV (other vehicle) in the front versus hit it in the rear OR it hit your dh on his side to rear versus HIS front, it would show how far he was into his turn. Many times carriers will assign 80 against the left turner BUT they can bring that down to 66 (or any number they feel is correct) with additional investigation. Also speed can be a factor.....
Also, you are not obligated to go under your own carrier for first party coverage, collision and use your deductible . If you decide to go thru the other carrier, THEY will only pay for that portion THEY feel their client/insured is responsible for. But usually they support their own policyholder, thus they will likely do the 80% and sometimes play hardball and say 100 against your dh....
So, best bet is go first party ask your carrier to seek the subrogation against the other carrier so you can try and recoup some money ( you get the % of your deductible back that the other party was at fault)
Most importantly, ask if they have accident forgiveness, many carriers do for long term policyholders.
Best of luck and again, Very happy the dh was not hurt!