Accident - now what?

[DevilMayKare 1]

I would imagine it really varies. If it was a 3-day weekend, raining or something else going on that would generate more accidents it will take longer, assuming none of those factors are present my experience would be 5-10 days. When my son's car was totalled we got the payoff offer at about the 8th day. We knew it was totalled before that because that was the mechanic's opinion.

Not sure how this works among companies, but with Mercury when there is a total it goes to a whole different department for them to determine the payoff amount. As I told you I was very happy with the amt Mercury paid us (they even paid the sales tax since my son had had the car less than a year). What I was NOT happy with was how LONG it took for them to send us a check. Based on my clients' experiences--barring any snafus--it takes about 3 weeks to get a check. For some reason it took TWO MONTHS for our check to come. I didn't call and ask about this sooner because I was trying my best not to be an impatient & demanding claiment.

Even tho it was the other party's fault in my son's accident I went thru my insurance because I'm not impressed with the company that the other person is with (won't name them). If he had been hit by someone who was with State Farm I probably would have gone thru them directly because of their good service reputation.

Hopefully you took your lienholder off the policy and off your registration when you paid them off. This sometimes complicates matters. If it's a total you will need to sign & mail the pink slip to the insurer. Be sure to send this certified mail. And keep a copy of everything you sign and send back as well as the date you sent it.

That is just strange that the guy would lie about the number of people injured. It's not like it wouldn't be a matter of record. Of course his company would find out the facts. I can't imagine why he would do that.

Hopefully he has plenty of BI/PD coverage.

[Wheetsin 714]

Thanks for the info, I passed it along to DH. I made a mistake, he's not with State Farm, he's with All State. So far I'm not impressed. We haven't heard a thing from them, nor have any of the other passengers. When I called them yesterday and found out the guy had reported my husband as the only occupant, they also told me, "Well <other driver> gave us your husband's name, but we didn't get a phone number or anything so we had no way of contacting you. It's a good thing you called us or we might never have gotten this stuff sorted out!"

Um - phone books are free, and all info is listed on the police report.

[Teresita 0]

I just saw the pictures of the vehicle, ahh I am so glad everyone is ok, that is so scarey.

[DevilMayKare 1]

Um - phone books are free, and all info is listed on the police report.

Yeah, but it would be very unusual for them to have the police report already. You can go down to the police station and get a copy faster than it is sent to the insurance company. Police reports vary from CITY TO CITY! In Irvine you can usually get it w/i a day, in Santa Ana it often isn't accessible for a week and SOME police departments are set up so they give you a copy right at the scene.

I know you want it resolved quickly WHeetsin, but you're going to have to give it some time. Try to remember ultimately the payout and settlement AMOUNTS are more important than how quickly you get them. And remember, all adjusters have dozens of claimants they are dealing with at the same time and everyone wants their situation resolved quickly. It's a horrible job. Most companies have trouble keeping adjusters because it's so stressful they end up leaving.

Are you going thru your own company or direct to Allstate?

[Alexandra 55]

Oh my god, Wheetsin, that is one alarming picture! I'm going out and getting a Volvo right now...(I wish...)

Seriously, that Volvo SUV is, hands down, my favorite car. My boss drives one and I've ridden in it a few times. If I had my druthers that would be the car I'd be in the rest of my life.

[Wheetsin 714]

I called b/c our adjuster suggested we do it if we hadn't heard back from them. I promise I was nice. They suggested I call because of a lot of stuff I really don't understand, but here's what I remember -- we carry med pay coverage @ 5k per person per accident but it's not subrogateable (sp) so they needed to know what the other guy's company had done about contacting the injured in our car because if they paid anything it would be subrogateable. Now -- that could be 100% wrong - I really know nothing about matters like this (and I work for a very large insurance company... how sad). :brick:

We're fine if a decision and/or checks take a while, we picked up our rental car yesterday so life got a lot easier. Our main impatience right now is that we still have personal possessions and papers in my car that we can't get to yet b/c they're in the trunk... things we'd REALLY like to have, like a few very large deposits for our business account, and my purse w/ driver's license & everything in it. I actually had to go get a new license yesterday before I could pick up my rental. The car has no power, and there's no manual trunk lock. Normally you can get to the trunk from the inside, by pulling the back seats forward, but there's a way to lock this function and - you guessed it - not only did we have it locked, but the override is in the trunk, which we can't open. :nono: The collision center won't hook power up to the car before adjusters look at it b/c that could actually cause add'l damage, so we're SOL until someone gets out there. We were trying to figure out when someone will look at it, so we can then follow-up and retrieve our belongings.

You know, I don't even know which company we're going through. Is that our choice? Is it declared in our policy? DH and I have become very alarmed by how little we know about what's happening, and have decided that we're going to have to enroll in some kind of insurance 101 class.

Alexandra - I've loved that SUV since I first saw it. My FIL had one of the first ones available, before they were really available (he owns a company that makes lasers, and Volvo is one of their long-term customers -- they make the lasers that Volvo uses to weld their cars together... FIL gets certain "perks" as part of the business arrangement... like a new car every year) and told us it was a must have... but I never even drove one until the other day. DH couldn't get me into one, because I knew that if I drove it, I'd just want it more, and I was REALLY enjoying no car payment... so he'd beg me to "just try it and see if you like it" and I'd say, "No, I'm not driving it because I KNOW I like it, that's the problem!"

[Cheri 0]

I'm so glad everyone is okay! My last accident was settled in hardly any time - the adjuster was willing to meet me wherever/whenever! The worst part was the police report, I had to fill out three copies (one for me, one for the car that hit me, and one for the car that hit the car that hit me), then get it to them within like a week or so! (I am assuming they don't have the funds for a COPIER!?!?!) Alabama is a no-fault state, so no one gets charged...but, if it was evident who caused the accident, the insurance companies go after that person! Kind of a pain, but whatever! Sounds like Missouri is a little closer to the twenty-first century, so you should be good to go in no time!!!

Love on the hubby...men have a tendency to need babied when they have boo-boos, and it sounds as if yours has some substantial boo-booing!!!!!

~cheri

[Alexandra 55]

So Wheetsin, what color are you getting? :biggrin1: I love the deep red. :madgrin:

[CCBSTX 0]

So glad no person was seriously injured! I hate car accidents! It's amazing how 30 mph can do so much damage....Amazing.

If the other guy is ticketed, and at-fault, I'd imagine his insurance co./he would be liable.

In a few days, things will settle and you'll know more. A pain in the butt these accidents are, but fortunate as it could be worse...

Good luck, Shawn

[Marimaru 7]

Wow, I don't know how I missed this thread initially! I'm glad everyone is okay, other than being banged up/scraped up.

I was hit in a similar situation; going straight, the other guy turning left. Mine wasn't nearly so bad as yours, but the guy took off! Fortunately someone got his plate number, but nothing ever came of it. It took me over a week to get my police report. I went to the station on the day it was supposed to be ready, and it wasn't ready. I called every day after that, and the girl I'd been talking to had to hunt down the cop and make him turn it in. Then I faxed it to my insurance company, who saw clearly that it wasn't my fault, and even waived my deductable. My car was 4 days old, I didn't have plates, and the cop had to write my whole VIN number on his report. I can tell you that it is VERY annerving to drive by your own skid marks on the road.

My sister and her husband were rear ended a couple of months ago, and while I don't know how difficult it was for them to get a hold of the insurance company, I do know that the insurance company would only write a check for the total amount of the settlement, so they had to front their hospital bills, etc. Plus they had to sign a release that they couldn't ask for anything in the future, which is an iffy proposition to me in the case of neck/back issues showing up down the line... that was in CO though.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I hope that everything works out to the best for you with your car.

[DevilMayKare 1]

I do know that the insurance company would only write a check for the total amount of the settlement, so they had to front their hospital bills, etc. Plus they had to sign a release that they couldn't ask for anything in the future, which is an iffy proposition to me in the case of neck/back issues showing up down the line... that was in CO though.

Medpay is handled differently in different states and there are different ways to have this coverage on a policy.

For instance, Mercury offers Medical coverage from $1,000 - $5,000 with OR WITHOUT reimbursement. I've always found this very confusing. The reimbursement is to the company, not to you.

So let's say you have $5,000 W/Reimbursement. That means you and your passengers are covered from the first dollar up to $5,000 for your medical expenses immediately--but when expenses are later paid either by the other insurer or by your health insurance you must reimburse what your company paid out. If you have $5,000 WITHOUT Reimbursement and another company ends up covering those expenses you still get to keep whatever was paid out (up to the coverage limit).

At least in CA. (Confusing, isn't it?)

Insurance companies have to go thru state approval for every coverage and to change any policy coverage and it's a giant hassle. Mercury only writes up to $5,000 med. I think Allstate writes up to $10,000 and State Farm $25,000. State Farm is usually licensed to write more than almost any other company because they are SO big (usually more expensive too). Your auto insurance is not meant to take the place of health insurance (historically built to cover Health Ins deductible)--but if you do not have good health coverage you should have your medpay as high as possible. Even tho I have Kaiser and have no deductible I have my medpay at $5,000 because... well, rightly so, I am paranoid about such things.

I also have a low deductible because between my age and good (used to be, anyway) record it doesn't cost much to have $250 collision deductible--however on my 18-yr-old son's car I have $1,000. Even Reader's Digest had an article about raising your deductible to save $. That really does not make sense (IMO!) unless you have a bad record or drive a $70,000 Porsche or some other expensive to insure car.

About Insurance 101, Wheetsin... if only it existed for claims! The claims process varies so much from state to state and company to company it would be hard to know as much as you know now. Agents in CA have to take a course and test to become so and 40 hours of Insurance Continuing Education credits bi-annually, but I couldn't even FIND a course on claims. I've considered developing a workshop for Mercury agents specifically on the claims process because of being involved in 5 accidents the last years (3 of my own--2 of my sons' [who both totalled cars]) I'm about as educated in this process as one can get without actually being an adjuster.

Hope I don't sound like too much of a know-it-all. I just know there are a lot of misconceptions about insurance and I'd really like people to be covered the way they should be. My father was an Insurance agent and I spent most of my life AVOIDING becoming one. In fact, I was a graphic designer for 12 years until I got dragged into the family business. I was horrified to discover what a natural I was at it! But part of that comes from doing other vocations for years and years and not thinking like someone in the business, so it wasn't that long ago alot of this was confusing to me. And then there's having teenagers, which can educate one about insurance really fast!!

[3loves 0]

At least you don't have to fight over fault....sometimes people don't take responsibility and the process gets even more complicated!! Unfortunately, the best training you can get for Insurance 101 is experience. I found this to true in my experience. :phanvan Poor DevilMayKare, you have both. :cry One thing to be thankful for is job security....everyone needs insurance no matter how bad the economy gets. Since I have 2 boys, do you think we should have extra coverage when they are able to drive? The thought is too scary at this point.

How's your DH's hand? Any better? That pic looks so painful. :cry

Take care!!

[Wheetsin 714]

So Wheetsin, what color are you getting? :biggrin1: I love the deep red. :madgrin:

The one we're looking at is white with tan interior. My first choice would probably be the willow green, but white is probably #2 and it's completely loaded.

The All State adjuster called DH about an hour ago. They're sending someone out early next week to look at the car, but based on a call she had with the collision center she thinks they're going to total it. Apparently if the damage is 70% or more of the "fair market value" they total it, and pay out fair market value, which they defined as, "What it would cost you to buy the same car off of a retail lot."

She asked DH a lot of questions about his injuries. He just went to the doc today and she gave him some pretty strong muscle relaxeres because she's afraid he will develop "triger points" in his back. The adjuster said she would talk to him again next week b/c she wouldn't want to decide on anything, only to have more problems come up a week later that he'd no longer be eligible to receive compensation for.

[3loves 0]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe you can settle on property damage without taking a total settlement on medical. Something to think about and research. I say this b/c something could develop in a month or so. His body is probably still tense and he may be missing some symptoms with some other body parts.....OK that sounds weird, but do you understand where I'm coming from. Protect yourselves!!

[DevilMayKare 1]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe you can settle on property damage without taking a total settlement on medical.

True. They are usually separate. It's not unusual for a BI settlement to take months.