This guy rear ended me while I was at a red light the other night. It left a softball-sized dent in my bumper, and on my rear quarter panel. I could'nt find my insurance card, and he could'nt find his. He said he would rather take care of it ourselves. He told me to take it to a body shop and he'll pay for it. My question is, do I still have rights if he decides to flake, since I called niether the police, or insurance company.
2006-10-19 07:02:38 · 11 answers · asked by Smirx 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
Well, you need to report it to your company regardless as all policy contracts require you report it. I do not recommend out of pocket settlements because they rarely work out. Most of the time what happens is one person takes his vehicle to a shop, and the estimate can be pretty conservative, and be 800-1000 and the responsible party, who clearly doesn't understand that for vehicle damage that's not much, will freak out and say that you're trying to gouge him and go on yahoo and ask for help. Then I will tell that person not to pay it to let his insurance handle it for him because this never goes well. Or he will ask you to get two more estimates. Then what if you put your car in the shop after he pays you and they find more damage while it's being repaired and/or you need a rental for the time it's in the shop?
Then what if this guy skips out and suddenly becomes hard to track down? You can try it, but just know that at any time you can change your mind and use his insurance if you are lucky enough to find out who that is. The fact that there is no police report doesn't change that.
2006-10-19 10:09:35 · answer #1 · answered by Chris 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can settle outside of insurance. I work for an insurance company and I did this exact thing last year when someone backed into my car and damaged my bumper.
I just hope you got his tag number or his driver's license number just in case he lied about his identity, and believe me, it happens. You should have called the police and gotten a report, although he would have probably gotten a ticket for following too closely or failure to reduce speed if you did (which is why he doesn't want to file on insurance, because it will hurt him premium-wise). Even if the two of you didn't have your insurance information, you should have at least told each other who your agent was and what office they are in. That way you could always look up his agent and file a claim if he bails on paying you out of pocket. By the way, why didn't you have your insurance info? In some states, you are REQUIRED to have proof of insurance in the vehicle.
Hopefully the guy is legit and true to his word. Get him an estimate and send to him and go from there. Also, my suggestion? Get his payment in the form of money order or certified check, that way you know you have the payment and you don't have to worry about his check bouncing and whatnot.
If he does bail on you, you may have to file for repairs through your own company, in which case, a deductible would apply. It doesn't sound like you had a whole lot of damage, so your rates likely would not increase if you had to go this route.
Good luck.
2006-10-19 08:39:06 · answer #2 · answered by Beth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What info do you have on the guy that hit you? Did you see his drivers license to verify he gave you a real name and adress? Phone number? I can understand wanting to give people the benefit of being a good citizen, but do you really think this is a good idea? What happened if you had of been pulled over by the police? "oh, sorry officer. Can't find my insurance. Here's my business card, I'll call you when I find it." Doesn't work that way.
That type of stuff should be handy and accessable at all times.
If you can get ahold of this guy, tell him you changed your mind, and GET HIS INSURANCE INFO!!!!!!
2006-10-19 07:16:34 · answer #3 · answered by Allycat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont know what the situation is in the US (i'm assuming youre from the US by your language and terminology) but in the UK plenty of people settle outside their insurance. the only thing is, he's likely to benefit more from this arrangement than you are. in the UK, if you are not at fault and your insurers are able to recover the costs of the claim from the responsible party's insurers, then this will not affect your no claims bonus. also, there are added complications in dealing outside your insurance, often to do with quotations for work. repairs tend to cost a lot more than they look like they should, so you might find that this guy disputes the amount of money it will cost to repair your car. if your insurers are involved, they will be able to arrange all this on your behalf, and sort out getting the costs off him. also, there might be other benefits from taking this through your insurance, such as the provision of a replacement car whislt yours is being repaired.
basically, if you take this through your insurers they will be able to chase this guy up for you. however, there is no guarantee that they will be able to recover their costs from the responsible party, so you might be risking your no claims bonus. i dont know what the rules are in the US for reporting claims to the insurers / police. you could always call your insurance company and ask them for their advice.
2006-10-19 07:57:42 · answer #4 · answered by Boo Boo B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can do it that way, but make sure you have the guy's infomation. If he bails, you could report it to your insurance company, but they will only cover it if you have full coverage. Your premium shouldn't go up for it, and if they recover the money from the responsible party, they will return your deductible as well. In the meantime, call your insurance agent and request a new card. You should always have that in your vehicle and easily accesible.
2006-10-19 09:42:59 · answer #5 · answered by Amber M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can, but even then it's a good idea to call and have a police report done just in case the other person suddenly 'forgets' what they were going to do. Then you will have a document with their name, address, insurance company and a description of the accident.
2006-10-19 08:52:25 · answer #6 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No you're noy supposed to do that, Your insurance company doesn't allow it (they want to know about it, so they can raise your premiums) and if you're making payments, your bank may not allow it. But, people do it all the time.
If he stiffs you, and you don't have his info, you will have to claim a hit and run (they will only pay for this if you have collision), and your insurance will most likely go up.
If the person does not have all their info, it is always wise to make a police report. Then your insurance company can get the info that they need.
2006-10-19 07:14:16 · answer #7 · answered by littleblondemohawk 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is perfectly legal but I would advise against it. Until you have the cash in hand you are walking on the razors edge -- people will say and do ANYTHING these days, pal. Always let your insurance company handle this unless you simply don't want to bother fixing it.
2006-10-19 10:24:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It gets trickier the more time that passes, so if you want to settle it without the insurance companies then move fast... get the estimate, get his check, and cash it.... If you run into ANY delays in this process, CALL YOUR insurance company....
They'll tell you who else you need to contact....
2006-10-19 07:10:57 · answer #9 · answered by Andy FF1,2,CrTr,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes but you still have to tell them what happened.
2006-10-19 07:12:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋