Traffic Accident Question

[Kellydelly]

I backed into my neighbor's car that was parked in the street at the end of my driveway (across on the opposite side) three weeks ago. I live in a "no-fault" insurance state. I immediately walked over to their house and let them know what had happened. I gave them a copy of my insurance card (did not call the police). They stated that they would have a friend look at the damage and see if it would be cheaper than dealing with insurance. Two weeks later they came over with an estimate of $900 . So we called our insurance agent and let them know there would be a claim. It was my very first claim on my vehicle in 10 yrs, so I did not have my rates go up and my insurance paid for their damage. My husband was able to fix the damage on my vehicle so we were not out of pocket any money at all (and neither were the neighbors). It was considered property damage because the car was not moving.

 

[castmember19]

I'm sorry to say that I think your DD will be at fault. It's just apart of the world of driving- you just can't trust that everyone else around you is going to follow the rules and so you have to be able to keep yourself safe.

I would be thankful that at least it was a parked car that she hit and not a moving one- that could be potentially bad.

I had an accident six months after I got my license. I made the mistake of looking behind me and rear-ended somebody in their brand new Volvo. Luckily the other driver was very kind to me. Our insurance rates did go up, being a young driver and all.

Accidents can be a pain in the butt though.

 

[golfgal]

She did call the police. The police are always present on this street anyway. They have their hands full policing the underage drinking and public intoxication in this college town. The police were there when the other driver came out holding her beer.

According to the police website I think we have to wait three days to see the accident report. I just wonder if there is a sliding rate used in increasing your auto insurance.

The insurance companies will determine fault and with a case like this, it might take a while. It will depend on how cooperative everyone is in the situation. If they come back and say that your DD is 50% at fault and the other guy is 50%-just for an example-your company pays 50% of the claim, their company pays 50% of the claim, and that is how it will be reported on the insurance record. Your rates will reflect that as well.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

The insurance companies will determine fault and with a case like this, it might take a while. It will depend on how cooperative everyone is in the situation. If they come back and say that your DD is 50% at fault and the other guy is 50%-just for an example-your company pays 50% of the claim, their company pays 50% of the claim, and that is how it will be reported on the insurance record. Your rates will reflect that as well.

The percentage of fault varies by state, some it can be any split, others it has to be assigned to one party or another (ie. 51%/49%), others are 100%, 0% or 50%/50% but no other split. This is very state specific situation.

 

[asta]

The insurance companies will determine fault and with a case like this, it might take a while. It will depend on how cooperative everyone is in the situation. If they come back and say that your DD is 50% at fault and the other guy is 50%-just for an example-your company pays 50% of the claim, their company pays 50% of the claim, and that is how it will be reported on the insurance record. Your rates will reflect that as well.

I don't think cooperation will be the case. The driver of the other car was so out of control that she was yelling and screaming at my daughter. I don't know if she was drunk but she was drinking in the middle of the afternoon. At one point the officer told my daughter to go wait inside her car while he gave the other driver my daughter's insurance information (she is covered under our policy). With the windows rolled up she could still hear her yelling. This is my daughter's first accident. I don't know if she has an accident free discount, just a good student discount with State Farm.

This happened in another state (Georgia), I don't know if it is a no fault state.

 

[golfgal]

I don't think cooperation will be the case. The driver of the other car was so out of control that she was yelling and screaming at my daughter. I don't know if she was drunk but she was drinking in the middle of the afternoon. At one point the officer told my daughter to go wait inside her car while he gave the other driver my daughter's insurance information (she is covered under our policy). With the windows rolled up she could still hear her yelling. This is my daughter's first accident. I don't know if she has an accident free discount, just a good student discount with State Farm.

This happened in another state (Georgia), I don't know if it is a no fault state.

No fault applies to injuries in an accident and all that means is that if you are in a no fault state you file all injury claims with your own insurance company no matter who is at fault. It simply speeds up the claims handing and paying the medical bills. The insurance companies duke it out afterwards to see who ends up paying (behind the scenes).

 

[daughtersrus]

I don't know if she has an accident free discount, just a good student discount with State Farm.

If she did the "Steer Clear" program, I would suspect that she will loose that. Depending on how long you've had your policy, they may forgive the accident.
I know how frustrating it can be.

 

[Tink888]

Your daughter is at fault, it sounds as if she failed to make sure the area was clear before she backed up.

The other driver may receive a citation for illegal parking though.