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Chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:14:41
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 Subject: Insurance / Accident questions
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OK, I rearended someone almost 3 weeks ago. It was a 2 mph impact. the dak has a couple scratches in the bumper and it cracked my euro lights but overall it i s perfect. Her car has broken tail lights (still functional as it was jsut the clear ovre the reflectors). In short she stopped at a yield sign to watch for traffic (there was none as it was 8am on friday the 2nd) then she went and as I was edging out to see traffic she had stopped and i tapped her.
The cop didn't put my insurance info on the accident report and she doesn't speak any english. I haven't heard from her at all. should I report it to my insurance and how long do I have before it is too old to report to the insurance or for her to come after me for new tail lights (the car was a real POS). I don't want to report it because my insurance jsut went down and there is not $500 (my deductible) worth of damage to the dak.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Chris
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jmagsho
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:21:42
|  RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Depends on the law in your state, I guess. I live in MA, and if a cop is on scene and you don't report the accident via a completed accident report in 7 days, they will nail you with leaving the scene of an accident and all kinds of other BS. You could always report it as
"little/no damage" to the vehicles involved. Who knows, the other driver may not have had any insurance at all...
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CThomp
*GenIII*
1/22/2004
10:25:09
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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You should probably tell your insurance in case she decides she wants to sue you a year from now because you broke her neck when tapping her at 2mph. Then let your insurance deal with it. Just tell them you haven't heard from the lady yet, she doesn't speak english, and you are going to handle the expenses on your own. You might never hear from her. Did she have insurance?
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Chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:39:30
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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I am from CT and she lives in RI, it happened in RI and she did have insurance (mandatory in RI). So I have assumed so far that she put it under her own insurance company uninsured motorist.
So how long is my window to report it to my insurance? 30 days?
Chris
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:39:40
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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I'd report it, but not make a claim. You know she'll be contacting your company in a few weeks. She'll claim neck pain, headaches, loss of income, yada, yada, yada. She thinks this is her ticket to the good life.
Besides, even if her car is a POS, the lights were fine until you viciously attacked her and significantly devalued her precious 1978 K car, which held tremendous sentimental value for her. She should reasonably expect it to be restored to it's original state. Consider going to the bone yard and picking up a new lamp assembly and mailing it to her. Be sure and save the reciept.
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Chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:41:28
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Won't my insurace go up if i report it but not make a claim?
Chris
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JoeK
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
12:08:30
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Dude: It depends on how lucky you feel and what level of assets you need to protect. For example, if you do not report the "incident" to your insurer, they may walk away from you if the matter gets serious because you failed to notify them in a timely fashion. Your policy will have language to this effect. But... if you have no significant assets, no house, fancy cars, cash, etc. don't worry about it because you don't have anything to puke if you loose the lawsuit.
Suggestion: Don't be penny-wise / pound foolish. If your rates go up you know the reason why!
Good luck.
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Adminvtt
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
12:31:25
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Its all about who's at fault? Clearly you are since you rearended the lady. Was it put in the police report that you are at fault? Definitely notify your insurance, it doesn't mean your rates will jump up, as long as it wasn't reported to be your fault and you never said "this is my fault" in anyway then as far as your insurance is concerned the accident was caused by the lady and her insurance should pay for any damages. If you are found at fault and she does proceed to sue you through her insurance for damages pay the deductible and consider your self lucky. As its your insurance company's job to go to court and fight it out for you and fork over all the cost to do so. Your rates will probaby increase if they have to do that but better then being sued without insurance and being forced to pay 10,000-100,000's of dollars for a bull#$@# accident.
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Rob454
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
13:41:33
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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in california a accident under 500$ in damage doesnt get reported to the DMV. Of coourse todays cars a scratch is over 500$.
I would call your agent and let him know what happend. this way like the other guys said if she decides to sue youre covered. My friend had the same thing happen sort of. this lady pulled out in front of him as he was driving by and collided. his truck jumped over her hood. She was trying to sue him. the witnesses ( her family) said he hit her came back around and hit hewr again. the cops pretty much laughed abotu it and wrote down his side of the story.
She still sued him. she didnt win but it was a hassle
ROb
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Chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
14:11:09
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Then I wonder if I already missed my window of opportunity?
Chris
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CThomp
*GenIII*
1/22/2004
14:31:37
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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It still can't hurt to call them and tell them what happened. You never know what could happen. Most insurance companies are pretty cool about those kinds of things. Especially if they haven't heard from her yet.
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jasoncluter
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
20:50:29
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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I work at a body shop and deal with this kinda crap every day. You don't have to report anything. As long as a cop was on scene your covered. If the lady turned the accident in on her insurence then it will cover the accident and then her insurance company will seak payment from your insurance company. You won't even be involved. The police officer doesn't have to take your insurance down if the accident didn't cause a certain amount of money. I m not sure what the amount is, but tailingts isn't enough. If it were me I would act like it never happened.
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Chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/23/2004
07:42:01
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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Jason,
Very interesting point. but with my insurance not being on the accident report and living in another state (we are not mandated to have insurance) think they will even bother trying to find me?
The car was a 1989 pontiac 6000 and the taillights themselves weren't busted, just the clear lenses were. The car was in such bad shape it may have gotten totaled for this!
So I have both opinions:
1. that I have to / should report it and
2. that since the damage to neither vehicle was that great that I don't really have to.
Any otehr thoughts? Maybe by someone else tied to this stuff or someone else with experience (good or bad) with this?
Thanks,
Chris
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Nate
Dodge Dakota
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1/23/2004
10:34:59
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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I live in NC. I was having a bad day one day, and well let's just say I ran over a girl's Pontiac. It crumpled her hood and destroyed her radiator and stuff; my truck had a little scratch on the bumper, the color of her car. I called my insurance company, and the lady told me that I didn't need to have called. The way it works, (she said,) the girl would call my insurance to make a claim against me. Then the claim would be passed to an adjuster, and the adjuster would call everyone involved, including me.
So I don't think you need to call your insurance. Are you reporting damage on YOUR vehicle against YOUR policy? No.
It is HER responsibility to report damage on HER vehicle against YOUR insurance.
Sorry for the caps, I'm not yelling, I'm just trying to keep things straight.
If the lady doesn't know well enough that she is supposed to make a claim on your policy, then hell with her.
However! It is odd that the cop did not put your insurance info on the police report.
I think jasoncluter is right on.
I think if I were you (the guy who wrote the original post), I might start by calling the cop and asking him why he didn't complete the police report.
Depending on his response, I'd forget about the whole thing. Or if I felt guilty or beholden, I might call up that woman and ask something like, "Have you been able to find replacement light covers yet? ... I know where to get some. ... I could just mail them to you." NOT something like, "Would you like to make a claim against my insurance"!
The converse thing happened a year later when that truck got totalled by someone who ran a red light in his work van. Even though it wasn't my fault at all, I called my insurance to report the accident. The guy said, "Do you want to report the loss on YOUR policy? [No, it wasn't my fault.] Then you don't need to call me! [What if that idiot tries to file a claim against *me*?] We'll deal with it then."
Good luck.
Nate
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urhopeless
Dodge Dakota
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1/23/2004
16:50:40
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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take it from some one that sells insurance, if you do not report it to your company and the company finds out from another source, say a check that they do every year with your DMV they reserve the right to not renew your insurance. Most if not all other insurance companies see that as the same as having your insurance cancled, which then makes it that much more harder and expensive rate wise, to get insurance. swallow your pride and report it.
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same thing
Dodge Dakota
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1/24/2004
21:05:50
| RE: Insurance / Accident questions
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I had the exact same thing happen to me but it was at a light, the light was green and the lady did the same thing.
My buddy hollerd whole as I was looking to make sure the way was clear, I look up and oh shi*t
Bang.
Amiddle aged black woman craws out of the drivers side and her dad craws out the passenger side.
We look and theres no damage, and I ask if their alright and they say yes.
I look and the mother is in the back seat and I ask her if shes okay and she said "I was asleep and all I know is bang, but i alright"
So they say they dont want to call cops and i say ok.
They go one way and i haul ass the other, i dont know who they are and they dont know me.
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