Car accident

[wgeo]

So my family was in a car accident last night. We were hit from behind and the other driver recieved multiple citations. Unfortunately he claimed to have insurance but couldn't produce it at the scene, and then he left in an ambulance. Physically we are all safe and ok, which is what matters most of course. But I've never gone through the insurance process like this before.

The last time someone hit me it was pretty small and her insurance company had me at Auto Shop within hours getting a quote. This time the car isn't really drivable, the frame in the back is very crumpled. Technically it still rolls, it just isn't safe but the police did say to drive it the one block to our house while we figured things out with insurance. We called our insurance company and they said they would start digging for this guys insurance to see if he had any. I just feel like this is going to end up being very expensive for us in the end, even though it wasn't our fault.

 

[mnrose]

Do you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage? Our policies ALWAYS include it because sadly, many people do not have insurance or have plainly inadequate coverage. If you have it, you are probably going to be covered, regardless of the other guy's coverage.

It still will likely cost you in deductible, etc, but at least not the whole thing.

So sorry this happened to you! And, I'm glad you weren't seriously injured!

 

[lynxstch]

So sorry about your car. But the important thing is that none of you got seriously injured. Let the insurance company handle it, that's what you pay them for.

 

[wgeo]

Do you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage? Our policies ALWAYS include it because sadly, many people do not have insurance or have plainly inadequate coverage. If you have it, you are probably going to be covered, regardless of the other guy's coverage.

It still will likely cost you in deductible, etc, but at least not the whole thing.

So sorry this happened to you! And, I'm glad you weren't seriously injured!

yes, we do have the uninsured coverage. I'm just wondering how costly this is going to end up.

 

[RUDisney]

The last time I was hit from behind, the man driving tried to get around me to leave. It was a one lane street with parking on both sides. He was stoned out of his mind. He spoke to me in English, but when the cops arrived, he pretended to only speak Spanish.

He was arrested and I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance because he jostled my neck and pain from a previous accident was immediate. I was ok.

He was driving a friend's mother's car and she said that she didn't give him permission to drive it. Add that to his charges. Because of this, her insurance wouldn't cover it.

My underinsurance paid for my car's damage and my medical with no repercussions to my rates.

Good luck! This will all work out for you.

 

[cvjw]

If you have uninsured motorist coverage, you are responsible for your deductible and your insurance company pays the rest. It also did not count on our record as an accident since we were not at fault. We are in Georgia and have State Farm.

 

[wgeo]

We're in FL, no idea if that makes a difference. And ironically just added our 16 year old to the policy 2 weeks ago, so we've just been hit with a huge rate hike. Fortunately the kid wasn't driving, his dad was. I say that just because I think the kid would always be worried that he had done something wrong.

 

[Klayfish]

I'd have to look at the state guide, as not all states include property damage as part of UM coverage.

Sorry to hear about the accident. If you need any help or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. It's what I do for a living. Don't have a ton of time to type right now...have to leave for Apopka Florida tonight with DD12. Yes, we'll be eating dinner in Disney Springs tonight. Sadly, no park visit though. Oh well.

 

[ChrisFL]

Florida requires uninsured motorist coverage I'm pretty sure

 

[eeyoreandtink]

If you have uninsured motorist, you pay your deductible and insurance is responsible for the rest. They will then go after the guy. If they recover form him, at least on our policy, you get the deductible back (although that rarely happens)

 

[wgeo]

Just got a call from our insurance claim rep, who at first said "well just send me pictures and we'll give you an estimate for a check". That seemed odd to me, I thought they sent someone out. He did change when I told him how bad the damage was though and said that they could have it towed somewhere to see if they would total it or not.

Although first he does still want to try and go after the other guy to see if he has insurance. So hurry up and wait I guess.

 

[Klayfish]

Just got a call from our insurance claim rep, who at first said "well just send me pictures and we'll give you an estimate for a check". That seemed odd to me, I thought they sent someone out. He did change when I told him how bad the damage was though and said that they could have it towed somewhere to see if they would total it or not.

Although first he does still want to try and go after the other guy to see if he has insurance. So hurry up and wait I guess.

Not unusual at all. Most carriers are moving toward writing estimates through technology resources, such as photos. Appraisers going out to see a car in person are a dying breed. They'll never completely go away, but are only used sparingly. If you've got a photo of the car, send it to me or attach it and I'll tell you if it's likely a total or not.

Also note that your carrier cannot "go after" the other driver or their insurance unless they pay something out themselves. They have no legal standing to do so. They can try to help you buy setting up a claim with that carrier, but ultimately you are the one who would have to follow through with it. If your insurance company pays, then they have legal standing and can pursue through the subrogation process.

 

[wgeo]

Not unusual at all. Most carriers are moving toward writing estimates through technology resources, such as photos. Appraisers going out to see a car in person are a dying breed. They'll never completely go away, but are only used sparingly. If you've got a photo of the car, send it to me or attach it and I'll tell you if it's likely a total or not.

Also note that your carrier cannot "go after" the other driver or their insurance unless they pay something out themselves. They have no legal standing to do so. They can try to help you buy setting up a claim with that carrier, but ultimately you are the one who would have to follow through with it. If your insurance company pays, then they have legal standing and can pursue through the subrogation process.

Yeah I probably used the wrong words with "go after". He was going to follow up and see if they could find the other guys insurance so the entire claim could just be filed through them and so that my insurance wouldn't do anything then. That's what is causing the delay is trying to get info from the other driver.

I did send all the pictures to our guy - I suppose it makes sense, a lot cheaper to do that. I just know that so much damage isn't visible right away - but he did say that if we go to a shop and they find other stuff wrong that it would still be covered even if they hadn't noticed it in the pictures at first.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, that's called a supplement. Quite common, especially on rear end hits. However, with a few photos, a good appraiser can tell if a car is totaled or not.

If time is critical, I'd recommend handling through your own carrier and let them subrogate. They will also collect your deductible, so you will get it back (presuming he has coverage and there aren't issues).

 

[disneyhand]

I can't speak for other than my Insurance company and my policy, but in my case they would (and have done so several times for our family of 4) take care of everything starting with towing the car, a loaner/ rental, repair estimate, or replacement process, office protocol (sending their rep/ estimator out) and going after the other driver. I would expect all of this service regardless of fault, since we have excellent coverage. I would not accept $ unless the car was officially declared totaled.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

yes, we do have the uninsured coverage. I'm just wondering how costly this is going to end up.

You won't know until the whole thing plays out.

Our truck was hit while parked in front of our house recently. Hit and run. Happily we were able to supply a tag number for the offending car. We had to pay only our deductible initially. But we were refunded that. We think they were able to track down the driver/owner of the car and have now taken them to court for payment.

 

[ChristmasElf]

yes, we do have the uninsured coverage. I'm just wondering how costly this is going to end up.

It will only cost you what your deductible is. If your deductible is $500, then that is how much it will cost you. Your insurance company will try to go after the guy that hit you and try to recoup some of their costs.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

It will cost your deductible, unless they total your car. Then you are going to get the payout from what the car was worth, and you will have to buy a different vehicle - which will be your decision how much you are going to spend on it.

 

[fly girl]

I have no advice, sorry. Just very happy to hear everyone is ok. That’s the main thing.

The insurance company will do its job, but yeah it is annoying because if you could do it, you’d do it 10x’s faster.

Patience ... so easy to have when you don’t need it. Hard to hold onto when you do.

 

[Klayfish]

It will cost your deductible, unless they total your car. Then you are going to get the payout from what the car was worth, and you will have to buy a different vehicle - which will be your decision how much you are going to spend on it.

Even if the car is a total loss, you will still be responsible for your deductible.