I turned into a driveway in order to turn my car around and when I was backing up I hit her wooden fence. I stopped the car and got out of my vehicle to look at the damage. A lady ran out of the house and started yelling at me to "not run away", which I was obviously not doing. She then started yelling at me for using her driveway and demanded my insurance information. My front headlight was dangling from its socket and the front was dented a bit while ONE of the fence posts was dented SLIGHTLY. I gave her my insurance card and she went inside to copy the information. When she came back out I asked her if I could take a picture of the fence for the insurance company and she refused, saying that it didn't show the real damage (???). I then asked her for her information, like name and phone number, and she started yelling at me to get out of her driveway. She told me she wasn't the owner of the house and that I should leave. I gave up after a bit and left. Does she still have claim?
2007-05-30 03:52:27 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
There were two other witnesses, including my friend (the lady's neighbor) whom she hates.
The lady claimed that the owner of the house wasn't home and that I should come back later. But she knew enough to take my insurance info.
My friend said that they have dealt with that family before and that they're really unreasonable and that they get angry quickly.
2007-05-30 03:55:44 · update #1
PS: What should I tell the police? Just call them and tell them that I ran into a fence- because I have NO idea who the lady is, just where her house is. Or should I also tell them that she was being very unreasonable? Or should I wait for the owner of the house to come home?
2007-05-30 04:27:41 · update #2
Your insurance will not have to pay for the so-called "damage" to her fence because that will have to be covered by the owner of the home's insurance and most likely his deductible is $500 or more so he wouldn't claim that type of repair anyway. Homeowners insurance is for catastrophic losses not insignificant "losses" such as the one you're referring to. Auto insurance does not cover the cost of damage to a home. That is what homeowners insurance is for.
If I were you, I would call your local police department and report the incident to them and ask them about taking a picture of the fence post. More than likely this is a repair that will not cost a lot and probably not even be done. YOUR insurance will cover the cost of the damage to your car but remember....there are deductibles for car insurance as well and the cost of repairing YOUR damages might be less than your deductible which would mean you should really pay out of your pocket to have the repairs done, plus there wouldn't be a claim on your insurance. Good luck
2007-05-30 04:22:31 · answer #1 · answered by Stella Meredith 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In any accident, always get pictures. You should return and take pictures. Don't ask for permission. Get written statements from the witnesses. Show the pictures to the witnesses and ask them if the damage is consistent with the damage they witnessed at the time of the accident. If anything has been altered, note any changes to the damage.
She is not required to give any information since it was not a vehicle to vehicle accident, but it didn't hurt to ask. Since you had witnesses, they can verify the identity of the woman who came out of the house, if necessary.
You should have contacted the police at the time of the accident, just to protect yourself and so you could file a insurance claim if you choose to do so. If there has been any additional damage to the fence, you may want to still attempt to get a police report. Some police will not take a report since you did not call at the time of the accident.
2007-05-30 14:02:17 · answer #2 · answered by fideux 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you didn't get a picture, I'd recommend you go back and take a picture. You can't be denied taking pictures for evidence at the scene of a crime (although, not really a crime). You should also get the information of the owners of the house. If she claims that she wasn't an owner, go back at a reasonable time (not alone) when the owner should be home, and get their information then. If things get out of hand at any point, just call the police. From the sounds of it, the last thing you want is someone accusing you of leaving the scene, or causing some kind of disruption.
2007-05-30 11:04:07 · answer #3 · answered by Autotropolis 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should have taken a picture anyway becuae now she can go and totally deystroy the fence and you have not proof of how much was done. Get yor freind to take a pic for you adn make sure you notify the police and your insuracne agent right away and tell them what happened.
2007-05-30 11:02:35 · answer #4 · answered by superthunda 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not see that the so called injured person can prevent you from taking pictures and you WILL NEED THEM for your insurance company..just in case the fence suddenly has a lot more damage!
You should be praised for your honesty though.
2007-05-30 11:04:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a universal duty of anyone do do what they can to mitigate the situation, ie, provide ins info , cooperate,etc.
I would tell the police and ins EXACTLY what transpired. Especially your wanting to takle a photo of the damage.and her refusal. They may still be able to file a claim, but it definately gives your ins the upper hand, claimant unwilling to allow or supply proof of damage.
You did notify your ins co, didn't you?
2007-05-30 13:35:21 · answer #6 · answered by TedEx 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋