I rear-ended another vehicle, what exactly do *I* have to do now?
August 6, 2022 11:58 AM Subscribe
As the question states. This is the first time I've hit a vehicle. I was at fault and no one was injured. What do I have to do on my end of the situation?
We exchanged insurance, etc., so I'm not sure what *I* personally have to do on my end of the situation? Do I call my insurance, too? Or do I let the person who I hit contact their insurance, who contacts my insurance, etc.? What do I do?
I feel like the biggest moron in the world right now, so I have no idea what I should be doing.
We exchanged insurance, etc., so I'm not sure what *I* personally have to do on my end of the situation? Do I call my insurance, too? Or do I let the person who I hit contact their insurance, who contacts my insurance, etc.? What do I do?
I feel like the biggest moron in the world right now, so I have no idea what I should be doing.
Sorry, that's just for their claim to your liability insurance. For your own damages, you either pay to repair your car yourself, or you file a collision claim to have your insurance pay to repair your car. I'm guessing you will want to file a collision claim, but it depends on your insurance policy and the extent of the damage to your car.
posted by michaelh at 12:05 PM on August 6, 2022
posted by michaelh at 12:05 PM on August 6, 2022
You are less likely to get a slightly irritated call from your insurance agency if you call and tell them yourself. They will begin working on the claims for the other car and for your own.
They're going to ask if you filed a police report. Go online and do one there first.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:24 PM on August 6, 2022 [7 favorites]
They're going to ask if you filed a police report. Go online and do one there first.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:24 PM on August 6, 2022 [7 favorites]
If the other insurance company calls you and starts asking questions, don't answer any of it, just say "please talk to my insurance company".
posted by quacks like a duck at 2:14 PM on August 6, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by quacks like a duck at 2:14 PM on August 6, 2022 [6 favorites]
I would definitely call my own insurance in this situation. I'm no expert, but it seems to me helpful to tell "my side of the story" to the insurance company, rather than letting someone else report me first. For example, if you know nobody was hurt, that is an important fact to relate to your insurance company. If the other person later claims some huge injury, it will be helpful (in my opinion) if you gave a contemporaneous report that nobody was hurt.
posted by Mid at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Mid at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yeah call your insurance. Then redirect all future correspondence there, if any comes to you. You pay them to handle this, and they would prefer you didn’t get involved because frankly we customers screw up their handling of it. They’ll tell you if you need to do anything else.
posted by breakfast burrito at 3:28 PM on August 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by breakfast burrito at 3:28 PM on August 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Most insurance policies say that you need to inform them within a certain timeframe, maybe 24 hours but certainly "as soon as possible". Fill in the form they send you, and wait for instructions from them
posted by tillsbury at 4:53 PM on August 6, 2022
posted by tillsbury at 4:53 PM on August 6, 2022
Y’all are right about contacting your insurer within 24 hours (typically.) Sorry. Hopefully VirginiaPlain went ahead and did that.
posted by michaelh at 8:46 PM on August 7, 2022
posted by michaelh at 8:46 PM on August 7, 2022
I'd also call the police and file a police report. If nothing else, they're a second voice repeating what you said happened.
posted by bendy at 10:42 PM on August 8, 2022
posted by bendy at 10:42 PM on August 8, 2022
And filing a police report emphasizes that you aren't disputing the facts FWIW.
posted by bendy at 10:42 PM on August 8, 2022
posted by bendy at 10:42 PM on August 8, 2022
"No one was injured..."
A few years ago I literally tapped a guy from behind while we were both stopped at a stop sign. No damage to either vehicle. Exchanged info and a police officer responded. Filed the report. 7 weeks later I received a letter from a lawyer representing the other driver who claimed to suffer injuries. It was a for hire driver whose passenger had no injury. I emphasize that I went from a dead stop all of 4 feet. 5 mph?
Anyway, tell your insurance company even if you don't file a collision claim. I sent my insurance company a copy of the police report and the other driver's info.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:07 PM on August 8, 2022
A few years ago I literally tapped a guy from behind while we were both stopped at a stop sign. No damage to either vehicle. Exchanged info and a police officer responded. Filed the report. 7 weeks later I received a letter from a lawyer representing the other driver who claimed to suffer injuries. It was a for hire driver whose passenger had no injury. I emphasize that I went from a dead stop all of 4 feet. 5 mph?
Anyway, tell your insurance company even if you don't file a collision claim. I sent my insurance company a copy of the police report and the other driver's info.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:07 PM on August 8, 2022
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If for some reason they try to contact you directly, then you contact your insurance to figure out how to correctly redirect those communications.
posted by michaelh at 12:02 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]