Tuvi

hi. well, i was involved in a "minor" car "accident" the other day. long story short, i rearended someone (who was stopped in traffic) while going approx. 2 mph. actually the story really isn't that long. i happened to look down for a sec and my car started rolling forward and hit the person in front of me.

anyway, the back bumper is cracked. she gave me an estimate of $307 to replace the bumper plus $200 for a rental car for a couple days. i can either pay this out of my own pocket, or take it to the insurance.

i don't want to take it to the insurance cuz its really crappy insurance and the rates are insanely expensive. so if this is on my record, it will be even more expensive and will prolong the time that i have to stay on this insurance. (i think this is true, i'm scared to call my insurance guy and ask him.)

i also dont want to go through the insurance cuz my mom will find out and i'll be deadmeat. DEADMEAT LARUSSO! yeah.. anyway, does anyone have any advice or anything they could tell me?

i am scheduled to get off this insurance and back on my old one sometime next year when the points on my record go away. i am wondering if this will make me not be able to rid myself of this awful insurance and get back to my other. can i safely call my insurance agent (he's really nice and i know him personally) without him like forcing me to go through the insurance? in other words, will i still be able to make my own decision about going thru the insurance or not.

thanks.

btw, no damage was done to my car.

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Two Cents

I think he is ethically obligated to note that on your record. Just like a speeding ticket, you did not get hit anyone, but you get docked anyway. It depends on him though, but why call him anyway?

The big thing is the person you hit, and whether they file a police report and/or notifies their agent and your agent.

The other thing is, if the damage is under 500 dollars, they normally don't increase anything (happened to me). But that is normally, and since you seem to have a history, prolly not good.

Since you prolly have a high deductible like many people, I would definitely handle it under the table if you can. Otherwise, you get it on your record and you pay some out of pocket. Hope this helps.

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Tuvi

the person has not notified my or their insurance. there is a police report though... a cop came cuz it backed up traffic to all eternity. but he was saying how the report wouldn't matter or the insurance companies wouldn't need it cuz the damage was so minor. he didn't even ask our names or anything.

i was thinking that if i go through the insurance, this will just raise my rates and i'll ultimately save money by paying the $500 out of pocket instead of paying so much more every 6 months or whatever for the insurance. see, i'm not really sure how insurance works so thats why i'm having problems deciding what to do.

also, the lady wants the money in cash.. that will be weird.. holding a whole $500 in cash! scary!

Two Cents

Well, if you are willing pay the doh , then it's not a problem. When that happened to me, I made an agreement, he paid me, and the insurance companies never found out. I gave him something in writing, saying that I would not take any action against him because he agreed to pay for damages, and had paid. I guess you just have to worry about her screwing you...

Oh, and you should be shot for slowing up traffic. Do you know how many man (or woman) hours that costed?

Jenny

How much is your deductible? Because if it is high (which I'm guessing it is, given the history, it sounds like...), there is no point in going through the insurance company since they wouldn't pay it anyway. Make sense?

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Jihforce

Two Cents as the right of it.
I've been involved in this sort of thing before.
First off, DO NOT call your insurance guy. Not even to ask him question. I know he's nice, but it will do you no good. I think accidents stay in your record for 3 years. So, if I were you, I'd handle it privately.
The way you go about it is this. Since this person wants cash, this is what you do, you have a nice typed up letter stating that once you have paid the amount in full (estimate and rental costs) you are no longer liable for this car, so that he can't sue you after collecting. Fill that out, have him/her sign it, you then sign it, and have a 3rd party sign it as well. (just in case he tries to deny anything). And keep all paperwork in a safe place in case something ever arises.
Minor accidents count towards your record, as long as there's a claim, it counts. One may not, but 2-3 later on in the future will hurt you. Regarless of who's at fault.
Hope it works out well for you.
Police reports are generally not filed if:
a) there are no deaths
b) damage is under $1000
Personally, I've been hit twice (two hit and runs) and I hit a deer. Those three accidents kind of made my premium higher even though they weren't my fault. Specially since they happened one year after another. Sucks huh?

Tuvi

yay, thanks for the info..

one question.. where do i find a 3rd party? can it just be anyone? the letter doesn't need to be typed up by a lawyer or anything?

Jihforce

3rd party can be a friend of your or hers. Or a notary. You can just type it up, you don't really need a lawyer or anything, if its signed, it should be a legitimate documate to present to court if its ever needed. Just to cover your back. Make sure to state that there are not injuries and stuff. Don't want this person coming back in a few days to sue you for a sore neck. Happened to my sister...she hit her at 4-5mph and the witch sued her. And of course my sister lost cuz she was 51% responsible since she was the one that rear ended her. So beware.

Two Cents

Was the deer cool about letting you handle it under the table?

Yup, hitting animals is a bummer. I drove 12 hours straight to Texas one time, and I was sleepy. A possum decided to walk in front of my rental, and I couldn't react. He looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I knew it SPLAT!

Twilight

1. If she wants cash, then there is no way in hell she plans on actually having her car fixed - she'll just run off with the cash and live with the cracked bumper.

2. She gave you an estimate of $307? Insurance companies require 3 estimates - I would make her come up with 3, just so you know she didn't get 10 and then hand you the most expensive one. You might call around and see if you could get an estimate - just to make sure she's not screwing you.

3. Same goes for the rental car bill. $200 is a hell of a lot of money for a rental car for a couple of days. Is she renting a convertible? I would call some rental places that are local to her and find out what it costs to rent a car for 2 days. BTW, any auto repair place that takes two days to fix a bumper is gonna "fix" some other part of your car so that you have to come back later.

oblongmelon

I WOULD def make sure that you get a notary to sign a document signed by both of you with the terms of agreement. Most likely once she gets the money from you she will turn it in on her own insurance and collect again. When they ask "did you file a police report" she may just say "no" and then they have no way to question it. She can always say someone hit her in a parking lot..Just make sure you get something in writing in the event she DOES turn it over to her insurance with a note about a police report..insurance companies go for blood when dealing with young people.

Tuvi

oh geez.. i can't handle this stuff with my limited knowledge on the subject. too bad the accident wasn't fatal. then i wouldn't have to deal with any of this crap. thanks for all your help though..

attgig

wow, in less than 24 hrs...you got a whole bunch of responses to help u tuvi! everybody loves tuvi

anyways....
I've done this before too...i backed into a guy, the bumper collapsed..
estimate he gave was like 550 or so..
we negotiated down to 500...

that 200 rental is REALLY expensive..
repairs for a replaced bumper should take 1 day, 2 MAX...
2 days....rental should be about 100 bucks - insurance included.
negotiate...u should be all good
don't worry 2 much about it

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Jihforce

Nah, the deer didn't/coun't really bargain with me.
He/she did however leave me with about $1300 worth of damage. Luckily, these incidents are considered "acts of nature" so it goes under you comprehensive, not your collision. So the deductible was like 200 bucks. Phew!

Jihforce

Hey Tuvi,
don't get worked about about it. It isn't as big of a deal as it looks. Be thankful that you didn't kill anyone. Having this being fatal, could/may get you jail time if you where at fault. So be thankful no one was hurt.
You can do this in one day. Just talk to the person and go to a notary. They are everywhere so it shouldn't be too hard to find.
The person's estimate may seem to be a bit high, however, since you are at fault, you might as well go with it. The rental actually isn't THAT bad. most car rentals go for $29 a day, plus about $10 for added insurance. so $40 a day for 4 days already $160 (that's not including tax) Sure the car may or may not take 4 days to fix but once you pay them, and you have the papers done, its not your problem anymore. They can do whatever they want. Chances are, the person is going to pocket it anyway.

Tuvi

actually i meant i wish it had been fatal on MY part.. not hers.. but anyway, i definitely appreciate all your advice. i dunno what i would have done if i didn't have you all to coach me. i got a quote for a car rental and i'm paying her for that and the damage tomorrow. i dont really care how much it costs at this point, i just want to get it over with.

Nanotech9

i just skimmed the posts, and i think someone already brought this up, but DO NOT give her CASH.

and when you give her the check / MO take a picture of here holding it where its visible, and or a friend take a picture of you both. And a tape recorder. record her conversation if its leagal to in Oklahoma if one party knows that there is a recording going on, then its legal. the 2nd party does NOT have to know)

and, um yeah, get a witness. Maybe a cop friend or something.

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