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Thread: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

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    Featured Member xbloodydewdropx's Avatar
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    Default Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    I'm not sure if this belongs here or in dollar den, but most likely here....but feel free to move it if need be.

    Soo...yesterday morning on my way to work, I was driving on the freeway. Someone in front of me stopped all of a sudden (the traffic pace was about 40 mph, but there was traffic ahead that was slowed or stopped). I'm not sure what was up with the car in front of me, if he/she didn't see the traffic, as this was right before entering a tunnel, or wasn't paying attention, etc. Anyways, I saw him stop quickly, and I slammed on my breaks. Didn't hit the guy, and he continued on..

    however,

    Then I felt a crash behind me, and low and behold, I got rear-ended
    We were in the left lane, so I pulled over into the shoulder, and so did the guy who hit me. No one was hurt, so I called the police on my cell, said we didn't need an ambulance or anything...and the policeman came within like two minutes. He had us move to a safer spot on the right shoulder underneath the tunnel (and stopped three lanes of traffic to allow us to do so).

    The back of my car, the bumper area and my trunk are dented in and crunched a bit. trunk doesn't open, and the left back lights are dislodged. the other guy's car had its hood crushed up. police guy ran our info, and then issued the other guy a citation for not allowing enough following distance, and he even said that his insurance would take care of my car. mine was drivable, so i went to work (just making it in time to teach my class). they had to wait for a towtruck, as theirs was not drivable.

    i called up their insurance company, and they told me they were admitting liability, and that i could bring my car anywhere i wanted for repairs, but they had places on a list where they would direct-pay to the shop, and it would be quicker. they gave me a list of options in my area, and one is about 2 miles from my house. it also has a good reputation for body work, which mine needs, as my trunk is dislodged. they're also going to cover a car rental for when mine's in the shop. so far so good, i'm thinking, as i have about 40 bucks to my name right now. i get paid on friday, but most of that will finish paying for rent and other expenses that i HAVE to take care of.

    i'm bringing the car into the body shop tomorrow to be inspected. if it's really drivable (i'm not sure if the back lights work), then they said i'd wait a week till they can take the car in. if it's not drivable, then i'll get the rental right away (luckily, the rental place is also in my town, so they'd bring the car to me, or bring it to the auto body shop when i drop mine off).

    i went to see a friend of mine today, and she told me that my car might be declared "totaled" because she thinks the frame is damaged. my car is a '99, only 72K miles, and in good condition. thing is, i still owe about 4500 on it (i don't think i have gap insurance on my own policy since i purchased it used). another friend says they just need to replace the trunk and bumper....but i looked underneath and the gas tank looks dented.

    so, car and accident gurus...is there anything i should be aware of so i don't get screwed in any way? so far, the other party's insurance company has been really nice and helpful. it's state farm. i've read some mixed consumer reviews online. the work from this body shop is guarenteed for a year, so i have that as a comfort.

    however, i'm worried i might have to put down a deposit for the rental car (they said they'd directly bill the insurance company, but someone online, in one review, said something about a deposit). the company is enterprise. i have two small credit cards...less than 1 grand limit on both combined, and they are nearly maxed out. i can't use my paycheck to cover a deposit, since i need it to pay my bills. i suppose i should call the rental company and ask, but i'm nervous.

    i guess it will all come down to what they autobody guy says tomorrow...i think he can assess the damage (at least roughly) when i bring the car to him. i have to drive it to work tomorrow, and have an appointment for the afternoon.

    i've never had to deal with stuff like this before, hence my questions. the officer noted on the accident report that my injuries were "sore neck and shoulder," but i guess that's just to protect me if something should develop. i feel fine, actually, and mentioned this to the officer and the insurance company.

    all i want is for my car to be returned to me in the condition it was before the accident: a nicely running used car with no body damage, and for all costs of the rental car to be covered. i don't want them to declare the thing totaled, if indeed there is damage to the frame, and then give me an amount lower than what i owe. i did check the kelly blue book, and it estimates about 4200 worth for a car in good condition for a private sale...so i'm not sure how the insurance company would figure the car's value. i SOOO do not want this to happen, as then i'd have to get a new car (not "new" but another low-milage used one), come up with a down-payment (which i can't afford right now...i make about 2 grand a month, and it covers my bills, but i don't have lots of extra money), and finance the bugger....my credit isn't great (i've paid off my previous car on time, and all my bills have been current for a couple of years, but i had charge-offs from 2002, and a couple of things i'm disputing). i've only had this car for about a year, and i love it. it runs great, but now i'm not sure, as who knows if there's any internal damage. i'm also worried about depreciated value, as now my car's been in an accident.

    do i need to contact my insurance company? someone said i should...and i will...and am hoping my rates won't be raised. i have geico BTW. i do have collision coverage, as the title belongs to the leinholder. however, since the other guy was declared at fault, i won't be going through them for money or whatnot. plus i have a 500 deductable with them.

    sorry for the long ramble....as i said before, i just want things to go smoothly, and not end up getting into a mess. the other people were so nice. the guy who hit me was a minister driving his wife to work. they were later-middle aged and very polite. they said they were happy i was ok, etc. i feel bad for them, as their car looked like shit. the minister even said, "i hope my car won't be totaled." they had to call a towtruck. i hope the ramifications aren't too bad for them....they were nice people.

    anyways, the only weird thing was that when i called their insurance company, the man and his wife had already called. they had described my damage as scratches to the bumper...and when i told the insurance guy the extent of my damage he said, "hmm..yeah, i'm going to have to change this information." maybe they didn't see how my trunk was dislodged and dented in? who knows...it was very surreal.

    i guess, in summary, is there anything i should be worried about? thanks in advance for any advice, and also thanks to anyone who read through this whole mess

    ~BDD
    "Seeing the landscape at this superficial level only captures its boring uniformity, not allowing you to immerse yourself in the spirit of the place; for that you must stop at least several days."

    ~Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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    God/dess Casual Observer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    The exact same type of wreck happened to me on 10 May 06 and my concerns were virtually the same as your own.

    Wait for the assessment and the insurance company's decision as to whether or not they'll fix it or total it. No point in trying to second guess them here, and it can sometimes take a while--especially if they have to do revisions to your estimate as they start fixing your car. If they've officially accepted liability, get a rental car and get the insurance.

    If you call your insurance company, you may have a base level insurance for medical costs (usually up to $1K, though I don't know what it is in your area) but this actually works against you in terms of your insurance costs, since you're officially filing a claim.

    It's a long and painful process--I'm still waiting for full reimbursement and I needed to retain a lawyer, as the accident was pretty severe and involved multiple parties--so stay on top of it and don't say too much about your health, your job or your current financial situation to the other party's insurance company. PM me if you like.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

    William F. Buckley, Jr.

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Here's what I can tell you from my experiences:

    It takes a lot for a car to be considered 'totaled'. I had a guy hit me head on, but I tried to swerve out of the way, so basically, the 'outer shell' of my car's driver side was peeled like a sardine can, from front to the back. Again - only the outer shell....fiberglass or whatever the hell it is. It was almost 10K worth of damage. I thought they'd total my car, since it was (at that time) about 3 years old, but with 75K miles on it. It's a plain-jane saturn so it doesn't retain much value. But no, they paid for it and had it fixed since it didn't have any frame damage.

    That being said, though, I wish they had totalled it b/c it was never the same. One thing I can tell you about getting the repairs done .... you want the accident to be the least amount of noticeable EVER! For example, make sure the trunk is perfectly aligned when they're done, make sure the paint covers all the areas it's supposed to. (ex: they replaced my marroon door with a red door and painted it. They didn't paint the very inside and bottom inside. Sure no one would see, but I could see it, so I demanded that they re-do it). Things like that. Don't be afraid to stand your ground and demand perfection!

    As far as a rental: Enterprise does require and refundable deposit. Not even technically a deposit, they just 'authorize' your credit card - NOT charge it. (the funds need to be there) BUT, I was in your shoes when accident happened. CC's almost maxed, no cash, etc. I calmly explained my situation, and they allowed me to do only a $50 'cc authorization'. They were very nice about it. And in fact, when I went to take the rental back, they did drive me to the repair place too. They were easy to deal with and very nice.

    Good luck!






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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Oh, and the guy's insurance company tried to fight it (even though he was highly intoxicated and arrested after trying to flee while driving with 2 blown front tires and extensive damage to his van)....anyways, my insurance company paid for everything up front, and once they got reimbursement from his insurance company, they sent me my $500 deductible back. It only took about a month for his insurance company's check to come.

    But if they already took the liability for it, you shouldn't have to pay anything.






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  5. #5
    madmaxine
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    How interesting, a minister hit my car months ago but we settled the matter without contacting insurance companies. Even the clergy wants to give strippers a bump of some sort! Ok I'll quit with the jokes....

    In my extensive car accident experience the good news here is that you got rear-ended, if there's anywhere to get hit, the back of the car is the "best" place. The minister under-stated the damage on your car to leave the responsibility of a final assesment to the insurance adjuster.
    My aunt's car got rear-ended (commuter vehicle, '97 Geo Metro) and it fixed up fine, she drove it for years after that. So if her Geo could take getting slammed into while waiting at a red light, I bet your car is fine.

    As for rentals from Enterprise, in 2001 I had one of their rentals for 1 week & charged the "credit card deposit" to my bank card...things might have changed since then. There are also smaller independent car rental services ...you could look into that.

    Good luck & let us know how it turns out....

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    Featured Member xbloodydewdropx's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Quote Originally Posted by Hello_Kitty27
    Oh, and the guy's insurance company tried to fight it (even though he was highly intoxicated and arrested after trying to flee while driving with 2 blown front tires and extensive damage to his van)....anyways, my insurance company paid for everything up front, and once they got reimbursement from his insurance company, they sent me my $500 deductible back. It only took about a month for his insurance company's check to come.

    But if they already took the liability for it, you shouldn't have to pay anything.
    thanks hellokitty.....this is reassuring....as is the info that it would take a lot for them to declare the car as something not worth fixing. i'll make sure they do a good job, and afterwards, if they fix it, i'll take it to my regular mechanic just for a checkup of sorts. if there's any problem, they said it would be guarenteed for a year. so i feel better now.

    glad things worked out for you in the end, too
    "Seeing the landscape at this superficial level only captures its boring uniformity, not allowing you to immerse yourself in the spirit of the place; for that you must stop at least several days."

    ~Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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    God/dess Lena's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    I had a car get totalled and they gave me about $1500 more than blue book for it. A lot of the frame damage is purely theoretical - with mine there "might" have been damage and it would have cost so much to figure it out that they just totalled it. Also I was rear-ended by someone who had gieco once, and even tho I told them I felt fine they paid me $100 to sign something saying that I released them from all future medical liability resulting from the accident or something.



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    Featured Member xbloodydewdropx's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Quote Originally Posted by madmaxine
    How interesting, a minister hit my car months ago but we settled the matter without contacting insurance companies. Even the clergy wants to give strippers a bump of some sort! Ok I'll quit with the jokes....

    In my extensive car accident experience the good news here is that you got rear-ended, if there's anywhere to get hit, the back of the car is the "best" place. The minister under-stated the damage on your car to leave the responsibility of a final assesment to the insurance adjuster.
    My aunt's car got rear-ended (commuter vehicle, '97 Geo Metro) and it fixed up fine, she drove it for years after that. So if her Geo could take getting slammed into while waiting at a red light, I bet your car is fine.

    As for rentals from Enterprise, in 2001 I had one of their rentals for 1 week & charged the "credit card deposit" to my bank card...things might have changed since then. There are also smaller independent car rental services ...you could look into that.

    Good luck & let us know how it turns out....
    more good news.....yes! i've been driving it since yesterday, and it seems to run fine. although, i admit i had to laugh at the priest thing, seeing as you got hit by one too. tell all the jokes you want . in my case, we had to do the insurance thing, as his hood was crushed up like a tin can, and he couldn't drive it. plus we were on a major highway, driving through my state's capital city.

    i'm glad we did here, because this priest's insurance did offcially declare liability, as did the police officer.

    i wonder if, in both our cases, they had a few nips of communion wine beforehand?
    "Seeing the landscape at this superficial level only captures its boring uniformity, not allowing you to immerse yourself in the spirit of the place; for that you must stop at least several days."

    ~Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Determining whether a car is totaled has nothing to do with drivability. If the cost of repair is more than the value of the car, insurances will declare it totaled.

    Oh and when I got a rental through Enterprise when my car was side-swiped, they put a deposit on my credit card even though the other insurance company was picking up the tab. Which (in my opinion) sucks. I walked in, thought I was getting a free car and they wouldn't giv it to me before surrendering the cc.

  10. #10
    Sitri
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    i've never had to deal with stuff like this before, hence my questions. the officer noted on the accident report that my injuries were "sore neck and shoulder," but i guess that's just to protect me if something should develop. i feel fine, actually, and mentioned this to the officer and the insurance company.

    __________________________________________________ ____________
    Well, I don't have a lot of time to write, but .. don't say much to the other company. I am an agent for one of the major insurance companies.

    But first, my daughter was a passenger in her friends car and it was lightly rear ended. So, I had her go the the doctor and get checked. $160.
    The standard settlement is 3x medical bills. I talked to the other agent and he offered to pay the bill. I said 3x and like that, I had a check for $480.

    You will have to sign a waiver, but you don't have to release all of your medical records. Basically, if you are sore, you should get checked up.

    On the car, you can take it any where you want to to get it fixed. They owe you a rental car and you shouldn't have to put a deposit down. State Farm is responsible for the car. But things vary by state.

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    Featured Member xbloodydewdropx's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    thanks for the advice, everyone. it's very much appreciated ....i'll definately refrain from saying too much to the other company (perhaps i'd been too open before). i'll keep y'all updated on what happens.
    "Seeing the landscape at this superficial level only captures its boring uniformity, not allowing you to immerse yourself in the spirit of the place; for that you must stop at least several days."

    ~Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    Yea, just remember, they only know what you tell them. Don't try to help the other guy out, just be straight forward and honest. Make sure you do some research on the value of your car so that you know what it's worth (not just what you owe).
    I would also shop around for new cars just in case, so you have an idea of what you need to put down.

    Too many people hear the insurance company offer to pay the car off and jump at it. You can argue this. The formula for what they should pay you should be
    VALUE OF CAR TO YOU.

    In other words, it's worth 4500 to the bank, but if it's worth 6 to you because that's how much it would cost to replace it and maintain the same payments, make sure you try to fight for that.

    Oh, and I'm reaaaalllly glad you're ok. You're car was definitely insured by Ninjas.

    Mast.
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    You don't have to accept what they offer. The insurance company can try to low ball you and you can come back and try to get more. My mom's car was totalled. It was an older car but she really loved it. It was in great shape and she'd put work into it. So when they gave her an offer she said she needed more because of X,Y and Z and she got more than the original offer and was given a fair amount.

    I have state farm and have made a claim for a hit and run and they were very quick and efficient and cut me a check right then and there.

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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    State Farm is great to have insurance with when you need something. They are really horrible to deal with if you need to get money out of them (which is good, to an extent).

    You never accept the buy-off offer without pushing for more. Yes, your car is only worth $4200 (or thereabouts)...but, like Sitri said...that's the value for paying the car off. Start looking at buying a new car, you add on $2000 for downpayment...loss of work, add money (they'll only pay for your rental car for a short while...not indefinitely until you find a new car)...money spent on intermediate transportation, add money. Start high, negotiate down but have a $$ amount that you will absolutely NOT go below.

    Don't give them info. Their agents are trained to be super nice to people to get them to talk...you say the wrong thing and its over. Be nice, courteous, but don't tell them anything. If you start having problems, then you turn to your own insurance company...and really, you should have already contacted your own agent/company and should be letting the two companies hash it out.

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    Featured Member xbloodydewdropx's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    ^^ yeah Venus, you are right. i just got back from the estimator, and he said that he doesn't know if the company will total it or repair it, as the repairs, if all were to be done, would be in the high three thousand's. my car is still drivable, so i'm using that now, thankfully.

    in summary, my trunk and rear bumper have to be replaced, and there is a dent in the left quarter panel. the guy offered to leave the dent (very small) in the quarter panel, which would bring the amount of the repairs down, and then give me a diminished appearence check. however, then he came back out to tell me that state farm doesn't do that.

    the preliminary estimate is at about 2500 with some repairs removed (like the quarter panel), but he has to talk to the insurance liason lady. the blue-book offer he showed me was a little below 4500, but did some research for my make and model in the area, and the retail is around 5800-6200. if they do decide to junk it, i don't want to settle for less. with the amount i found ( off the kelly blue book site for a car in good condition), i could pay off the old one and use the remainder for a down payment on a similar model. i am in no position to conjure the down-payment for a new car out of my ass.

    as for lost wages, i'm salaried, so it woudn't effect me. however, i teach four days a week, on two different campuses, one being 50 miles away (i only go there twice weekly). for now, i can use my car, but when they repair or junk it, state farm will cover a rental. also, i have rental car insurance on my own policy if their allowance runs out or something. i hope i don't have to use it, though. i did call my own company last night, and gave them all of the details. i'm not sure how much they have to be involved, though, seeing as the other guy is taking full liability.

    if state farm calls me again and they lowball me, should i have them talk to my insurance co? you are right venus....state farm was very nice, perhaps with ulterior motives. i hope i didn't say anything that would fuck me up....i pretty much just told them what i told the policeman at the scene.

    per everyone's advice, i will not settle for anything less than a complete repair of my car, or a fair retail value. i think in my state they are required by law to pay "diminished value" on a car if i ask for it, which i will.

    thanks all again for the advice....i'll keep updating as i learn more.

    hugz and thanks
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    ~Che Guevara, "The Motorcycle Diaries"

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car accident...need advice on logistics...

    God luck with everything. If they fix it, definitely take advantage of the guarantee. I took my car back 3x to the place and they were very nice about it. (as was I)

    The determination of totaling a car is not only on value of car vs $$ for repairs, but also on whether there is damage to the frame. A frame can be bent pretty bad, but still be driveable. Given the kind of accident you had, I would doubt that you have frame damage, but just FYI to those who are ever in the situation.

    And I want to clarify, in MOST cases, (if not all), Enterprise doesn't actually charge your card a deposit, they do an AUTHORIZATION ONLY. I've rented cars tons of times and I've never had any company put an actual deposit on my credit card. (Unless you pay with cash, that's a different story). I've rented primarily with Enterprise, but also Budget, Dollar and Avis.

    With a credit card, an 'authorization' means that the funds are there at the very moment they check. With an ATM or bank card, the authorization amount never actually leaves your account, but the money is held and unable to be used for usually about 10-14 business days, depending on your financial institution.






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