I had a car accident today, my fault, will my insurance company find out?

Question

Basically someone two cars ahead of me made a sudden stop, the woman in front of me had to stomp the breaks in order to stop from hitting her, I was not so lucky. Me being in a F-150, it's not so easy to stop on a dime, so I hit the woman in front of me, causing minor damage to the back bumper of her car.

The car is not hers, it is a rental car, and I was told by a few people that because the damage was minor, their insurance company would probably not go after my insurance company for money. The Police were called and a report was filed. Is there any chance at all my insurance company will not find out about this, I really can't afford the rate hike. Am I screwed?

Answer 1

Your insurance company will find out about it...how, they're gonna get a call from the rental agency, or the other insurance companies involved.

The rental agency will in fact pursue recovery of damages, if not from you directly then with your insurance company. But word to the wise, although they will ask you for "administrative fees" and "loss of use," they have to PROVE they lost income on the rental while it was being fixed, and since the weather is bad...alot of these agencies are "sitting fat," meaning they have more cars sitting on the lot waiting to be rented then let's say, in the summertime when travel is high. And this is VERY hard for them to prove...especially if they've rented it out a few times before actually getting the car to the shop.

Answer 2

You better hope that the person that hit you has good insurance. You contact the insurance company of the person that hit you. You will need to provide them with the Police report. The insurance company will handle the rest. You may even be eligible for a rental car to get you by until you get another car. If the car is declared totaled you will get blue book value for your car. They will deduct anything they can. They will look at things like the odometer and tire wear and make deductions. Unfortunately, this is rarely enough to buy another car that was as good as the one that was totaled. This is just the way it works. But it will help you to get a replacement. If they are not insured, you are in trouble. You will need to take them to court. You will have legal fees that can suck up a lot of the money you will win. You will most likely win. However, the type person that drives around without insurance may also not have much money. It will be difficult to collect any money you may be awarded by the court. By the way, in many places you can also be ticked for driving without insurance. If the accident happened after you renewed your insurance, you are insured. You are insured the instant you renew your insurance. If the accident happened today before you renewed your insurance, you are uninsured. Time stamps on the insurance and the police accident report may be very important to you.

Answer 3

Well, to answer your question, if you provided proof of insurance to the officer it is in the report.

The car rental company will ask the woman about the damage and expect her to pay for it so, unless you have an agreement with her to cover it, the next thing will be the woman giving the information to the the rental company.

Guess who THEY are going to call.... you with your paycheck or your insurance company with their big wallet?

Now when your company gets the claim from the rental agency and notices that you have not told them about it .... (no need to go on... you have the picture)

You are better to call your company and tell them about it and also tell them that you are hoping to settle the matter without a claim. If you are successful then they won't consider the matter when renewal time rolls around. If you are not, then your *ss is covered because you reported it.

But get in touch with the woman promptly. Maybe you can even fix the car BEFORE she returns it.... problem solved.

good luck

Answer 4

They will absolutely, positively, 100% no doubt find out about this accident. When she turns the rental back in- they arent just gonna be ok with it having damage. So the rental company will find the at fault parties insurance (being you) and contact them to get reimbursed. You really think they will just "let it go" and not go after your insurance to get it back? I dont think so.

Regardless, since a loss will be filed to an insurance company.. the loss will be entered into a national database that your insurance will check through during renewel period.

So.. i guess in theory.. yes.. "your screwed." But thats what you have insurance for... everyone gets in an accident every once in awhile

Answer 5

Don't believe it! With rental cars, not only do they charge top dollar for the repairs, but they ALSO charge you the "loss of rental income" for the 3-4 days the car is in the shop. Figure at least $400 for loss of rental income, and probably another $1,000 in damages.



You are getting BAD advice.

Answer 6

Chances are you are "screwed". If the lady you bumped into goes to the hospital then your ins. com. will definately find out. As for the car rental co. the lady will have to explain what happened to the car or she will have to pay for the damages. I don't have much experience with that part but good luck.

Answer 7

yes. the rental agency will go through your insurance company to get the repairs fixed. they have to its policy. dont really concern yourself with the rate hike. i had a car stolen a year ago and they had to pay $38,000 and i was a new customer. i saw a $17 increase in insurance.

Answer 8

I wouldnt chance it. You are suppose to even report it to the DMV if the damages look over $700

Answer 9

anytime you hit a person from behind then you are automatically at fault. it is your responsibility to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.if you had accident forgiveness from state farm would it matter ? hell no you is screwwed dude.LOL!Look on da bwite side at weast ya had som insuwance heehee(elmer fudd wanguage):)))