In a nutshell, I "bumped" into the car ahead of me going at idle speed. The driver of the other vehicle freaked out, and appeared to be drunk. He kept refusing a police report, because he was "in a hurry". As it was my fault, I let it slide by. (keep in mind there really was just minor paint damage). He has since filed a claim with my insurrance company for more than what originally happend. I should have forced him to stay, but he conned me out of it, as it was truly my fault. Looking back at it, this guy was clearly trying to avoid the police.
2007-12-31 06:00:39 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
Yes, he can still make a claim with your insurance company. Regardless if he was drunk, or if a police report was made, you are still liable for any damages you may have caused.
If it seems like this guy is a looney, let your insurance company deal with him. Save yourself the headache!`
2007-12-31 06:46:10 · answer #1 · answered by ♥ Uwish ♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-31 18:38:36 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. A police report is only required for vandalism and theft claims - NOT for collision claims.
He can't file for "more than what happened". He can't demand a dollar amount. He provides his car for your insurance company to look at, and your insurance company figures out how much it is to fix.
If you bumped the car in front of you, that's called, "rearending" them. And that puts the fault completely on you.
2007-12-31 07:10:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, he can. That happened to me once. I was working a second shift, had just gotten home and a couple of drunks hit the bumper of my truck in the circle drive. They took off and I followed. They both were very, very drunk.
I took down the name and number of the insurance company but not their insurance policy number. I didn't want to call the cops as they were very drunk.
They later denied even being there but their insurance company believed me over them after looking at their bumper and seeing the color paint that my truck was and paid to have my truck fixed.
File a claim with his insurance company. It's your word against his. It might be that both cars get fixed or that the adjuster will look at it and rule in your favor.
Long story short, to protect yourself, write down the insurance policy number of the others, the tag number and generally call the police for a record of it. However, use your judgement on that. Once a guy ran into me and I got the ticket because I was a college kid and the other guy a low-life, POOR redneck with a beat up more car. The cop thought I had more money.
2007-12-31 06:20:53 · answer #4 · answered by rann_georgia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, a claim can still be made. My daughter just totalled her car by running it off the road into a fence. The police said that they could write a report, but that it would be reported to the DMV and it would be on her record (which would in turn be bad for insurance rates). They said to just file the insurance claim and be done with it, without an official police report of the accident.
On one hand, since you "bumped" into him, it is your responsibility so be glad that no police report was filed, that is in your favor.
You just need to tell your insurance provider about the actual damage and let them handle it. Be insistent that they listen to you and only repair what damage you know to be real. Insurance companies don't like putting out more money than they have to, so it is in their interest to listen to you!
It is a good idea to keep a cheap camera in the car so you can at least take pictures if you get in an accident again (hopefully not!). The insurance people should be on your side on this and should only pay for whatever damage you are claiming. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you :)
2007-12-31 06:12:12 · answer #5 · answered by Ali 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
talk to your agent explain what happened ,, have him look at your car ,,see if they need to investigate for fraud learn the hard way,,like a lot of us did
2007-12-31 06:10:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know this wont help you at all at this point in time, but even when it is your fault, you should have summoned the Police for an accident scene report. The reason is now obvious. By not filing or having an on scene report, the other guy is filing for far more damage than was done at the time. Contact your insurance company and see what options you have available to you. This can and does vary by location (state). I hope this helps you.
2007-12-31 06:07:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your insurance company should deal with the situation. If he files a report, he needs some estimates or something to back it up. Your insurance will probably take care of it. Sometimes even when there appears to be only minor damage, there is actually deeper damage that's not apparent.
I hope everything works out for the best.
2007-12-31 06:07:05 · answer #8 · answered by drshorty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your insurance company will pay what the estimated cost is by the body shop. Makes no difference, if the police thought the person impaired he probably would have been arrested. And yes, the claim can be made even without an accident report. You admitted guilt when you exchanged insurance information. Even minor paint damage can be costly especially if the car has an expensive paint job like mine does. One ding in the door of my car was estimated at $400 to repair. More times than not, the entire bumper has to be painted to insure the bumper's paint matches. This is what becomes expensive. The owner of this auto you ran into has the right to be made whole again meaning he has the right for his auto to be made to look as good as possible by repair before the accident occurred.
2007-12-31 06:06:29 · answer #9 · answered by Sparkles 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Welcome to small claims court.
2007-12-31 06:04:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋