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Smart Shopper Questions About Auto Insurance & Accidents
4422 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 6:46 PM
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First, try and find out what Etheridge's insurance is, call and make a claim immediately...get the ins name, adjuster name, claim number, telephone and fax number, and mailing address... Well, actually, first thing is to make sure that all the bleeding has stopped and all injured parties are being attended to by proper medical authorities, but I assume that common sense prevails... You may want to call your ins company and also make a claim, because, until you know what Etheridge's policy limits are, the damages caused to you and the other four cars may exceed the amount of insurance he has...example, if the damage to all 5 cars totals $62K, but he has a $25K policy, many of you will have to make claims on your own policies as he does not have enough to pay for all the damages and rental cars needed... Try and get at least a dozen photos of your car, front and back (where I assume the damage is) as you may never get your hands on the photos the ins co makes...also try and get photos of his car...also photograph the roadway where the accident occurred, where your photos will show where there are no skid marks, which will show that he never even tried to stop...to take this even further, any photos you can get of the other cars' damages will only serve to document just how fast he was going, and just how bad your injuries (and your passenger's injuries might be) Depending on your injuries, you may wish to start treatment with a physical therapist, chiropractor or whatever you choose...even if no bones were broken, the force of the collision would justify any treatment you might need...oh, and if you have any pain now, assume that your pain could last up to a couple of months, because if you were struck by a camper at 60 mph, your injuries could be substantial... You will have to document lost earnings, but you may not recover them for a few months, depending on how injury cases are settled in your state... The value of your vehicle will be determined by sites like edmunds, kbb, nada, as you will be paid what it is worth, regardless of how much you may owe on the vehicle...if you owe more than it is worth, I hope you have GAP insurance... This is a good start...get an adjuster out to view your car, get a rental car, and get adequate care for your injuries...most injury settlements will come in a few months, and most vehicle damage settlements will come in the next few days...if his insurance is slow on the uptake, make a claim with your company's collision, and they will subrogate and get paid by by Etheridge's ins...your rates will not go up since it was not your fault...also, if they are slow to appraise the damage, use your rental car insurance to get a rental for as long as you need, up to 30 days... |
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Replying to: steine13 (Jul 19, 2006 3:12 pm)
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Replying to: aleciav (Jul 27, 2006 10:24 am) Just my opinion ... but take the money and be happy.
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jul 27, 2006 11:50 am) may i ask another question? two months ago my car was recovered with one quart of oil, engine modified, after a police chase. i'd suspected engine damage from the beginning and was assured it was checked and ruled out before $5,000 in cosmetic repairs were performed. i picked it up after 6 weeks and black exhaust poured out of the tailpipe. a compression test at a subcontracted Honda service demonstrated engine damage, and i've just learned that the test was never done before then--in fact the shop that had my car never checked the integrity of the engine--they performed a "safety check" and then went on to repair the body. no one but me advocated for proper diagnosis--not my insurance claims adjuster, the inspector authorizing any repair, the guy that runs the shop in charge of my repairs. after two and a half months without my car (and without rental reimbursement) i'm incredulous (and poorer for it). it could have been totaled to begin with had this been properly handled. do i have any recourse? thanks, again.
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Replying to: aleciav (Jul 27, 2006 12:18 pm)
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jul 27, 2006 1:03 pm) i believe it should have been diagnosed and totaled at the outset (and my letters to them from June 1 reflect this), but they placated me--insurance company and car repair shop--assuring all had been done correctly. my point of contention--per Honda--a compression test is just what you do when a stolen recovery presents with one quart of oil remaining. you don't just check the left blinker and the tire pressure and get to work replacing body panels. had this been handled correctly i wouldn't be 2.5 months into this. i had to purchase a replacement car, i've lost time from work, etc., etc. just wondering if there's recourse for me. my loss on this is far more than the total payout. thanks. |
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Replying to: euphonium (Jul 24, 2006 10:19 am) But it seems that they do not "hold it against" us - maybe because that's the law in our state (NY), maybe because that's their policy re comprehensive claims (not collision, and therefore, as the insurance co. rep said, "not the driver's fault"), maybe because it was a low-value non-suspicion-alerting claim (only one side window), maybe because it was only the third time ever we claimed anything on our policy. Maybe a combo of reasons. In any case, the window-fixer dude came out to us the next day, fixed it quickly and well, and I hope there won't be repercussions on our policy. |
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Replying to: aleciav (Jul 27, 2006 1:25 pm) Your insurance adjuster messed up.....big time. Any one with half a brain that sees an engine with one quart of oil left would have the engine thoroughly checked out by a competent mechanic. The body shop doesn't care, if the vehicle is totalled out, they make zero, so their incentive is to fix it.
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Replying to: aleciav (Jul 27, 2006 1:25 pm) well, as far as extra money for pain and suffering or time off of work, I can't help ya there. You probably have no recourse, but I'm not a lawyer. |
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