How my afternoon went the other day

Looking4new · Mar 2, 2014

Have you taken a good hard look at your front end alignment? Right down to the tape measure and check it?

JJZ 109 · Mar 2, 2014

Looking4new said:
Have you taken a good hard look at your front end alignment? Right down to the tape measure and check it?

Hadn't thought about that but I'll be sure to mention it to whichever shop takes the job. Personally, I wouldn't even know what I was measuring. Thanks for the heads up!

Looking4new · Mar 2, 2014

PM coming you way.

LD1 · Mar 2, 2014

JJZ 109 said:
My insurance company's contact from the regional office tells me that they will try, but cannot guarantee to get at least my $500 deductible back from the other driver's insurance company because he was ticketed and was at fault.
I'm not counting on it, but at least there's a shot that I wasn't even aware of. I haven't had any interaction with an insurance company about a collision since 1987.

So if I understand, your insurance company is paying?? I thought the person at fault's insurance is supposed to pay.

Thats how its always been for me and others I know. When I got rear-ended. All it did was scratch the bumper cover. Police report was filed, and we exchanged info. I notified my insurance company anyway, to let them know what was going on, but then called the other guys insurance. Gave them my info and they already had a copy of the police report so they know their driver as at fault. All I had to do was go to a shop and get an estimate and fax to them. No deductible. I am sure the other guy paid that.

aczlan · Mar 2, 2014

LD1 said:
So if I understand, your insurance company is paying?? I thought the person at fault's insurance is supposed to pay.

Thats how its always been for me and others I know. When I got rear-ended. All it did was scratch the bumper cover. Police report was filed, and we exchanged info. I notified my insurance company anyway, to let them know what was going on, but then called the other guys insurance. Gave them my info and they already had a copy of the police report so they know their driver as at fault. All I had to do was go to a shop and get an estimate and fax to them. No deductible. I am sure the other guy paid that.

Only thing I can think is that the other guy didn't have insurance, so it is going on his uninsured motorist coverage?

Aaron Z

JJZ 109 · Mar 3, 2014

LD1 said:
So if I understand, your insurance company is paying?? I thought the person at fault's insurance is supposed to pay.

Thats how its always been for me and others I know. When I got rear-ended. All it did was scratch the bumper cover. Police report was filed, and we exchanged info. I notified my insurance company anyway, to let them know what was going on, but then called the other guys insurance. Gave them my info and they already had a copy of the police report so they know their driver as at fault. All I had to do was go to a shop and get an estimate and fax to them. No deductible. I am sure the other guy paid that.

From what I understand, New York is a no fault state. Which means your company pays for your damage and the other guy's take care of his. But I guess if one person is clearly at fault (tickets issued, noted in police report, etc.), one company may go after the other to recover the loss. But in the meantime, my damage gets paid for in a timely manner without me personally having to chase and do battle with the other guy's company.
So in this case, I'm sure that Travelers (my company) will probably go after Allstate (the other guy's company) and try to recoup the $3400 in damage. But in the meantime Travelers cuts me a check and I get my truck fixed. They assume the hassle with the opposition, not me.

Lt CHEG · Mar 3, 2014

JJZ 109 said:
From what I understand, New York is a no fault state. Which means your company pays for your damage and the other guy's take care of his. But I guess if one person is clearly at fault (tickets issued, noted in police report, etc.), one company may go after the other to recover the loss. But in the meantime, my damage gets paid for in a timely manner without me personally having to chase and do battle with the other guy's company.
So in this case, I'm sure that Travelers (my company) will probably go after Allstate (the other guy's company) and try to recoup the $3400 in damage. But in the meantime Travelers cuts me a check and I get my truck fixed. They assume the hassle with the opposition, not me.

No fault just applies to injuries. That is if you were injured then your insurance pays your own medical bills regardless of fault. No fault does not apply to your situation. In fact when my wife was rear ended a few years ago we never even filed a claim with our insurance company. I called State Farm, the company who insured the driver who rear ended my wife, and filed a claim directly with them. They handled everything and my insurance company never even knew about the accident.

aczlan · Mar 3, 2014

Lt CHEG said:
No fault just applies to injuries. That is if you were injured then your insurance pays your own medical bills regardless of fault. No fault does not apply to your situation. In fact when my wife was rear ended a few years ago we never even filed a claim with our insurance company. I called State Farm, the company who insured the driver who rear ended my wife, and filed a claim directly with them. They handled everything and my insurance company never even knew about the accident.

Similarly, when a moron went off the road and hit a car that I had for sale (had a buyer was supposed to come by with cash three hours after the guy hit it), the other guy's insurance paid me for it (paid me twice what I was asking for it actually) which was good because the car was not on the road and so I didn't have any insurance on it.

Aaron Z

JJZ 109 · Mar 3, 2014

I guess I'm now a bit puzzled about how it all works. I was a state correction officer for 26 years, not an insurance man. But at any rate, someone's paying for my truck and it isn't me. Except for the deductible of course. And it looks like I have at least a chance of getting that back out of the other guy's company.
I'm thinking that my company will go after the other guy's, but it cuts me out of the equation and I don't have to fight with them. But just out of curiosity I'll pose the question to the regional insurance rep when she's back in the office on Tuesday to see how it all works.

JJZ 109 · Mar 3, 2014

Hmmm. I had been informed that Allstate was the other guy's company. But State Farm calls me this morning and tells me that they insured the other truck. Just asked me for a brief description of the accident and if I knew if the other driver had received any tickets.