DD had an accident today
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| Wed, 05-17-2006 - 1:13am |
When she went to pick up her paycheck, she ran into a truck in the parking
lot. She called me crying and I went to the site. I found the owner of the
truck stooped down beside her car (her door was open) and he was very close
to her and talking to her. I approached the car and spoke to him and he then
stood up and we began talking about the accident. He starts off telling my
husband and myself that this is his old hunting truck and he really doesn't
care all that much. He then proceeded to show DH all the scratches and the
dents that are all over his truck. There was a dent from DD's car and he
he told us that he would get an estimate and we could turn it in if we wanted.
He took our insurance info and said he'd get back to us. I just know that
he is going to come back with a HIGH estimate from some of the things that he
was saying. GOD help us. We cannot afford this at this time and I am about at
my wits end. She is paying me off from some money that she borrowed and this
paycheck is her next to the last, until her summer job kicks in. I want her
to learn her lesson.
She is a little gun shy now, and worried that it will happen again. I told
her to dust herself off, take a deep breath and relax. Any suggestions?
THANKS

You have to decide if you want to utilize insurance or just pay the bill yourself. The latter can save your insurance rates in the future and the guy was decent in that it sounds like he gave you that option.
I sense you were uncomfortable with him 'squatting by her open door'. Having boys, I guess Im just not quite understanding that. If she was in the car and crying, I dont know if that's unusual. Did she feel threatened?
Perhaps in a case like that, a girl should remain out of the car in plain sight of those passing by? I dunno-never thought about it until I read your post
Anyway, Im sorry it happened and its going to be a financial hardship but she DID hit his truck and he deserves to have it fixed without paying out of HIS pocket.
Can you loan the money out and have DD pay you back slowly?
Im also REALLY happy no one was injured.
My oldest had two in the first 6-18months after his license. Both his fault-both rear ending pickup trucks. Insurance picked up the first and we picked up the 2nd with him paying us back as he could
Number two had a serious accident 5 months out-not his fault. Insurance was involved as it was major-three car-ambulances. I don't ever want to repeat that scene
I'll take the hitting a truck scenario, thank you very much!
I have a recent story that might help see another viewpoint, or not....
For the first time since I was a teen, I had a wreck that was my fault, just a couple of months ago! The woman passenger began freaking out. I ended up by her door trying to calm her down. She was losing it, telling her own husband, the driver, to shut up and leave her alone, she began really freaking at me telling me how she'd never been in a wreck before, blah blah blah. She was in her 30's though, so I didn't really feel too sorry for her, considering her behavior.
Even though I know in my heart that I wasn't at fault, my insurance company paid them. My car is so old, with so many scratches, that I didn't even consider filing. I almost bet your guy doesn't either. I've been hit so many times in my life, even being the only survivor of a drunk driving accident, that I'm almost numb now to wrecks. And I wouldn't even consider fixing my little dent even if the insurance company had decided that I was in the right.
I would just wait and see. No need to panic yet. Not everyone sues the pants off everyone else. Even when I was involved in the fatality accident, I didn't even sue for my medical costs.... his survivors were in enough pain already.
Good luck,
zz
I'm an insurance agent in KS so I'd like to add my two cents really quickly...with the disclaimer that every company handles things differently.
It is always a good idea to go ahead and file the claim with your insurance company. You can still make the decision to pay for the damages out of your own pocket and it it will show as a closed claim/no payout, which *shouldn't* affect your rates (unless she rec'd a ticket and then it might).
Filing the claim with your insurance company protects you. It keeps the other party from coming back at a later time with more "damage", trying to get more money out you after you thought it was settled, claiming injury or doctor bills, etc. Even though it was your DD's fault your insurance will fight for you to keep you from getting scammed/taken advantage of.
Many companies have a 1st claim forgiveness policy where your rates aren't affected or are affected to a lesser degree.
I would talk it over with your insurance agent. They should be able to give you the company's policies and give you enough information to help you make the right decision before you commit to a course of action.
I also always suggest getting a police report. All it takes is time and it can also protect you. I was rear-ended this week, and the young man that hit me wanted to just pay for the damage. The police officer even said we didn't need a police report if there were no injuries and less than $1,000 damage. Since I'm not a body shop tech I have no idea how much damage was done but there is a pretty sizable dent and a crack in the bumper. I insisted on the police report and filed the claim. If he wants to pay it out of pocket he can, but I'm letting my insurance adjuster handle it. I don't want the hassle of trying to collect money from someone I don't know. You pay your insurance company enough money--let them work for you.
If you choose to pay for the damage out of pocket, be sure to get receipts, releases, everything signed by the gentleman and notarized and keep copies of your checks, etc. to protect you. Even when someone seems nice and easy to deal with someone else can convince them they should be doing it differently. Sad, but true.
Glad she wasn't hurt!
Dani
I urge you to file a police report immediately. YOu don't know this guy. He mays seem nice and friendly now, but he could be trying to scam you. He can make up all sorts of lies about the accident. If you don't file a police report, it will be his word against yours. Additionally, I was under the impression that insurance companies would not consider a claim unless there was a police report.
My car was hit last year by a teenager who desperately wanted to pay us, out of pocket. After seeking advice from a friend who is an attorney and others on this site, the concenus was that it's always to ones advantage to file a report.
Good luck. I can imagine how frightened your DD was at the time of the accident. We all are, espeically when it's our first. She isn't the first to get into a car accident and she won't be the last. Unfortunately, most of us go through it, at least once. My point, she's not alone.
Mily
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My insurance company paid without a police report.
zz
Regarding the idea about the police report: did the police come to the scene of the accident? Don't they need to do that for there to be a police report?
Where I live the police do not come to accident scenes or write reports unless someone has been injured. I suppose they have to come if the damaged vehicles are blocking the street and cannot move, so traffic control is required...but I think they don't want to write reports if they can avoid it!
My ds hit a parked car last year and supposedly the owner contacted our insurance company to get it fixed. He is in a different city but again, no police report. We did not get any repairs on his car and his premium didn't go up.
Police weren't called out, this happened in the university parking lot
where I work. Around here they don't usually give tickets in a parking
lot and they usually just help those involved exchange info. I don't
think that they even do reports in the parking lots.
The guy called the other day and told DH that he has an estimate
for $550. which isn't to bad, considering. Now I am NOT disputing
that he deserves to be paid... he most certainly does. We told him
to get the truck fixed and get back with us on the bill. He even
said that it might cost less. We will see. I will definately get
those receipts... and I will have him sign a release. Thanks for
the tip.. I usually think of those things, but hadn't yet.
Signlady
"We are Virginia Tech - we will Prevail"