Posts Tagged ‘Auto Accident’
If you are involved in an auto accident the initial matter of concern would be to get speedy help for everyone who had been seriously injured. The next order of business is to get hold of your insurance agent.
So let’s say you make contact with your agent to inform him you’ve been involved in a car accident, and he appears extremely helpful. He even advocates a body repair shop you could take your car to, and may refer to it as being a “preferred” repair shop.
You may think “Well, that is definitely a good thing.” You don’t have to endure the trouble of selecting a repair shop, nor must you do any “groundwork” looking for body shops to find one that’s reputable and that you can rely on to do good work. After all, you simply want to get your vehicle fixed, right? But let’s imagine you currently know of a quality body shop that performs body repair and would wish to take your vehicle there.
So you tell your agent “I would rather take my car to a different body shop that I’m already familiar with”. But he reacts with something such as “We won’t guarantee the repair when you go there” or “You’ll need to spend extra if you go to the shop of your liking” or some other statement designed to discourage you from going to your shop and motivate (or possibly try to coerce) you to go to the insurance company’s “preferred” shop.
So what to make of all this? Why is he so eager to dissuade you from visiting the body shop of your liking?
To solve this particular question, you need to realize what the final aim of an insurance company is: and that is NOT to “share risk” or “furnish ideal service” … but to make money, and as high a profit as they can! And that can be achieved by lessening how much they have to spend in insurance claims.
So the “preferred” repair shop your representative is directing you to is certainly “preferred” … by the insurance carrier since it will save them money, but it may not work to your best interest. And why is that? Because the shop has signed a contract to pre-negotiate your auto repairs by giving the insurer discounts by using “aftermarket” auto parts. But sadly, some of these parts are substandard in quality and may even result in a dangerous repair job! This might even mean that your car will be unsafe to drive after the fixes are concluded.
But you’ll find additional, and more ominous factors why the fixes may possibly not be carried out in a very safe manner. There’s a method termed “Clipping”, which means cutting off an entire half of your car (either the front or rear half) and affixing the other (undamaged) half of a vehicle that has been wrecked.
This procedure actually involves cutting through the auto’s unibody or frame, and it affects its structural stability. Do you consider that this sounds dangerous? Well it is. But sadly, it isn’t illegal! It’s done on a regular basis.
Obviously the very best remedy is to avoid a car accident altogether, but if you are involved in an auto accident – BEWARE! If your insurance agent tries to steer you towards a suggested auto body repair shop, find out if the body shop makes use of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts, or lesser quality “aftermarket” parts. And if you even suspect the shop will be using “clipping” … then RUN the other way!
What would be the best way of conducting a transaction without getting the auto insurance involved for an accident?
Person hit me and neither of us want to report it to our auto insurance. They don’t trust that I won’t report it to the insurance after I get paid from him.
What should I do?
If you feel he is at fault I would just report it to your insurance. You hear too many stories of people getting screwed over because they tried to be nice to the person that smashed their car. If this guy strings you along for a month or two you will find it difficult to do anything legally at that point.
My auto insurance company told me that if I’m in an accident and I don’t have enough auto insurance I can be sued and possibly lose my home. I never heard of anyone losing their home because of an auto accident. If I have a good driving record, how much insurance do I really need and can I really lose my home if I don’t have enough? and how do you collect from someone who doesn’t have any insurance? It seems stupid to carry uninsured insurance if I can sue someone for damages.
Yes, you can sue someone. However, unlike you, they might not have any assets. You may not be able to collect from them if they do not have assets.
You should have the total of all your assets (including the house) or $100,000, whichever is less, in property damage liability coverage.
If the total of all your assets (including the house) is more than $300,000, then you should have $300,000 in bodily injury liability insurance AND have umbrella insurance with limits equal to the total of all your assets (including the house).
If the total of all your assets (including the house) is $300,000 or less, then you should have bodily injury liablity insurance coverage equal to the total of all your assets (including the house).
I was in an auto accident and I have medical insurance. My medical insurance covered my medical expenses; however, I wanted to know if the auto insurance is still liable for those expenses? It seems as if my having medical insurance should benefit me and not the liable party’s auto insurance company. If I did not have medical insurance the auto insurance company would still have to pay for those expenses. So shouldn’t they still have to pay for those expenses and I get what ever is left that my medical insurance company did not pay? Are there any laws statures that back this up in Georgia? I am trying to settle this claim without getting an attorney and I need all the help I can get. Any advice would be helpful. I am in the process of writing a demand letter. Thanks for all the help.
Your medical insurance provider will collect from the insurance company of the driver who caused your injuries. This process is called subrogation. It is standard practice throughout the US.
You are not entitled to dual benefit from your injuries. Go ahead and consult an attorney — he or she will almost certainly tell you the same thing.
If you have a pain and suffering claim, that would be paid by the insurance company of the at-fault driver, assuming that there is any room left on his liability coverage. If he had minimum liability that’s probably been exhausted already. An attorney can help with that part of your claim if need be.
Auto insurance pedestrian accident shows how quickly things can go wrong – another reason why we need to ensure that our insurance is up to date at all times!