How my afternoon went the other day

[JJZ 109]

They emailed me today so that I could agree for them to pay the body shop. When I replied I specifically mentioned getting back the deductible from the at fault party. She stated that we have to wait for the police report to be filed with DMV so that it's documented that the other guy was at fault. Then their "subrogation" department gets involved. But she says that from the initial information they have it looks like we've got a shot.

 

[aczlan]

They emailed me today so that I could agree for them to pay the body shop. When I replied I specifically mentioned getting back the deductible from the at fault party. She stated that we have to wait for the police report to be filed with DMV so that it's documented that the other guy was at fault. Then their "subrogation" department gets involved. But she says that from the initial information they have it looks like we've got a shot.

Makes sense. They want to make 100% sure the other guy is at fault before asking his insurance company to pay.

Aaron Z

 

[GManBart]

Another thing, and I dont know if it is still true, but in some vehicles they wont deploy unless you are buckled up. Cause the Airbag works in conjunction with the seatbelt pre-tensioner. And without the belt, the airbag may make things worse.

I don't know about the seatbelt, but all new cars have a system to check for light passengers in the front seat....under a certain weight, and it disables the airbag (they're worried about smothering children, etc).

 

[GManBart]

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.

It depends on the state. In Michigan, No Fault applies to everything. If you get in an accident, you work with your own insurance company to get it fixed, regardless of who was at fault.

Here's the real kicker for the OP's situation....the other driver was driving with a suspended license. Every insurance policy I'm aware of requires that the vehicle was being operated legally at the time of the accident (aside from the traffic violation, of course) for them to be liable to damages. In short, the insurance company can refuse to pay, and then your insurance company is trying to get $ back from the person who hit you. And people wonder why there's a fuss about unlicensed drivers in certain states with high numbers of illegal aliens driving without valid licenses???? It doesn't sound like it will impact the OP, but there are some horror stories out there about this kind of scenario.

 

[debo1683]

I had something similar happen to me a few years ago ... I got hit in February of 2007 by an uninsured driver (he had a license), he was at fault and did $6500 worth of damage to my truck. He was cited, got his license taken away(it is illegal to drive without insurance in Ohio), was responsible for all the damage that occurred, and had to set up a payment plan with my insurance to pay the bill. I had to pay the deductible out of my pocket to get my truck fixed, and would get my deductible when the bill was settled by the other party, like that would ever happen. I called in August of 2013 to ask about the deductible(and every year before that), they said the bill wasn't anywhere near being paid, but they would refund my deductible. 6 1/2 years later I got my $500 back ... just in time to pay my car insurance bill ... I didn't think that whole situation worked out in my favor ... Hoping you get your $500 bones back sooner ...

 

[Looking4new]

I had something similar happen to me a few years ago ... I got hit in February of 2007 by an uninsured driver (he had a license), he was at fault and did $6500 worth of damage to my truck. He was cited, got his license taken away(it is illegal to drive without insurance in Ohio), was responsible for all the damage that occurred, and had to set up a payment plan with my insurance to pay the bill. I had to pay the deductible out of my pocket to get my truck fixed, and would get my deductible when the bill was settled by the other party, like that would ever happen. I called in August of 2013 to ask about the deductible(and every year before that), they said the bill wasn't anywhere near being paid, but they would refund my deductible. 6 1/2 years later I got my $500 back ... just in time to pay my car insurance bill ... I didn't think that whole situation worked out in my favor ... Hoping you get your $500 bones back sooner ...

At 2% interest/year compounded annually you should have gotten back $568.68. You got screwed out of $68.68.

 

[Ken]

Here's the funny part. I'd only been with Travelers 2 days before the accident! In fact they had just taken pictures of my truck the day before the accident. They were about $400 a year cheaper than my previous company for the exact same coverage.
So far, I've got no complaints with how they're handling this. They've been prompt and always available. It's only been 5 days since the accident so I'll sit tight for a bit and see what happens with that $500.

JJZ 109 I also have Travelers insur. And so far the loss of a truck where a driver pulled in front of me. Then realized the traffic was traveling about 5 mile per hour he was doing 40 had to lock his breaks and I pushed his bumper into back seat. My truck front end was warped and his insurance didn't pay because of no ticket issued. (Why I never figured out) Travelers paid for the repairs. Then went after the other driver. Never asked happened with it.
Tornado took out my tractor shed and other buildings and travelers agent arrived quickly and didn't have any issues of his assessment of damage
Heat pump was hit by lightening and travelers paid for full replacement - Ded.

Was thinking premium was expensive until checking with other company's. Decided to keep.
ken

 

[JJZ 109]

Truck out of body shop this past week. Travelers wrote body man a check and that part of the ordeal is over. As far the other guy goes, Travelers is going after the other company because the police report clearly states that he was ticketed and 100% at fault.
Now it goes to their subrogation dept. to try and squeeze the money out of the opposition company. They say that they'll try to recover my deductible for me. Not holding my breath.
Their last word says they were waiting on the police report. It cost me $22 to download it from NYSDMV but I think I'll be needing it for future inquiries when I price insurance from other companies. Already run into a situation when I was pricing motorcycle insurance. One company showed it on their online inquiry as an accident that was my fault. I then had to finish the quote process on the phone and set them straight.
I emailed the police report to Travelers. They thanked me and said it should speed up the process. We'll see.

 

[Looking4new]

Good you got your truck back. Now for the holiday?

 

[JJZ 109]

Good you got your truck back. Now for the holiday?

It won't be long now. Florida trip is in sight. Instead of snow and cold I'll be cruising up & down A1A along the ocean on a Harley.
The wife recently had surgery and won't be able to ride her own bike for another month. So I can load mine into the truck and not have to lug a 7x14 enclosed trailer/2nd bike for a 2600 mile round trip. Should save some money on fuel this way.