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I was just in a car accident and I need your advice on how to handle it.

sharkfu — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:54:30 -0800

I was just in a car accident and I need your advice on how to handle it. I'm a little shaken up and I live alone so I have no one to advise me on how to handle this.

While dropping my friend off at the airport, I approached a police checkpoint (just police cars and cones, not a parking structure with an arm that lowers) where two lanes merged into one to stop for ID Check. I was ahead of a parking shuttle van (privately company owned), 90% merged, and at a full stop as I waited for the two cars ahead of me at the checkpoint.

The parking shuttle, who I thought was just riding rather close because he was overly aggressive, didn't stop and dented/ scraped the left rear of my car with the right front of his van. I guess he didn't see me or he wasn't paying attention. It happens.

I pulled up to the checkpoint and the cop had me pull over. He said since there were no injuries no police report was needed. He did note that there was major paint transfer from his van to mine, but none from mine to his (does this prove I was stopped and he was the one moving up?).

I was shaken but it was really slow accident so it wasn't bad. We exchanged info, but he didn't have the insurance info in the van so I had follow him back to the parking office to get it.

That's where everything got crappy...

The owner and manager at the van place were complete jerks. I've been in accidents before and I always strive to make it amicable despite adrenaline and emotions. They didn't want to listen to my side of the story, claimed I was in the wrong lane and it was my fault, and talked about calling the cops. I told them I was fine with that. When we did exchange info, they photocopied my insurance card rather than writing down. When I asked if they could just photocopy theirs to save us time they said "that's not our problem". At one point I said, "You know this doesn't have to be adversarial, we can still be amicable" and they just grunted. They just generally made an unfortunate situation really crappy. I got the sense they were kinda shady jerks.

I don't like conflict or making things worse, so I'm honestly more shaken up by their attitude and behavior than the accident itself.

And here's the thing: 6 Months ago a guy rear-ended me. It was low speed, no damage was done. The guy was so nice and apologetic about it I told him to forget it. We didn't need to make claims. He even offered me cash and I turned him down. It's an older car and it's not in perfect shape so I didn't want to hassle either him or me.

If they had been nice to me I might have done the same this time. But they're behavior makes me want to be formal about it and teach them a lesson. But is this shooting myself in the foot? I think I have a $500 deductible--so it might not even been covered AND my rates might go up, right?

So is my desire to win overshadowing my own best interests?

Other minor details:

-98 Honda Civic, not in great condition

-Progressive insurance, customer for 9 years

- Picture: imagevenue link

-Could they claim whiplash or something (by one of the van passengers) and sue me?

-I really don't like that they have my address-- will they retaliate against me? I'm probably paranoid but they seemed like the kind of guys who could do that.

Mostly I just want this to go away, but I'm trying to fight through that to deal with it in the best way.

How should I handle this car accident?

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:22:23 -0800

I was in a car accident on Friday. I have questions about insurance, etc. I've never been in an accident before. My friend's car was T-boned on the passenger (my) side of the car at relatively low speed. It was hard enough that the passenger side door was not able to be opened.

I went to the hospital yesterday on the advice of friends and learned that my ribs are quite bruised. Apparently (according to the doc), I have a high pain tolerance. I took the advice of the doc and stayed home today, taking Tylenol 3. I have sick pay at work, so I guess that I technically didn't lose any wages. I don't believe that I am seriously injured, just uncomfortable for a while. I am thinking about going to a chiropractor because I find that my posture tends to emulate the position that I was in upon impact: I saw it coming and braced myself. I'm not trying to screw anyone over, just want to know the most prudent path to take...

"Lawyering up" seems a bit extreme for me, as it seems to be soft tissue damage and I am just assuring that I get my expenses reimbursed. Am I being ignorant? I really have no idea here, so any advice is appreciated.

Car accident. "I will write a cheque" turned into "Who are you?"

kmennie — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:35:59 -0800

Car accident in Sept. Swapped info; didn't call police. Now the guy who hit us has never heard of us. What can I reasonably expect? Back in September, I stood watching on a corner as an SUV clipped the Civic my husband was driving. Much of the side of the plastic (!) bumper got left in the street.

Information was swapped, cops weren't called. (That last part was not my idea...) Very long story about why we didn't get around to pursuing it until now -- part of it having to do with my holding our newborn daughter while I watched him get clipped -- but, anyway. I finally called the dude (who had liquor on his breath at the time) yesterday.

He was very nervous and bullshitty of tone and claimed to own a grey Cadillac, not an SUV. No idea who I was. Then went into some story about how he owns a company and maybe a car there... Well, could he call me back? Give him 24h. Yeah, right.

What, if anything, can I reasonably expect at this point? Estimate for the damage is about C$1,400. We're in Ottawa, Ontario.

What should I do after a hit-and-run car accident?

zavulon — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:43:22 -0800

I was pulling out of my parking spot as some guy, going at high speed, out of nowhere cut in front of me, causing me to bump into him, and then ran away. What's my best action at this point? Hi,

Yesterday, I got into a car accident, and not sure what's the best option to take... I was pulling out of my parking spot (last spot before the light), as some guy, going at high speed, out of nowhere cut in front of me to turn right, causing me to bump into him. He then proceeded to drive away at high speed. I chased him and caught up to him after a few blocks. He then told me, in essence, to eff off, and to take it up with my insurance company. I did write down his license plate though.

So now I'm pondering, what's my best course of action? I live in New York state. It would be around $500 to fix my bumper. My insurance deductible is $500.

If I report a hit and run (which what, in essence, this was), would it be determined completely his liability, or partially mine too? Would my insurance go up in either case? I could just report that someone bumped into my car while it was parked, but I don't really want to lie about it ...

Thank you very much!

Missing my ride

xo — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:06:58 -0800

My non-pimped ride (1993 sedan, BB value: $825) was just totaled in an accident with a commercial truck (the truck driver's fault, and he was cited). Are there any ways to get the adjuster to value the car more highly than $825 so that I have any chance of replacing it? This car cost me $2K three years ago and nothing more than oil changes since, and has been completely reliable... to me, its value was like a new car, since I never had to do anything to it and it always ran. $825 would not get me anything comparable.

Also, I haven't rented a replacement car, but I would like to if I could be more sure they'd pay for it. Are they likely to pay, considering that at $60+tax a day, in 10 days I'd have exceeded the value of my car just in rentals? My car insurance policy has a $1K deductible and no car rentals, and I haven't heard back yet from the truck's insurance claims people.

Can I recoup the value on my car that somebody hit (and ran from)?

cubedweller — Tue, 09 May 2006 16:31:40 -0800

Can I recoup the value on my car that somebody hit (and ran from)? My car was hit, person admitted to it, they're insured, now what? All the juicy details are inside. My 5 month old Infiniti G35 coupe was parked outside of my house about a month ago. At about 2:30am there was an almighty bang - that bang...was my car. Someone hit it going so fast that they lifted my car up into the air, ripped the wheel and the associated hardware right off the car, and pushed it down the hill. There is debris 30ft from the car. The skid mark goes down to the end of the street.

Anyway, the guy took off when he did it but the cops caught him, as he had just gone down the street to his house and parked and gone to bed. He admitted to hitting the car and his insurance will cover it. The case is being forwarded to the DA for a misdemeanor hit and run.

But here's the thing. If they fix the car, I get back a car that will be seriously devalued if I try to sell it. That amount of damage will show up on carfax or any other reporting system. If I decide to keep it, I have a car with refurb and non-oem parts, not to mention a car that will probably never drive the same again.

Even though the damage is extensive, the value of the car is also high, which means it's unlikely to be totalled.

It seems incredibly unfair to me that I should get anything but a car that is EXACTLY how I left it when I parked it, or a brand new car. I am totally blameless, yet I lose thousands of dollars in value on my car. I'm told I can sue the person who hit my car (after I sell it) for the difference in reasonable blue book value (close to $40k) and what I sell it for, but who has the time and resources to do that?

What are my options here? I just feel like I pay insurance companies for a reason, and I shouldn't have to settle for a compromised vehicle.

Can someone else make a claim on my car insurance?

jayder — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 06:31:20 -0800

Can someone else make a claim on my auto insurance? Let's say I am involved in a very minor collision with someone's car in a shopping mall parking lot. The other person claims it is my fault. I give the person my insurance information. After the person presents me with an exorbitant, inflated "estimate" of what it will cost to fix the damage, I make the person an offer to settle the case, of a little more than half of what they are demanding. The person rejects my offer.

The person (who has his own auto insurance) threatens to contact my insurance company and make a claim. Will my insurance company deal with this person? Is there any chance the insurance company will pay the person's claim? (Assume that the person knows which insurance company my policy is with, but that I have not reported this incident to my insurance company.)

How exactly do insurance companies figure "pain and suffering" on car accidents?

nramsey — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 16:44:36 -0800

How exactly do insurance companies figure "pain and suffering" on car accidents? I've been told by several people to take whatever they offer and double it, but how do they decide what they offer? And how do I know if that's enough (because I assume once I take their offer the claim is closed)? (more inside) I've been told to think about it over the weekend by the other car's insurance claim person. I can either just give them a number for expected future doctor's visits or go for a few visits and then decide how much, whatever is the most comfortable with me.