I was rear ended yesterday. Insurance question?

[IluvKingLouis]

I was at a red light, lady behind me felt her truck start to roll, and went to hit the breaks but hit the gas instead. She was very nice and took full responsibility.

We called the police so a report could be taken. (I was rear ended 8 years ago and my insurance company scolded me for not getting a police report).

The officer told me not to contact my insuranace company, or my rates would go up. Instead I should wait for her insurance company to contact me and for me to have a claim number.

But now I can't understand why letting my insurance company know would have adverse effects, when it was clearly her fault and will be paid by her insurance company.

I'm very confused. Any insurance folks out there that can shed some light?

 

[CleoPahd]

I don't see how notifying your insurance company can do any harm. However, if you accept payment from your insurance company and they can't recoup it from her insurance company your rates will go up. I'm not sure what the laws are regarding ins where you live, but I live in MA, close to NH border. In NH there is not mandatory auto insurance so you run the risk of the person not having insurance or even lapsed insurance.

What I would suggest would be to notify your insurance company, but tell them you are waiting to be contacted by the other persons insurance before you move forward with a claim. They will make a note of it. This is what I did when I was rear ended a few years ago. My insurance told me this was the better way to handle it for the above reasons. Hope that makes sense and helps a little.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I don't see how notifying your insurance company can do any harm. However, if you accept payment from your insurance company and they can't recoup it from her insurance company your rates will go up. I'm not sure what the laws are regarding ins where you live, but I live in MA, close to NH border. In NH there is not mandatory auto insurance so you run the risk of the person not having insurance or even lapsed insurance.

What I would suggest would be to notify your insurance company, but tell them you are waiting to be contacted by the other persons insurance before you move forward with a claim. They will make a note of it. This is what I did when I was rear ended a few years ago. My insurance told me this was the better way to handle it for the above reasons. Hope that makes sense and helps a little.

We have mandatory insurance here in CO. The lady that hit me is rather high profile in the community and I have no concerns about her company paying. Especially since the officer took a report in which she fully took responsibility. I can't see any problem w/ contacting my insurance company, but it was a rather strange "heads up" that the officer gave me.

 

[tlbwriter]

That was a really odd thing for the officer to say, in my opinion. If it had happened to me, I'd notify my insurance company.

 

[kirbsam]

notify your insurance company and they will handle everything for you. that is why you have insurance companies. there is no way that you should even be contacted by the other insurance company. your insurance company is the expert. let them deal with all the headaches and phonecalls and messages...

 

[Christine]

That was incorrect advice.

I was rear-ended last year. The other person was ticketed and took full responsibility. I did contact my insurance because you are supposed to do that. Plus if the other person pulls something "funny" with their insurance, you need to have it reported to someone. My insurance took note of it and told me to let them know if I had any problems receiving benefits from the other person's insurer (which I did).

It did not affect my insurance adversely.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Thanks for all the advise. I will contact my insurance company.

 

[DawnCt1]

That was a really odd thing for the officer to say, in my opinion. If it had happened to me, I'd notify my insurance company.

I agree, it was and is odd. Insurance rates would only go up if you are at fault. Clearly you weren't. I would contact my insurance company, give them her insurance information, and call her insurance company to be sure she filed a claim.

 

[Disnydad]

I was a police officer before getting into insurance (both as a auto claims investigator and now an agent) and found that most police officers have no idea how insurance claims work.

 

[DawnCt1]

notify your insurance company and they will handle everything for you. that is why you have insurance companies. there is no way that you should even be contacted by the other insurance company. your insurance company is the expert. let them deal with all the headaches and phonecalls and messages...

I disagree. No one cares about the outcome of a claim more than the person hit. I have contacted my insurance company for "notification only", but I have pursued a claim with the other insurance company when the other insured dragged their feet and didn't report it. In fact, DS#3 was very nice to this pretty young thing in the college parking lot one year and did not call the police. The father called, thanked me profusely for raising such a polite, kind young man, and then proceeded to stiff us. DS was definitely at fault for not going to the police but he did get her name and license number and when I went to the police station for assistance, the officer made it clear that we should have called, but since she lived in town, he would pay her a visit. He didn't have to do that. She readily admitted what she did, gave us the insurance company's name, his report based on his conversation with her, and they paid. My insurance company would have paid minus the deductible but they wouldn't have pursued it as vigorously as we did.

 

[twinklebug]

Informing your insurance agent of a claim is never a bad idea, in fact they can occasionally expedite the process. In MA I think it's law that insurance companies can not raise your rates if you were not at fault in an incident. Every state has their own rules which is another reason to get on the phone with the agent - they'll know and explain what they are.

Do be sure to have the work done reviewed by someone with a sharp eye that you know and trust and not just the shop/insurance inspector. They'll let small angles and offsets slip that can cause more trouble for your vehicle down the line.

 

[tvguy]

notify your insurance company and they will handle everything for you. that is why you have insurance companies. there is no way that you should even be contacted by the other insurance company. your insurance company is the expert. let them deal with all the headaches and phonecalls and messages...

My policy REQUIRES me to report all accidents, even if no claim will be filed against my insurance. If I don't, they can cancel my coverage. And California requires all accidents with any injury or damage over $1,000 to be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles by ALL involved parties without regard to fault. The DMV then also notifies all the involved insurance companies.

 

[twinklebug]

My policy REQUIRES me to report all accidents, even if no claim will be filed against my insurance. If I don't, they can cancel my coverage. And California requires all accidents with any injury or damage over $1,000 to be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles by ALL involved parties without regard to fault. The DMV then also notifies all the involved insurance companies.

I think Massachusetts is the same. Been a decades since my last claim and not begging to find out if anything's changed. OP should note that it doesn't take much to reach $1K in damage. What looks like a slight dent on a bumper could mean new bumper/shocks (if that's what those things that hold it on are called) and paint - easily over $1000 in this day. That's assuming there's no frame or side panel damage.

 

[minkydog]

notify your insurance company and they will handle everything for you. that is why you have insurance companies. there is no way that you should even be contacted by the other insurance company. your insurance company is the expert. let them deal with all the headaches and phonecalls and messages...

Totally agree. I was rear-ended by a Budweiser truck about 4 years ago. Thankfully, it was at very slow speed but he tore the heck out of the back of my van. I called my insurance co immediately and they worked with Budweiser, who to their credit had someone to the scene within 15 minutes. Our insurance co just kinda oversaw the claim but didn't have to pony up anything so our insurance rates didn't go up. We didn't deal with anyone other than our claims agent. They took care of it all for us.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I just got off the phone w/ my insurance agent. He is mystified by the advise the officer gave me, and assured me my rates would not go up. I guess I will only need to contact him if I have problems with the other company.

Hopefully everything should go smoothly. Thanks again!

 

[bettymae1121]

When I got rear-ended a few years back, I called my insurance company to let them know, and they said that I could either file a claim with them, pay my deductable and once they got payment from the other driver's insurance, they'd refund me my deductable...OR I could file a claim with other insurance company and have them handle it. She said they'd make a note that I called but nothing "official" would happen unless I filed with them (my company). So I filed a claim with the other guy's insurance, and while they did try to jerk me around on the rental car while my car was in the shop, they did pay the claim promptly (including my rental car) and all was well.

 

[cm8]

I agree, it was and is odd. Insurance rates would only go up if you are at fault. Clearly you weren't. I would contact my insurance company, give them her insurance information, and call her insurance company to be sure she filed a claim.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I just got off the phone w/ my insurance agent. He is mystified by the advise the officer gave me, and assured me my rates would not go up. I guess I will only need to contact him if I have problems with the other company.

You're lucky. Mine was rasied, by alot.

In January, I was hit by a driver (who had a stop sign) and the accident caused $8000 in damage to my car (100% not my fault). My insurance company dealt with everything and got the car fixed. Just got my insurance renewal bill - my insurance went up $450 a year. My car wasn't even worth $8000 to begin with, and it now still has problems popping up, like broken engine mounts. The insurance won't fix anything else since the car had a prior accident and they just blame that. I would have been way ahead if they totalled the whole car.

So now I have a car with problems, and is hugely expensive to ensure (2004 Honda Civic). But of course, I live in NJ where insurance is the highest anywhere.

So yeah - in some states, your insurance goes through the roof for ANY accident. I see why the officer was telling to be cautious. I have a totally clean driving record, too. Only ticket I ever had was in 1987.

I am seriously thinking of getting rid of my car, since it's a money pit at this point with no end in sight.

 

[DawnCt1]

You're lucky. Mine was rasied, by alot.

In January, I was hit by a driver (who had a stop sign) and the accident caused $8000 in damage to my car (100% not my fault). My insurance company dealt with everything and got the car fixed. Just got my insurance renewal bill - my insurance went up $450 a year. My car wasn't even worth $8000 to begin with, and it now still has problems popping up, like broken engine mounts. The insurance won't fix anything else since the car had a prior accident and they just blame that. I would have been way ahead if they totalled the whole car.

So now I have a car with problems, and is hugely expensive to ensure (2004 Honda Civic). But of course, I live in NJ where insurance is the highest anywhere.

So yeah - in some states, your insurance goes through the roof for ANY accident. I see why the officer was telling to be cautious. I have a totally clean driving record, too. Only ticket I ever had was in 1987.

I am seriously thinking of getting rid of my car, since it's a money pit at this point with no end in sight.

Could it be that your insurance dealt with everything and paid to get your car fixed? If you had just reported the incident to your insurance company and aggressively pursued the other driver's insurance company, your insurance company wouldn't have lost anything and your rates probably wouldn't have gone up.

 

[C.Ann]

You should always report an accident to your insurance company.. This officer obviously had no idea what he was talking about..