wise2k

On my way home today on my lunch break I got hit at an intersection. I had a green light, and a lady in a RAV4 made a right out of a shopping center onto my lane. Saw her coming but thought she was going to use shoulder and merge after I passed but nope, she drove on like I wasn't there.

Police came but the report won't be available for 3 - 5 business days; in the meantime I don't have any of her information. Police told me to stay in my car, when I asked him if I could at least get her insurance and contact information he told me all that information is in the police report. I don't even know what he wrote in the police report; can't file a claim basically until next week.

I shopped around for an estimate already and one was $2,800 while the other was $3,700. How do I move forward?

L3XOTIC

Your telling me you didn't get atleast her plate number? It will be available on the police report but how did the cops show up so fast that you couldnt get her info? How are you to know now that she didn't blame you for being at fault ? Call your insurance right away. Tell them you got hit, waiting on police report. Give them heads up atleast so that they don't haggle you for waiting.

But, if she hit you and is at fault, go after HER insurance company to pay for damages so this way you don't pay deductable and doesn't affect your insurance.

Good luck. It'll be a 2 week process minimum. I just had the same exact thing happen to me few weeks back in my brothers car. Got hit in front of cop, cop got all the Info, the person at fault tried to lie but police report showed I wasn't at fault.

wise2k

Thanks for the quick response. It actually happened about 500 feet from the police station so it didn't take them long at all to show up. Also, I am not as educated as I probably should be when it comes to accidents so i really didn't think about what to do besides call 911, and maybe before they got there. When the officer came to my window I think I was still 'snapping' out of the accident and that's when I was trying to get those details but was shut down. Now here I am

Vegas

Careful on calling your insurance. If it is her fault you don't want to let your insurance know. Reason is they have a sneaky way of opening up a "claim" then your premiums go up. Get a check written directly in your name from her insurance, don't have them pay the shop.

aprince1

iTrader: (5)

You should be fine. Make the call to your insurance company and let them know what happened. I would assume the other driver will be put to fault for failure to yield. It wasn't her right of way.
Your insurance company, assuming its a good one, should know what to do next. That's why you pay them the big bucks.
Good luck to you.

Mike813

iTrader: (5)

even if you didnt get her info the police report has everything your insurance needs to find out for you (plate#, name, address). all you need to do is wait and fax the police report to your insurance or you send it to hers if its detailed on the report and have it taken care of. its an eye sore staring at a accident but thats the process.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

You'll be fine... Call your insurance company and give them your side of the story... wait for the police report... get three estimates from different places. Once you get the police get that faxed to your claim adjuster and they'll do the rest of the work. Once they approve an estimate you can get your baby fixed. If the other person has insurance and they are at fault your deductible should be waived. If they don't have insurance and you have full coverage you'll need to pay your collision deductible. Either way your insurance will not go up - Unless you are found at fault. That goes back to your detailed explanation with your claims adjuster and the police report... Advice from a Insurance Agent ^_*

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

you are suppose to get her information before calling the police.

Lexustrung

iTrader: (-1)

wow that sucks... drivers who dont pay attention!!! youll be fine tho just wait for police report

L3XOTIC

As I stated above, claim it on THEIR insurance, not YOURS. Trust me. Your premium will go up AND you have to pay your deductible.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

It's pretty clear you don't know much about insurance...

when your not at fault the other parties insurance has to pay thats not an option. insurance companies have no obligation to pay for their insured's damages when the other party is at fault. the only way accidents increase your insurance (which is only at renewal time) is if the accident is at fault or a single car accident and damages are paid out more than $751...

The experience you have with your claim simply depends on the company you are paying to represent you. Fly cheap you'll feel cheap in the end...

Silver'04

iTrader: (13)

Lots of different factors involved in your decision making process. Being that your car is still safe to drive, you have the luxury of waiting for the other insurance to accept liability. However, just because the other party is paying the bill, it doesn't always make it the right choice. Some insurance companies are easier to work with and handle claims differently than others. Some insurance companies require their Direct repair shops to use after market parts in their repairs. As for the estimates, don't even bother looking at the price. Realistically, it's either going to be covered by her insurance company or yours. The price you'd have to pay if any, would only be your collision deductible and that would be reimbursed to you if the other party accepted liability later anyways. What you should really look for is the cleanliness, organization, and quality of the shop. Ask the shop estimator or manager if they can give you a quick tour of the shop and explain how the claims process would work, should you choose their facility. Our family has a body shop here in Hawaii and I'm proud of our facility. I give tours/demos all the time for customers if they ask. If a shop works hard to stay organized, efficient, and clean there would be no reason why they wouldn't want to show it.

Granted, insurance companies through out the US handle claims differently and pay for things differently, but feel free to pm me if you have any questions or need any help. Good luck

starfyrels

iTrader: (2)

In this day and age:

1. Always keep a medic kit and a disposable camera in your glovebox. You can take pictures in the event of an accident. Police recants, and eyewitness testimonies are great but they turn into heresay and other factors come into play when it's a he-said she-said case. Pictures don't lie, and if you take pictures well before police get there and get their report after (most cameras are time stamped) and things don't match up then you have proof to show your lawyer or insurance company.

2. You pay insurance to insure yourself. 9 times out of 10 you get into issues when filing claims with another parties insurance company. Sometimes they will lowball you, give you the run around etc. You pay your insurance company for a reason -- to INSURE you. Just because you have them file a claim to get money from another insurance company doesn't mean that you will automatically have increased rates. Your rates will go up based on other factors beyond your control -- it is inevitable. You might save a few dollars by not letting your insurance company work for you but in the end you will either get nothing or nothing.

3. Go see a doctor. Get yourself checked out. The worse thing you can do is get hurt/sick from something else and then try to say that it was because of your accident thereafter.

4. The police should have given you something in terms of paperwork. Call them and keep calling to get your paperwork. If the report turns out wrong then you will be *****ed,

wise2k

Thanks all for your help; the information I have got is invaluable! There should probably be a sticky up top on what to do if you're involved in an accident because most of us are undereducated and unprepared simply because it's one of those things that happen once in a blue moon and we just hope it never happens.

I will keep you posted as things unfold, hopefully should have the police report by next Tuesday and get the ball rolling. Hopefully it's as straightforward as it should be, and the adjusters don't low ball me.

L3XOTIC

Before you speak and come to conlusions, i just went through this THREE WEEKS AGO.

So thank you for clarifying that i have no idea how insurance works as if im twelve years old. I've been hit two times by other people, i was not at fault and claimed it against their insurance to get paid and not have to pay deductable after inquiring through my own insurance. Call your insurance, tell them you got hit and not at fault, whats your deductable for? They will deduct it from what they owe you on the car. Your insurance might be different from mine. So speak for your insurance and not everyones as a whole. If they are at fault, and your insurance company pays out, your rates do go up at renewel. I know because my parents made this mistake years back and werent patient enough to wait for the other party who was at fault. So, its pretty clear that you, yourself, dont know much either about insurance.

fly cheap and feel cheap in the end? Keep trolling. There's cheap, and theres being smart.