contd w.r.t my car accident

Read your insurance policy. If you can't figure it out, meet with your agent (not the claims adjuster) and go over it with him.

Alright. Seeing as you're so damned clueless, I'll suggest this.

Hire a lawyer. Take him with you whenever you talk to your claims manager. Do it all in person, not over the phone.

You won't have a single problem. Best bodyshop, repaint whole car to colourmatch, etc etc.

Cost ya a fair bit though...

Just stop being so bloody paranoid. Let them do it first time. and *THEN* if it's not satisfactory, start yellin.

-mark

Very constructive advice...NOT. Jus so you know that I have been lucky not have to associate or had to deal with liers - I came from a foreign country, went to grad school two time, i.e lived in a sheltered lif of soem sort - and hence am having a hard time with the COMPLETE lies told by the other driver and their insurance company who is ignoring the ticket the other driver received.

You really should consider some of what the other guy posted...it wasn't particularly gracious, but the gist of it is dead on.

Talk to your insurance agent!

That's what you've been paying `em the big bucks for!

*Anything* that anyone tells you in here, is subject to being completely bogus...it's usenet, remember? Same in Cali, as it was in Houston. ;-)

They don't have the report in hand, yet!

No one's going to say much, till the paper with the story, is out.

Get used to it. You can socialize with decent folk that don't lie, but when you have an incident such as this, all bets are off. That's the price you pay for living in a socially diverse city.

Keeping your ears open and mouth shut is often the best advice in a situation like this. Also, if it happens again, do not consent to a recorded verbal statement to the insurance company. My lawyer advised against it years ago. People tend to talk too much, whereas a written statement is more sparse and less self-incriminating.

Things will work out. If I understand everything correctly, a $500 deductable is about the worst things can get.

Just give it time - these things work out eventually. I've been around a long time but am still learning. Took State Farm 8 days 2 years ago when my car was totaled to make that assessment. Your insurance agent may help but it is like buying a car - now you are not dealing with the salesman but with the shop when there are mechanical problems. Same with insurance company. Insurance company objective is to take your money and pay out as little as possible. So expect to argue with them. May take a couple of weeks for other company to evaluate police report and pay you. If you go under no fault, your deductible can take up to to years to get back here. If lot of money involved, lawyer can help. Do not sign settlement papers until fully satisfied. Frank

statement to the insurance company

I thought that by law, I am required to give a statement to the other insurance and let them record it. I didn't tell him anything differently from what I told the officer anyway.

deductable is about the worst things can get.

Thanks. My neighbor's scaring me with her brother story that by the time the report came out, it was his fault.

Exactly how I felt and wasn't even bothered initially when my agent didn't tell me my option to get multiple quotes, etc. as I had a final exam that Friday even. I didn't get to study/review all the materaila - I was busy with other exams prior to that - and was at risk to end up with a grade of 'B" in that calss which was greatly disturbed me.

I will not let this disrupt my schedule except I must postpone buying a new car before the summer classes starts.

You are required to give a statement.

I'd be very surprised if you were required to give a verbal recorded statement.

Anyway, it's probably not a problem.

Thanks. I am DEFINITELY learning. I have caused 2 accidents - minor ones - in 1994 and in 1999. I told the truth and nothing so complicated like now.

Hmm..do you mean that my deductible will be raised because of this accident, even if it's not my fault? Just what I need (being sarcastic).

I am going to move as planned and get settled in. The report should be out by then. I will deal with this as necessary.

Thanks.

The guy - he kind of became my friend as I relied on him to install blinds in current place, electrical works, etc. - whom I gave the contract to install blinds in the new house (family owned property) offered help, telling me not to sign the paper and that he will take a look at the car.

An accident can raise your premiums even though you are not at fault. As for your deductible, under no fault, will be up to your insurance company to get it back for you and that could take a long time. You are better off to get settled with offending party's insurance company.

When someone totaled my Forester 2 years ago, I had an existing medical problem, arthritic neck/pinched nerve, and I took time to make sure it was not aggravated. One of my lawyer sons took charge and got back my deductible fast and to finally settle up a few months later, I requested and got extra cash.

If nobody got hurt and responsible party's insurance company covers, you should not have these problems.

Also had a minor encounter with my garage a couple of months ago and went to body shop I've dealt with in past who is also approved by State Farm. I actually convinced body shop that my bumper did not need to be replaced since it was only scuffed. Otherwise if repair went above $750, they would have raised my rates. Another interesting thing was that I did not get a car rental which was on my policy and got $30 ($10/day) for time in shop.

Frank

I have realized that espeiclaly the other side's insurance is a small company compared to mine: Unigard.

A friend of mine (ina nother city) whom I left a message last night told me today that when his daughter was involved in the accident and the other side was making them run around instead of approving the estimate, they went to a lawyer, paid $125 and got a letter in writing about the cost of seeing a doctor (neck pain, etc.) + car rental+ one more thing (which I couldn't hear him well) aside from the estimate given.

Just before he called me, I ran into a neighbor in the parking lot who suggested me to go to the doctor - he gave me tips what to say which coincidentally is what I am feeling now though probably because of stress - saying that if they want to play hard, you play hard. He's a military guy.

I left a message to my oldest sister (a physician specilizing in injury) yesterday about the other side's not taking the responsibility for repair cost waiting for the police report, ignoring the ticket the other driver received and my insurance not fotting the bill for the decutible in the mean time. I am at my sister's place right now; just asked her to write me prescription for my upperback stiffness and migraine headaches. She said she would.

Tomorrow, I am going to contact my sister's very close lawyer friend - he specializes in occupational injury - and ask him to write me a letter to send to the inusrance company. I'll make an appointment first, I guess.

Witht he way the other side is lying through their teeth, it's bad enough that I am losing time now. With summer classes, I am not taking a chance to have a runaround and so I'll go ahead and get the lawyer's letter.

When I was young, my mother, used to call me Indira Gandhi to indicate that I talked like a lawyer because unlike my older siblings, I would talk back to her but reasonably pointing out things ..

These people (the liers and theeir insurance) are going to get that side of me now.

Was it scuffed during an accident? Whose fault caused it?

Good to know that. I wanted my bumper replaced while the autobody place wanted to just fix it. All these time, I thought that my insurance rate would not change since I wasn't the one at fault in this accident. I am learning a LOT now.

I am taking the car rental. My policy covers 25$ per day for 30 days. After that if I get rental, I will just ask for reimbursement, I guess.

I am just going to rest (as instructed by teh doctor) and catch up with up things I need to do at home including packing, calling electric service, cable, Internet, phone service to be installed in the new place, accompany my bf to a wedding on Saturday, move this Sunday, and should be all ready next week (after Memorial day) to get myself in offensive position which the liers were just asking for.

I don't know what happened to my reply.

I gave a statement that'snot different from what I told my insurance and patrol officer. When, I was asked (by the tohjer insurance) whether I was injured, I said, "No, not that I am aware of". When he tried to bind me by saying after I described the damage I saw on my car, "Is that all the damage there was?", I replied, That's all I could visually see. Whether the impact has affected the frame or not had to be determined by the autobody shop." I could tell that the guy didn't want me to talk much after that. I had to tell him that he didn't let me finish describing what happened.

More info snipped....

If you're going to see a doctor and a lawyer -

!!!STOP POSTING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT IT!!!

The insurance company's lawyer can read newsgroup posts too and you can *only* damage your case by posting here. Please, please, please just do what you have to do and don't make it worse by sharing your intentions with everyone.

damage your case by

make it worse by

Thanks.

Frankly, I am seeing the doctor not because people suggested me to do so since I have not time for such thing + it's more work but because I realized what a toll my body took dealing with the crap the other side is giving me. In fact, yesterday, I couldn't make it to the autoshop as they wanted to go over the detail of work and estimate with me, probably to persuade me to repiar at their place. I was going to go this morning but, I couldn't get out of bed and so I just called them around 1o:30AM and told them that "I am feeling sick" and that I would try to make it there today or tomorrow. I swear on my father's grave that I wasn't lying when I said that to her. Also,

I knew that day (the day of the accident) that I wouldn't really know how the impact may have affected me until later but my mind was on the exam ....and then after the exam, to move and get ready for the summer semester - the school do not offer the same classes every semester and I must catch the calsses or wait a year later - and so I was trying to take care of getting the car repaired so that I will have the car back ASAP. Now, I realized that I don't need to kill myself nor stop taking care of other parts if my daily lives completely.

What do you think (NOT being sarcastic)?

You've had THREE not-at-fault accidents, in six years.

I, for example, have had NONE, at-fault or NOT- at-fault, in over 25 years.

All other factors being equal, would it be fair for you to pay the same rate, as me, for collision?

Some people are just "accident magnets", and attract not-at-fault incidents. They either pay higher rates, or get dropped...tis the trend in the industry, for last 5-7 years.

Amanda, it doesn't matter. If your case gets ugly, and a lawyer gets ahold of this NG, you can have a lot of trouble explaining what you've written. Especially the doctor/lawyer stuff.

It might be cathartic for you to write all this stuff, but do it in a word processor, and save it on a floppy and stach the floppy where nobody finds it until this is settled.

Or as a very wise man once told me...never miss a good chance to shut up. :-)

-John O

The original thread stated the car was drivable.

Was that the sound of bait hitting the water?