OT - I backed into my neighbor's car

[surfergirl602]

I really don't know this lady - I only moved into the house a few months ago and we're never there. We drive to post every morning where I work and the kids go to school and we get home around 8 pm every night. She always parks her little car right behind my driveway on the road. I bumped into her drivers side door and it scratched the paint a bit. I immediately told her and gave her my name and phone number. I was on my way to school so she said I could just give her my insurance information when I got home tonight. My hubby is deployed right now and I feel like I'm going to burst out in tears at any moment right now - everything that could possible go wrong has - my neighbor is going to come over with me tonight, just for moral support (he's a lawyer too). What do I need to give her in case she wants to make a claim? My policy number with my insurance company number and my name and phone? Anything else? There really isn't a lot of damage - just a scratch. I was going really slow because I couldn't see how much further I had to back up without taking out my mailbox in the process. I just bumped her, but I wanted to be honest about it and let her know. What else do I have to do?

 

[DebMcDonald]

Maybe when she looks at the car she'll realize that it's not worth it to put in a claim. You could also offer to just pay for the damage out of pocket if it's not that expensive, sometimes that's easier. I think the moral support is a good thing.

I packed into someone car in a parking lot, I have an SUV and they had a tiny car and I crunched the corner of their bumper and I left a note with my name and number and they never called, so keep your chin up and that's why we have insurance for accidents.

 

[Bev J]

Don't get overwhellmed by this, call your insurance agent they will guide you through what you need to do. That's what they are there for.

Good luck, be kind and civil to this lady, perhaps you can make mention that you are having a hard time backing up with her car there- your not blameing her- but accepting the fact that it is your difficulty. Hopefully she will park a bit further down the road... and you can get this worked out.

Bev

 

[surfergirl602]

Thanks everyone. I drive a big truck with a cap on the back. It's not like she doesn't have a driveway. She chooses to park on the side of the street. I mean... she park directly behind me. It's very difficult to get out. This morning I was inching my way out because I couldn't see her, and my mailbox is right at the corner of my driveway, and I didn't want to hit that, and I bumped into her car. I wish I had hit the mailbox - easier to fix! if she wants to get it fixed, I'll ask her to get a quote so I can see how much it is, whether to just give her the money for it, or go through insurance. Will my deductable come into play? That part is collision, right? I've never been in an accident. I've never even been pulled over before.

 

[mickeyboat]

Talk to her first. Have her get an estimate. Maybe you would prefer to pay for the damages out of pocket rather than submit the claim to your insurance company.

Good luck!

Denae

 

[Aliceacc]

I did the same thing about a month ago.

I have been driving since 1975 and this was my first accident.

I was nervous about going back for my first day of school, concerned that I would burst into tears anytime someone asked me about my upcoming mastectomy. In my incredibly narrow 1 way street, I backed into the parked car that was right across from my driveway.

The owner was the client of the girl down the block who does hairdressing.

Of course I cried-- I did a lot of that this summer. But the woman was very nice. She got 2 estimates, and I sent her a check for $850. (OUCH!!) But it was still better than having our insurance go up.

Big picture: no one was hurt. Keep that in mind as you deal with this.

 

[cole6179]

I'm seem to be the queen of backing into people around here.

The first was at the beginning of the year. The neighbor's roommate parked behind our driveway and I was leaving early morning before having my coffee apparently and hit her jeep. Of course, it was the door and left a pretty large dent. She turned it into my insurance. With our ins, I only had to pay the deductible if I was fixing my car. It barely scratched my SUV and we didn't have the extra money, so I didn't worry about it. My rates didn't go up. That's what ins is for.


Now a week before we left for Disney, I backed into someone in a parking lot. Ughhh....the guy in the tiny car pulled out of a parking spot right behind me apparently and then I was in the way for someone, so when I went to back up I didn't see him. Now everyone teases me about my driving. Oh well.

Don't feel bad, we all have those days.

 

[Narnia]

Pay it out of pocket . Our insurace jumped from $900 a year to over $3000 for 2 accidents! One was black ices fault( 4 years earlier!) the other my dh backed into a truck($500 tops damage). If we had paid out of pocket for the 2nd one we would have saved a ton of $$. Most insurace companies allow one accident befor premuims go up so you might want to wait until a bigger acident happens to claim it.

 

[Shmily1]

The insurance company will have to have a police report before anything can be filed. DH backed into a car that parked in the street just like you are talking about and our insurance didn't even have to pay because parking in the street is not where your car should be parked and it's against the law. The kid that had parked in the street had to get his insurance to pay!! You just need to be sure to bring that up to the officer that files the report so he can word it right.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

Yup depending on how much your insurance will go up you may be better off paying OOP. Maybe you will get lucky and sh won;t worry about the scratch. Can't imagine why with a driveway of her own she chooses to park on the street. ANyway I once backed into a car in my drive (it was a friend's) she filed the claim got the small sent fixed and I ended up paying several times more when my insirance went up for three years than had i just written her a check.

 

[surfergirl602]

I think I'll ask her to get estimates. I don't know if our insurance will go up - we've never had any accidents, and I have a 100 deductable for collision. I really don't have the extra cash to pay for anything right now, though. Funds are tight. I guess I'll ask her what she wants to do? We didn't call the police, so I don't know if I still can. It really bugs me that she parks right behind my driveway though. I will ask her if she can stop doing that, or at least move her car forward or backward so she's not directly behind my driveway. My truck doesn't have a great turning radius and it's very hard to get out with her there. We have USAA for insurance.

 

[surfergirl602]

I'm seem to be the queen of backing into people around here.

The first was at the beginning of the year. The neighbor's roommate parked behind our driveway and I was leaving early morning before having my coffee apparently and hit her jeep. Of course, it was the door and left a pretty large dent. She turned it into my insurance. With our ins, I only had to pay the deductible if I was fixing my car. It barely scratched my SUV and we didn't have the extra money, so I didn't worry about it. My rates didn't go up. That's what ins is for.


Now a week before we left for Disney, I backed into someone in a parking lot. Ughhh....the guy in the tiny car pulled out of a parking spot right behind me apparently and then I was in the way for someone, so when I went to back up I didn't see him. Now everyone teases me about my driving. Oh well.

Don't feel bad, we all have those days.

What insurance company do you have that it didn't go up?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DH backed MY car into the neighbor's car several years ago. We gave the guy our insurance info and that was that. We didn't have to pay anything.

DH's car has been hit twice (once in a McDonald's lot, just in the time it took him to go in for a to-go order!) and once in our apartment parking lot. BOTH times the other driver just left. After the McDonald's thing there was pretty significant damage to the car (and it only had like 4000 miles on it) so we paid the $250 deductible and had the bumper replaced. The damage from the second hit wasn't that serious, but it is horrible to hit a car and just leave.

 

[TifffanyD]

If you hit a car the deductible won't come into play for the repair to their car (it's under property damage). It will come in if you damaged your car too (that's collision).

 

[Poohgirl]

I have a "make you feel better" story. A rotted tree fell on my boyfriends jeep. The adjuster came to inspect the tree and jeep etc and we went in to go over some paperwork. BF realized it was time to go get the kids at school and offered to take my jeep and go. A minute later we hear a "CRUNCH", yup he backed MY jeep into the adjusters car ... I did not want to make that call to the insurance company...

 

[surfergirl602]

I have a "make you feel better" story. A rotted tree fell on my boyfriends jeep. The adjuster came to inspect the tree and jeep etc and we went in to go over some paperwork. BF realized it was time to go get the kids at school and offered to take my jeep and go. A minute later we hear a "CRUNCH", yup he backed MY jeep into the adjusters car ... I did not want to make that call to the insurance company...

Ouch.

 

[dis-happy]

I too backed into my friend's car and we paid out of pocket to have it fixed. Don't call your insurance company unless absolutely forced to, the act of calling will be the same on their records as making a claim. There are no "innocent questions" in insurance according to the Clark Howard website. Just ask her if you can pay her directly. And if you get a chance, explain how hard it is to back out of your driveway and ask if she can park down farther or in her own driveway instead. Your other option is to back in at night, making it easier to get out in the morning. Good luck, hope it works out.

 

[surfergirl602]

I too backed into my friend's car and we paid out of pocket to have it fixed. Don't call your insurance company unless absolutely forced to, the act of calling will be the same on their records as making a claim. There are no "innocent questions" in insurance according to the Clark Howard website. Just ask her if you can pay her directly. And if you get a chance, explain how hard it is to back out of your driveway and ask if she can park down farther or in her own driveway instead. Your other option is to back in at night, making it easier to get out in the morning. Good luck, hope it works out.

i will ask her to get a quote. Should I not give her my insurance information then? I would back in, but our driveway is on a hill, and all the water and condensation will build up and rust my exhaust if I back in. It won't drain out.

 

[friendofgusgus]

Melissa-

Remember to keep breathing - in, out, in out while your day goes on. In the end, it really is what insurance is for! USAA will take very good care of you - they are famous for their customer service for good reason!

Two things:

If she leases her car, she has to return in without any scratches or dings or she has to pay for them when she surrenders it. She might need to have the car repaired in order to save her from having to pay for it at the end of the lease. I just wanted to mention this since some PPs are noting that she may be willing to forget about it. She might, but there might be a perfectly good reason why she deson't feel like she can.

Also, I would be pretty frustrated if the person who had hit my car earlier in the day asked me to park it somehow or somewhere else. Honestly, I'm not sure that this is the best time to bring it up - it might make her defensive or make her feel like you are blaming her for your having hit her car. No matter how hard it is, I'd try to leave your opinions about her parking out of the conversation tonight.

Good luck - and thank you to your family!

 

[mjkacmom]

Our house backs up to a very tiny street - really a lane, since even though it's a 2 way street, only one car can fit. Although the neighors across the tiny street are nice, they have teens, whose friends insist on parking their cars right across from our driveway. DH has hit 2 so far, and had to pay damages. Drives me nuts, since the house is on a corner, and theres tons of parking in the front - they like to park next to the side door.