Question about car accident/insurance.

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lnguyen831

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Ok,

here's what happened,

some lady rear ended me, she ran off so i had to chase her down until she stopped, only to find out that there was not ANY damage to my bumper. the police came and just exchanged information between us, even though this bastard did a hit and run on me.

ok, so her insurance company called me (im assuming the lady that hit me already called them up) and they wanted to know what kind of damage is done to the car, there are only a few minor scratches....

i just wanna know... will this bastards car insurance still go up? even if there is no damage to my car? i dont want her getting away for free considering the fact that she drove off after she hit me, ... or will her insurance not go up if there is no damage..

this is my first accident so im kind of new to these things.

THANKS
 
never assume that there is no damage to a bumper. Take it to your dealer and have them take a look at it. Bumper damage is often difficult see and it can run in the hundreds of dollars range. I got hit a year ago and thought there was no damage only to find out there was neary $600 dollars worth of it.
 
[quote name='magforce x']never assume that there is no damage to a bumper. Take it to your dealer and have them take a look at it. Bumper damage is often difficult see and it can run in the hundreds of dollars range. I got hit a year ago and thought there was no damage only to find out there was neary $600 dollars worth of it.[/QUOTE]

QFT. And if there is no damage I don't see why her insurance would go up, but I"m no expert. . . but I did stay at Holiday Inn Express last night.
 
I agree with what the others have said. Take it in, have it looked at. If the insurance company calls back between now and then tell them you are having it looked at it.

Insurance companies are the absolutely most ruthless, slimy creatures on the Earth. If you say ANYTHING that will allow them to legally kick you in the groin they'll kick you twice and enjoy it. Be cordial to them on the phone so-as not to unnecessarily tick them off, but don't give them an inch and don't accept or concede anything. If they ask you a question you can't answer, tell them you're getting professional advice on the situation and can't comment at the moment.

When they call you on the phone, the ONLY thing on that guy's mind is how he's going to get his insurance company off the hook at your expense. The whole "tell me what happened" or "what damage was done" is just a mask. What they're really saying is "Keep talking until you say something that will legally allow us to drop this matter or drop the amount we owe you."

My car was hit by a drunk driver in College and it would be an all-night affair for me to relive all the crap his insurance company pulled and tried to pull on me.
 
[quote name='munch']QFT. And if there is no damage I don't see why her insurance would go up, but I"m no expert. . . but I did stay at Holiday Inn Express last night.[/quote]
Because she was in a hit and run accident.

Take the car into the dealer and have them look the whole thing over with a comb, at the very least they should find some scratches on your bumper that they can fix at an exhorbinant rate.
 
Bingo, let them take a look at whatever may have happened. You may have more damage than you first thought and, if that's so, you don't want the value of your car to go down (especially if you own it) and have a bit of additional trouble selling it/returning it at a later date.

As for insurance, it's already involved so I would imagine that, especially since the police showed up. At this point her insurance is probably going to raise her rates a bit, but it does depend upon her carrier and all.

Still, get it checked out and just be careful. I've dealt with some insurance types before and, especially if they aren't your guys, they have a wonderful way of trying to be complete slimeballs. It's not even funny. I don't know what reality these people live in but some of the stories that happened "just the other day" in "a similar accident" with physically impossible results doesn't really make me feel like they're being truthful. Yes, it must be true that a client of yours rammed into another car at 50 MPH and yet your client's car had no damage whatsoever and the airbags never went off! We must be in FANTASY LAND! :roll:
 
wow, these are great replies, i have to give credit to CAG members for being so polite etc...

anyways, about lets not get too mushy mushy... back to the subject

HER INSURANCE COMPANY is taking a look at it tomorrow, I noticed that some of you said even minor scratches on my car is a big deal.. is this really true? The thing is I have ALOT of scratches on my bumpers, and some random ass dents, but I do not know if the accident caused it. Would this be a good time to wash my car or should I just leave it dusty as is. I drive a 95 Acura Integra and it also looks like my bumper is a little loose? Maybe I can get her for this?

so... when I do get my estimate tomorrow, I'm supposed to be "strict"? Won't her insurance company think I'm a pansy that I'm complaining for these little scratches... or should I do it anyways? Do I even get money for little scratches... but then again there are also some random indentions..how do they confirm which scratches came from the accident etc?

any help will do again..

Thanks!
 
[quote name='lnguyen831']HER INSURANCE COMPANY is taking a look at it tomorrow, I noticed that some of you said even minor scratches on my car is a big deal.. is this really true? The thing is I have ALOT of scratches on my bumpers, and some random ass dents, but I do not know if the accident caused it. Would this be a good time to wash my car or should I just leave it dusty as is. I drive a 95 Acura Integra and it also looks like my bumper is a little loose? Maybe I can get her for this? [/quote]

First of all, take pictures of your bumper before they come, with dust and without dust if you decide to clean it up. Make sure that your camera, if it's digital, also has time stamps on it so the insurance company and any other person or agency knows exactly when the pictures were taken, the date, etc. You never know when documented evidence like photos may come in handy.

Also, the dust really depends. If it obscures a lot of the damage on the bumper you may want to clean it up so the blemishes show more. That's just my opinion. I may be wrong in this regard so it really is up to you. I would think that making some of the glaring blemishes stand out more may make a difference.

As for the bumper being loose and whether or not some of the damage is pre-existing or not, I'd say be as honest as you can. Also, if you have a copy of the police report or whatnot, try and find out how fast the other car was going when they hit you (or, at least, what they reported). If her airbag went off, she was probably going around 15 to 20 MPH at the very least and that should have caused some more significant damage, even if it's not necessarily noticeable. If she was going considerably slower, theoretically she should have done less damage but I would imagine it would depend upon what type of bumper her vehicle has, its position (standard car height, SUV height, etc.), and all of that. It all depends but a little extra research doesn't hurt. I'm sure the insurance company will keep that in mind as well.


[quote name='lnguyen831'] so... when I do get my estimate tomorrow, I'm supposed to be "strict"? Won't her insurance company think I'm a pansy that I'm complaining for these little scratches... or should I do it anyways? Do I even get money for little scratches... but then again there are also some random indentions..how do they confirm which scratches came from the accident etc?[/quote]

Whether or not you are supposed to be "strict" really shouldn't matter. Simply bring your car into the dealership or to a mechanic or body shop you know you can trust and go with the estimate they give you. If you want to be kind you can get multiple estimates and let her go for the cheapest one but that's more work for you for an accident she caused. In all honesty, go to a place you know you can trust that will do the best work possible and fly with their estimate. Also, your own estimate would be a fine comparison towards whatever their insurance company offers. I'm not sure what the insurance company would do afterwards, though, so simply get an estimate. It could be possible that, if you run out and fix your car immediately and the insurance company decides to give you next-to-nothing or nothing for the accident, you could be out your money. Just grab an estimate for comparison's sake and, if you can, ask the person at the place you're getting your own estimate from about the extent of the damage, what may have caused it, things like that. Be as informed as you can.

As far as confirming where the scratches and damage came from, that depends. I've been in situations where other people tried to claim pre-existing damage to their vehicle to me but the logistics of the accident itself stated otherwise. I would imagine that the insurance company would be looking at the front of her car to see if any of your bumper's paint (if it does have paint) is on her front or vice versa. That's usually one of the more simple ways to denote damage and whatnot.

In the end, just keep us aprised. I'm not even 80% sure about most of my suggestions but, hey, at least it gets you thinking about what to consider and how to best go about the issue. It usually never hurts to have as much information at your fingertips.
 
[quote name='Kapwanil']
As for the bumper being loose and whether or not some of the damage is pre-existing or not, I'd say be as honest as you can. Also, if you have a copy of the police report or whatnot, try and find out how fast the other car was going when they hit you (or, at least, what they reported). If her airbag went off, she was probably going around 15 to 20 MPH at the very least and that should have caused some more significant damage, even if it's not necessarily noticeable. If she was going considerably slower, theoretically she should have done less damage but I would imagine it would depend upon what type of bumper her vehicle has, its position (standard car height, SUV height, etc.), and all of that. It all depends but a little extra research doesn't hurt. I'm sure the insurance company will keep that in mind as well.
[/QUOTE]


I forgot to mention this, her car was a Jeep and mines is an Acura Integra as mentioned. Now, my car is lowered, that's why I had the thought that maybe her high front bumper skidded my rear bumper and sort of shoved my bumper down with force. It's kind of hard to explain it by words but it does seem legitimate that this may have happened.
 
my dad bumped my old car with his right before i got rid of it......well, like a year before i got rid of it.....it was during the winter.....well, no noticable damage to either car, but then in the spring the paint on my bumper started to crack a little bit and it looked like a knife slit under the paint where no one else could have been around to touch it......so, im thinking with the cold weather there was no damage.....but when the weather heated up the damage really showed.....and if the bumper is loose, its probably from the accident........

....anything you can get fixed, paid for by her, you should do it......dont admit to any prior damage, make sure they see any marks and make sure they know its loose....

,.....make sure to get all your own quotes....and all that fun stuff....
 
Nice, well my estimate will be at 3PM PST tomorrow. Any other suggestions/tips? I am definately going to claim that my bumper got loose and see what they have to say about it.
 
I would have it looked at. My sister got rear ended. Her and the person exchanged info their was no visual damage to her car. The other person bumper was dinged up. But my sister took it to my dads friend a mechanic. He said the whole car got knocked off frame. I found out that the means its not on the chassis right anymore, and in time could cause major damage.
 
[quote name='lnguyen831']Nice, well my estimate will be at 3PM PST tomorrow. Any other suggestions/tips? I am definately going to claim that my bumper got loose and see what they have to say about it.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't lie about it, since we will all be on here ranting about how someone we clipped with our car lied about awful damage we couldn't have been responsible for. Just state the facts and condition and let them make their own decisions. If you want to bring your bumper into it, just say that it is loose. They can make their own determination if it was caused by this woman or not.
 
If the cops didn't charge her with hit and run I don't think it will have any bearing on her at all. I had some ass do the same thing to me years ago, changed lanes into the rear side of my car (so they were behind me) But they took a quick right turn and were gone in a flash. Didn't have a plate number or anything. It was an old POS car so I just drove around with the dent :cry:
 
One point: You do not have to use their estimate. It is YOUR choice where to take YOUR car for repair, and they are obligated to pay for whatever it costs to have your car repaired.
 
[quote name='abrannan']One point: You do not have to use their estimate. It is YOUR choice where to take YOUR car for repair, and they are obligated to pay for whatever it costs to have your car repaired.[/QUOTE]

not really... if one place will do it cheaper the company will pay you the least amount. Thats what happened when I was hit.
 
If no claim is filed through her insurance, nothing will change with her premiums, the exception would be is if she got a ticket, then that might make it go up slightly...

Take your car to the dealer or what ever autoshop you use to have it checked out just to be safe and also if you have already talked to her insurance company and they have a recorded statement from you stating there was no damage, then you will be outta luck, they will end up making you take them to court and good luck with that, insurance companies have plenty of money and time...
 
[quote name='BasketCase1080']not really... if one place will do it cheaper the company will pay you the least amount. Thats what happened when I was hit.[/QUOTE]

This varies from state to state I think. Here, in Minnesota, you can take it to anyplace of your choice. Bumper damage can be strange. Many bumpers are like a honeycomb inside and damage may only be visible by removing the bumper for inspection.
 
you guys are getting confuised because it varies from state to state... So with that said Op what state are you in?

Secondly YEs wash the car and clean it out if its dirty. The cleaner the more responsible person they will think you are.

I work in insurance with both companies and claims personel.
 
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