Car accident question?

Question

I was in a car accident a few hours ago.

An suv suddenly stopped when they saw a cat running across the street. I braked hard when I saw them stop but I still hit them in the back.

I drive a smaller car so my front bumber is wrecked while their car suffer nothing but a scratch and a broken license plate. With my damaged radiator, bumper and hood, I was able to drive the car back home because I live near the scene of the accident.

The question is, whose fault is it?

I have a liability only insurance so I have to cover the cost of the car repair out of my pockets. I dont want to report the incident because it will just raise my insurance payment. Should I report this and claim the other driver responsible? Will their insurance pay for my car? or is it me at fault for hitting them?

My father said that Im at fault because I was probably chasing the car in the front too close. So reporting this will just affect me negatively. What should I do?

Answer 1

report it to the police but not the insurance co.your dad is right. following too closely is the #1 cause of accidents. Slow down and stop following too closely , Keep 1 sec distance for every 10 mph you are travelling . watch the car ahead pass a stationary object on the side of the road. When you pass it , how many seconds have you counted. at 40 mph it should be 4 seconds. It may seem to be a long distance but it will keep you out of harms way with enough manouvering room should something like what you described happens again. you'll get there just as fast. another good tip is when stopped at a stop light , always make sure you can see the driver ahead's wheels on the ground. if not you are too closely

Answer 2

Yes, your father is correct. You were following too closely and are at fault for the accident.

If you only have liability insurance your car will not be repaired by the insurance company -- and there's no way that the other driver's insurance will pay for the damages to your car since their customer wasn't at fault.

You might want to contact the other driver and see if they're going to file a claim with their insurance company. If the damage is minimal you may want to pay for their repairs yourself to keep you insurance rates from going up.

Answer 3

You are 100% no doubt at fault for this accident. You were following too closely to the vehicle in front of you.

It is up to you whether or not you report the accident to your carrier. Most policies require you to report the accident and even if you dont- they usually find out anyway. But, you definately will not be getting money from the other drivers insurance

Answer 4

No matter how good the driver is, he/she will not be able to prevent all accidents from happening. Don't blame yourself - that is why its called an accident (not intentional). In regards to your insurance problem. If you can cover the cost of the damage and can legally do so(if you care about legality issues) don't report the accident! It is economically not feasable.

Especially since the damage cost is so little compared to what could have been.

Answer 5

hmm...i think your father was right, it's the person hitting is at fault. You did not leave enough room between your car and the car in front. If u file, insurance company will find out it's your fault. I think u should fix your car and not report. Your assumption is correct. I'm sorry to hear that, good luck.

Answer 6

its your fault because you didn't keep enough distance from the car in front of you. Just go ahead and report it. it will raise the rate but it shouldn't go up that bad if the person you hit doesn't decide to sue your insurance company.

Answer 7

Im sorry to say but it was your fault. If you are to report it to the cops they will probably charge you with following to close.
I had the same accident but the person in front of me slammed brakes on to avoid hitting a dog. I was charged with following to close and my insurace company had to make a big payout to the lady I had hit. She sued me.

Answer 8

Sorry to tell you that you are at fault. The person who hits from behind usually is. File a police report to cover your butt. If you report it to insurance, your premium will increase. I have been in your shoes.

Answer 9

Your father is right. Any accident from the rear is most likely blamed on the following vehicle. If you had an accident because you did not have the time to stop, you were following too close.

Answer 10

the man said "you phoned the police because i drank half your bottle of wine" the lady said " i got the idea from yahoo answers . there was this lawyer and a doctor involved in a car accident, the lawyer noticed the doctor was shaken up so he offered him a drink from his hip flask. the doctor had a large gulp from the hip flask and promptly gave it back to the lawyer. he thanked the doctor and replaced the top, the doctors surprise was eminent, aren't you having any. the lawyer i will wait for the police to come first".