Auto Accident damage question

Maybe, say if you had your foot on the brakes and it busted your brakelight while it was lit. Even better if it also busted your backup light. Other than that, difficult to tell unless the impact left skid marks. Wouldn't hurt to ask your insurance company for advice.

They can't tell and if you don't have a witness they will declare it a

50/50. Same thing happened to me. The guy was all apologetic and then he tells the insurance co. I backed into him. I ended-up only getting 50% of the damage covered. Some people just suck. I hope they pay for it in the next life.

You have to be going fairly fast to cause serious damage by backing into someone. Was there adequate space for you to "get up to speed" and cause that kind of damage? I kind of doubt that's possible if you were sitting at a light. Auto adjusters are pretty smart about accidents, they see plenty of them. I wouldn't worry too much that his story will stick. But, as the poster above suggested, talk to your company. The regulations vary quite a bit by state and you want to make the right moves for your state.

| | |The other day I was rear-ended in a car accident. I was at a light, and I |was rammed while I was stopped. The rear chrome bumper on my 1993 Astro van |was dented in. I reported it to my insurance co and filed an accident report |at the accident reporting center. Anyway, today I get a call from my insurance |and they tell me that the other guy says that I backed into him, which is |a lie. Will the appraiser be able to look at my damage and tell that my vehicle |was stationary? Can they tell by the damage?

If he doesn't back off, ask your insurance company if you can set the claim aside and file suit personally in small claims court. A decent judge can tell who's lying. Chances are the other guy won't even show, or will back off the bogus story.

Apparently you had no passengers for witnesses? Rex in Fort Worth

I have found the same thing. They all make with "Geez, sorry, it was my fault....." but then, when they get home, talk to their hubby or brother or solicitor, they change their tune and disclaim all resposibility. You gotta get as many details and if possible witnesses no matter how sorry the person seems at the time. Yeah, they suck....

Henry

I must say that I habe been very lucky. Somebody hit me two weeks ago in the back. After 1 minute, we agreed that there was only material damage. There were no injuries. He admitted that he was at fault. He promised that he would call me to discuss the details. I gave him my number. We shook hands, and he went to his work and I did the same. Once arrived at his work, he called me as agreed upon. Two days ago, he came and paid for all repair costs (850$ exactly). There still are decent people! It turned out that he is a very nice person, and I am really sad that it happened to him. By the way, he is in the automotive trade, and I would not hesitate to go to him for my next car, or to recommand his business to my friends and relatives. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a trustworthy person.

Yes, I have been involved in situations like that. In one case, I hit the other car in the rear. We exchanged details. The damage was minor. I paid up. In another case, a car ran into me, again causing only minor damage. I told the driver, a very upset looking fellow, to forget it, and I patched up the damage myself.

Henry

I don't know about the law in other area but here in Ontario. If you rear end someone's car, you are guilty until proven innocent. So if you stop at the red light too close to the vehicle in front of you, whether he roles back or you move forward because someone push your car from behind. You're guilty! So simply put this way, if your front bumper hit other car, you are guilty. Check with your local authority.

No. But if there was a cop at the scene of the accident, they can tell by the skid marks.

--------- Alex