Ever let someone borrow your car and they have an accident?

[kdonnel]

A cousin of my wife is visiting Georgia from Alaska. His family is 10 plus his mother and two friends of the kids so a total of 13 visiting.

Renting a 15 passenger van for the three week trip was going to be $4500. Instead the plan was to borrow one of our cars and another from a friend.

They picked up our car at about 9pm on the 27th. On the 28th around 1pm we got a text that they had rear ended someone. Not even a full 24 hours into their 3 week trip.

No one was injured which is the most important.

Now we wait to find out if the car is repairable. From the pictures it doesn’t seem that bad, the airbags did not deploy but the radiator was punctured so it is not drivable. It is also an older car, 2011 with 130000 miles. Long ago paid off yet still reliable. So much more valuable to us than the cash value if totaled.

So much for doing good deeds.

 

[mamamary]

My daughter.

Growing up my dad was watching his co-workers car while this man was away for awhile. Not an accident but it was stolen. That was pretty embarrassing but the guy was kind of happy about it because he was going to get rid of it anyway. I guess he had good insurance or something.

 

[Piglet]

A cousin of my wife is visiting Georgia from Alaska. His family is 10 plus his mother and two friends of the kids so a total of 13 visiting.

Renting a 15 passenger van for the three week trip was going to be $4500. Instead the plan was to borrow one of our cars and another from a friend.

They picked up our car at about 9pm on the 27th. On the 28th around 1pm we got a text that they had rear ended someone. Not even a full 24 hours into their 3 week trip.

No one was injured which is the most important.

Now we wait to find out if the car is repairable. From the pictures it doesn’t seem that bad, the airbags did not deploy but the radiator was punctured so it is not drivable. It is also an older car, 2011 with 130000 miles. Long ago paid off yet still reliable. So much more valuable to us than the cash value if totaled.

So much for doing good deeds.

I have no advice but sounds like my luck. I sympathize with you, you were kind to loan it out and do a favor. I hope they do what is right by you, whatever you feel is fair.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yikes! So sorry this happened.

A long long time ago, my DSis asked to drive our new car around the block, and gently sideswiped a parked car. Nothing as bad as what is happening to you.

I do hope your family will do what they can to make it up to you.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Our son when he was in high school. He wasn’t even where he was suppose to be and slid off an icy road into a ditch. Karma kid.

 

[Jnjtrio]

Was not our car that was borrowed. We had gone to the mall and on our way out the exit you could see the general area we had parked. We noticed a cop car in the aisle close to where we parked. As we get closer we can see our car has been pushed sideways. Hit in back corner and pushed the front side of our car into the car parked next to us (not alot of damage some scrapping and small dent on the front part of the car). Backend quite a bit of damage.

Come to find out a girl with no license who was at work borrowed the truck of a guy at work to go to the mall and get lunch. She hit our car trying to park, backed away from car and jumped out to look at damage. Several people saw her, they told her she had to stay. She jumped in truck and drove off, someone followed her. She drove to other side of mall, parked and went to get lunch!!!!

We ended up having to go through our insurance to get repairs started as it was going to be a long ordeal. It took about 6 months to get our deductible back. The boys family decided to say she stole the truck to try and not have their insurance cover the damages.

In your case I hope your family members are willing to cover deductibles if able to repair and/or the cost of what is needed to help pay the difference for you to get a comparable vehicle with insurance payoff.

Good luck OP.

 

[neverlandsky]

Depends on the area, insurance adjuster, what repair shop the insurance recommends, parts, etc. it’s possible you’ll have to sign a waiver that a refurbished part or parts can be used in the repair. I get that the vehicle is worth more personally than value wise. I have a 2011 vehicle too. Accidents happen which is why they aren’t called on-purposes. Glad everyone was ok. From the sound of it, it will most likely it will be repaired. Expect your insurance to increase over the next couple of years if you don’t have accident forgiveness. An accident although you’re not at fault is a good time too to reassess to see if your coverage is lacking. Although it’s a bump in the road so to speak and an inconvenience, it’s a pretty smooth process for the most part in regards to minor accidents. Good Luck.

 

[RedAngie]

Not drivable, huh? Did the accident happen far from your home and you have to have it towed back?

I guess the family now needs another method of transportation. Don’t lend them your second car!!!

 

[robinb]

I'm glad everyone is OK .

I let my friend borrow our car while we went to Hawaii. She totaled it! I had to fight tooth and nail with the insurance company to get a decent price for it and ended up buying the same car, but used. That car turned out to be a total lemon .

 

[RUDisney]

My DS. I even bought him a t-shirt that says, "I'm the reason we can't have nice things."

He blew an engine on a Hyundai that was in perfect running order prior to giving it to him to drive. He was driving and the car started "thunking". Did he pull over? Nope. He kept driving until he had to coast to the side of the road.

He wrecked a Toyota that we bought for him to use because he slid on ice on a night we advised him to not go out.

He took my brand new car out and parked it facing the wrong way in front of our house. Someone hit it and ran away, only they stopped to pick up their side mirror cap and instead took ours. $3,000 in damage on a car that had only about 750 miles on it and wasn't yet a month old. If he had parked it the right way, he would have been in the other spot in front of our house and the jerk that hit us would have missed the cars or hit our neighbor's car. I'd have preferred that they didn't hit anything. Oh, and my Ring doorbell decided not to record anything that night.

 

[mjkacmom]

My DS. I even bought him a t-shirt that says, "I'm the reason we can't have nice things."

He blew an engine on a Hyundai that was in perfect running order prior to giving it to him to drive. He was driving and the car started "thunking". Did he pull over? Nope. He kept driving until he had to coast to the side of the road.

He wrecked a Toyota that we bought for him to use because he slid on ice on a night we advised him to not go out.

He took my brand new car out and parked it facing the wrong way in front of our house. Someone hit it and ran away, only they stopped to pick up their side mirror cap and instead took ours. $3,000 in damage on a car that had only about 750 miles on it and wasn't yet a month old. If he had parked it the right way, he would have been in the other spot in front of our house and the jerk that hit us would have missed the cars or hit our neighbor's car. I'd have preferred that they didn't hit anything. Oh, and my Ring doorbell decided not to record anything that night.

My oldest totalled three vehicles, a 2003 odyssey (hit a Lexus in a parking lot), a 2006 Honda Civic (hydroplaned around a pole), and drove her boyfriends subaru in second gear on a highway. She also drove into our fence, rear ended someone getting onto a highway, and backed into a car getting out of a parking space. Fortunately she was allowed to pay cash for most of the damage or else our insurance would’ve dropped us.

Dd20 got sideswiped by a truck on the NJ turnpike in my no body damage at all unlike all of our other cars odyssey, guy drove off, she didn’t think he even knew he hit her.

 

[mom2rtk]

My DS. I even bought him a t-shirt that says, "I'm the reason we can't have nice things."

He blew an engine on a Hyundai that was in perfect running order prior to giving it to him to drive. He was driving and the car started "thunking". Did he pull over? Nope. He kept driving until he had to coast to the side of the road.

He wrecked a Toyota that we bought for him to use because he slid on ice on a night we advised him to not go out.

He took my brand new car out and parked it facing the wrong way in front of our house. Someone hit it and ran away, only they stopped to pick up their side mirror cap and instead took ours. $3,000 in damage on a car that had only about 750 miles on it and wasn't yet a month old. If he had parked it the right way, he would have been in the other spot in front of our house and the jerk that hit us would have missed the cars or hit our neighbor's car. I'd have preferred that they didn't hit anything. Oh, and my Ring doorbell decided not to record anything that night.

If someone had hit the car in the correct facing spot, would you have praised him for not being in that spot?

 

[starry_solo]

Was not our car that was borrowed. We had gone to the mall and on our way out the exit you could see the general area we had parked. We noticed a cop car in the aisle close to where we parked. As we get closer we can see our car has been pushed sideways. Hit in back corner and pushed the front side of our car into the car parked next to us (not alot of damage some scrapping and small dent on the front part of the car). Backend quite a bit of damage.

Come to find out a girl with no license who was at work borrowed the truck of a guy at work to go to the mall and get lunch. She hit our car trying to park, backed away from car and jumped out to look at damage. Several people saw her, they told her she had to stay. She jumped in truck and drove off, someone followed her. She drove to other side of mall, parked and went to get lunch!!!!

We ended up having to go through our insurance to get repairs started as it was going to be a long ordeal. It took about 6 months to get our deductible back. The boys family decided to say she stole the truck to try and not have their insurance cover the damages.

In your case I hope your family members are willing to cover deductibles if able to repair and/or the cost of what is needed to help pay the difference for you to get a comparable vehicle with insurance payoff.

Good luck OP.

Insurance won't typically cover for an unlicensed driver but if they said she stole it....maybe they would have?

 

[pweyl36]

My DS. I even bought him a t-shirt that says, "I'm the reason we can't have nice things."

He blew an engine on a Hyundai that was in perfect running order prior to giving it to him to drive. He was driving and the car started "thunking". Did he pull over? Nope. He kept driving until he had to coast to the side of the road.

He wrecked a Toyota that we bought for him to use because he slid on ice on a night we advised him to not go out.

He took my brand new car out and parked it facing the wrong way in front of our house. Someone hit it and ran away, only they stopped to pick up their side mirror cap and instead took ours. $3,000 in damage on a car that had only about 750 miles on it and wasn't yet a month old. If he had parked it the right way, he would have been in the other spot in front of our house and the jerk that hit us would have missed the cars or hit our neighbor's car. I'd have preferred that they didn't hit anything. Oh, and my Ring doorbell decided not to record anything that night.

So did you buy him a 3rd car?

 

[Jnjtrio]

Insurance won't typically cover for an unlicensed driver but if they said she stole it....maybe they would have?

All we know is insurance that was covering the truck finally paid money to our insurance company who cut us a check for our deductible. His insurance was going to take girl/family to court from what we were told. We never heard how it ended up in the end.

 

[RUDisney]

If someone had hit the car in the correct facing spot, would you have praised him for not being in that spot?

I wouldn't have been angry with him if he had parked the car legally in front of our house. He knew better than to park facing the wrong way. The fact that someone hit it was icing on the cake of him parking it wrong.

So did you buy him a 3rd car?

He still has the Toyota. He had it fixed, but for almost a year, it's needed brakes and tires. He hasn't had the money to get it repaired. He has a steadier income now, so hopefully soon he won't be scabbing rides.

 

[kymom99]

My daughter has totaled more cars than I care to count. We do not loan her our cars. Many years ago I rear ended someone and my dad did not loan me his car while mine was being fixed. I don’t blame him. He made me bum rides off other people for a couple weeks.

however....some lady my husband works with asked for a ride to work for a week. He decided to instead offer to loan her our extra car. Same situation, older car with 130k miles but runs good and still has use to us. The kicker is, it’s in my name. I don’t even know this lady! I was not happy. I also wasn’t happy when she asked to borrow it a second time. Fortunately she brought it back in one piece but the fact I could be held responsible for her mistakes made me pretty mad at my husband. I believe she may have finally bought a car. I hope so.

 

[cvjw]

No, but 2 separate people who were borrowing cars rear ended my husband on the way to work. Separate accidents. Both times, the owner of the car‘s insurance was on the hook for the damages. The driver had no liability to pay for the damages. We are also in Georgia and have State Farm.

 

[elgerber]

Yes. My dad had a Ford Taurus SHO, he borrowed it to a friends. The friends trouble making son then drove it, full speed, into a concrete wall. Totalled it.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Not us but DH was involved in an accident(non-injury) with someone that borrowed a car so after our insurance took care of the owners vehicle the driver(person who borrowed the car) decided to sue us because he got nothing out of the accident. He was coming up with all kinds of injuries (plantar fasciitis from having to push in the brake so hard in the accident... ) after the fact that were found to be fraudulent...thankfully, his case was dismissed and he got nothing.