Need advice please re: car accident

jenna

jenna

*flower power*
O.G.
Jan 27, 2006
607
62
#1
I really need your advice. I was rear-ended recently. It was pouring rain, and initially, it didn't look like there was much damage because we just looked at the bumper. :sad2:

Well, I took a look after the rain ended, and there is a lot more damage, especially on the passender back side. And a couple of body shops said it'll cost several thousand dollars at least.

The other driver doesn't know the new estimates, but if they still want to pay without going through insurance, should I do it?

Are there pitfalls to working with the other driver without going through insurance? Is it always better to work with insurance companies (to get their help, backing etc)?

I just don't want to scr*w myself or get scr*wed up. :worried:

Thanks in advance for any advice, tips you may have!!!
 
#2
i'd prefer to go through insurance just because you might end up going through it anyway.....the same thing happened to my mother a few months back....someone rear-ended her in the rain, didn't look like much damage, they said please don't go through insurance we'll pay for it........we get home, and take it to the bodyshop we always go to (extremely inexpensive compared to going back to the dealer or anywhere else) and realized there was a lot of damage to the underside of our car that would be not expensive but not cheap to repair.....so the guy changes his mind and says whatever i'm paying for the damage since i didn't see it i don't believe you.....so pretty much ended up going through insurance anyway......i'd rather just not deal with that if i don't need to

sorry about your accident though......i'm so incredibly paranoid when i'm sitting in the car now :sad:
 
#3
jc2239 said:
i'd prefer to go through insurance just because you might end up going through it anyway.....the same thing happened to my mother a few months back....someone rear-ended her in the rain, didn't look like much damage, they said please don't go through insurance we'll pay for it........we get home, and take it to the bodyshop we always go to (extremely inexpensive compared to going back to the dealer or anywhere else) and realized there was a lot of damage to the underside of our car that would be not expensive but not cheap to repair.....so the guy changes his mind and says whatever i'm paying for the damage since i didn't see it i don't believe you.....so pretty much ended up going through insurance anyway......i'd rather just not deal with that if i don't need to

sorry about your accident though......i'm so incredibly paranoid when i'm sitting in the car now :sad:
Click to expand...

Thanks much for your reply jc2239. And I know what you mean. I don't want to drive unless I absolutely have to for the next few days at least!

Did your mom go through her insurance, which then went after his insurance to get reimbursed... or did she work directly with his insurance? And did the insurance company end up paying for the damage to the underside of the car as well?

Sorry it happened to your mom as well. I hope she wasn't hurt. :worried:
 
#4
Oh I'm so sorry! I hope you are okay.
The upside of avoiding the insurance company is that even if it is not your fault (and the person behind is always at fault, no matter what), if you file lots of claims, they will begin to raise your rate. You probably will not need to file a claim again any time soon, but you never know.

The downside is- how can you trust this person to pay the body shop? Unless you get the money upfront, or put it in some sort of escrow account.

What I would do is get a proper estimate (make sure you let them know it is for cash payment, they quote different amounts for cash versus insurance payout) and call the person who hit you. If they agree to the amount, you need to figure out how to make damn sure that they pay the body shop. Good luck.
 
#5
How about going to the bodyshop and take your car to a dealership afterwards for a full inspection? If they don't want to go through the insurance company they should pay for every cent. Just make sure they pay. It is safer and more convenient to go through insurance. I'm glad you're okay. Drive safely :biggrin:
 
#6
jenna said:
Thanks much for your reply jc2239. And I know what you mean. I don't want to drive unless I absolutely have to for the next few days at least!

Did your mom go through her insurance, which then went after his insurance to get reimbursed... or did she work directly with his insurance? And did the insurance company end up paying for the damage to the underside of the car as well?

Sorry it happened to your mom as well. I hope she wasn't hurt. :worried:
Click to expand...

I think we worked directly with his insurance (since it was obviously his fault and there was no dispute on that front). My mom had bad luck driving those few months (she got rear-ended three times in three months) and so I think she didn't want to go through her own insurance for fear that her rates would go up (even though none of the accidents were her fault....seriously....people drive like maniacs).

The insurance ended up covering everything, and probably cost the silly man an arm and a leg (since we had to take to an official garage under the insurance i think which was must more expensive than the place we'd originally taken it to, plus i'm sure his insurance payments skyrocketed).......which I don't feel at all bad about since we offered to let him pay for it not through the insurance and he changed his mind :amuse:.

if you do decide not to go through insurance i'd be sure to take lots of photos of the damage, and make sure you receive the payment up front before you even touch the car.....
 
#7
LucreziaCA said:
Oh I'm so sorry! I hope you are okay.
The upside of avoiding the insurance company is that even if it is not your fault (and the person behind is always at fault, no matter what), if you file lots of claims, they will begin to raise your rate. You probably will not need to file a claim again any time soon, but you never know.

The downside is- how can you trust this person to pay the body shop? Unless you get the money upfront, or put it in some sort of escrow account.

What I would do is get a proper estimate (make sure you let them know it is for cash payment, they quote different amounts for cash versus insurance payout) and call the person who hit you. If they agree to the amount, you need to figure out how to make damn sure that they pay the body shop. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Ditto! If you can, try to get the person who rearended you to give you a money order for the estimated payment, that way you don't have to worry about the repair shop not getting paid. I would get at least a couple of estimates, they usually want to see more than one. Also, did you suffer any physical pain like whiplash?...you usually don't feel it right away. Depending on your insurance, they will pay for a chiropractor and also a rental car, while your car is being repaired. Oh and one more important thing, try to have someone (perferably a guy) accompany you when dealing with this person, especially if it's a guy! I hope everything works out to your advantage.
 
#9
in a rear-ending situation you should go through insurance. you may have injuries you don't know about and if you do not go through insurance you won't be able to recover for them later.
 
#10
I would agree that your best bet is to go through the insurance. Hopefully he has a reputable company. I got rear-ended about 8 years ago, and the other guy's insurance company only paid up 90%. :mad:

In this type of collision it's not just the bumper that gets damaged, but the frame of the car often gets bent. Make sure they check the frame thoroughly.
 
#11
Definitely go through your insurance carrier.

I have worked in insurance for years and I cannot tell you how many times I handled claims where the people tried going paying out of pocket. It never works out. Plus, there are additional expenses whenver your car is repaired, rental car, supplemental estimates, etc...

Your best bet is using your own insurance carrier even though you will have to front your deductible initially. They will not raise your rates as this is a non-chargeable accident.

Good luck and please let me know if you have any questions.
 
#12
The same thing happened to me about a year ago. I was rear-ended on a highway - I was completely stopped in traffic and she just slammed into me at about 25 miles per hour. The only visual damage to my car was on the rear bumper and neither of us appeared to have injuries after the accident. She wanted to avoid insurance but I insisted on going through insurance because I was leaving for vacation the next day and wanted to try to have everything organzied before I left. Turns out it was the best thing because part of the frame of my car was bent which was really expensive to fix. Plus 2 days after the accident I started getting really bad pains in my arm - went to the ER on vacation and found out that the force of the seatbelt going across my chest screwed up the rotator cuff on my left shoulder. So there were medical bills for ER visit, xrays, MRI, physical therapy, etc. Luckily I didn't need surgery - but if I hadn't gone through insurance I would've had to pay for all those medical bills myself.

Definitely go through insurance - it will make your life easier and you will have less to worry about.
 
#13
I'm sorry about your accident, and glad that you are okay. I would definitely go through insurance. I had someone who actually backed into me in a parking lot 2 years ago (she passed by a parking spot, and decided to rapidly backup to get it, not noticing that I was behind her, and that there was a line of cars directly behind me...stupid narrow parking lots in Northern Virginia). Anyway, my experience worked out well for me....just be persistent. Good luck, and I hope everything turns out well for you!
 
#14
I'd recommend going through insurance for a few reasons:

1) The work on your car will get paid by insurance.
2) The other guy's insurance may cover a rental car--if the car needs a few thousand dollars worth of repairs, you probably won't have the car for at least a few days.
3) You could have injuries and it's always good to have documentation in case you need to pursue something for those injuries.
4) Most policies actually require that you report all accidents to them as a duty as an insured. If you don't report the accident and on the slim chance that they find out, they could use it as a reason to drop coverage. This is a slim chance, but something to consider. Your policy will tell you if that's something you're required to do.
5) You'll have less stress wondering if the guy is going to pay the repair bill. If you chose to go outside of insurance, I'd get the money up front. Either he pays the shop directly BEFORE the repair or he gives you a cashier's check.
 
#15
I agree that going through insurance is the best thing, in a situation like your I would have called the police to the sight (not sure if you did from your post) It just best to have everything documented at that moment b/c you never know what may happen down the road related to the accident. Good luck, car accidents are the worst!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back