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neighbor backed into the GF's car, doesn't want to involve insurance companies
xenchu
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My girlfriend initially said yes, but is wondering how smart that was. How can we ensure that she'll follow through? My girlfriend would rather not pay out the nose for repairs, and then have the neighbor back out on the deal.
The damage (as far as we can tell) isn't absolutely horrible, but it's still unsightly, and something she'd like fixed. She just got a quote from one dealer in town, who estimated it'd be $982.40, but they couldnt even get her car in till November.
pics:
So, the neighbors driveway is a 2-car driveway. Ours is big enough for one car. The neighborhood is made of up 95% college age kids. All of the properties tend to have parking for one to two cars, despite the units all being 2-4 bedrooms. So there's a ton of parallel parking going on. Our side of the street is fire lanes, but the other side tends to get cars packed in so tight that I'm amazed some can get out in the morning. That's where my girlfriend parked last night.
One of the gals living next door apparently backed out of their driveway (don't know which car, I'm assuming the one on the left, as she'd have to back straight out and not try to turn if it was the other car) this morning, and hit the front left of my girlfriends car, denting one panel pretty far in, cracking a light, and scratching/scuffing her bumper somewhat bad.
Aside from them being stupidly loud out back just below our bedroom window sometimes (we we figured would happen, living with the young crowd (not that we're old; we're just not freshmen/sophomore aged)), we haven't had any real issues with the neighbors. The girl came over this morning appollogizing profusely
Though we haven't had any problems with them before, we're fairly convinced they're all f*cking idiots. They do stupid crap like parallel park their cars at the end of their driveway, double park in their own driveway, leave a box of books on top of their car - with all the windows down - for an hour during the summers worst rainstorm, leave their front door open all night, etc. Clearly new to the whole living without mommy and daddy thing.
So here's the question: Should we just go with it and not involve insurance companies? Or should we demand she provide insurance information? Can we even demand it, as we can't exactly prove that it was them, aside from the girls admission?
The damage (as far as we can tell) isn't absolutely horrible, but it's still unsightly, and something she'd like fixed. She just got a quote from one dealer in town, who estimated it'd be $982.40, but they couldnt even get her car in till November.
pics:
The dents/scratches
Circled, to highlight the scuffs on the bumper:
Diagram of the neighborhood (not even remotely to scale):
Circled, to highlight the scuffs on the bumper:
Diagram of the neighborhood (not even remotely to scale):
So, the neighbors driveway is a 2-car driveway. Ours is big enough for one car. The neighborhood is made of up 95% college age kids. All of the properties tend to have parking for one to two cars, despite the units all being 2-4 bedrooms. So there's a ton of parallel parking going on. Our side of the street is fire lanes, but the other side tends to get cars packed in so tight that I'm amazed some can get out in the morning. That's where my girlfriend parked last night.
One of the gals living next door apparently backed out of their driveway (don't know which car, I'm assuming the one on the left, as she'd have to back straight out and not try to turn if it was the other car) this morning, and hit the front left of my girlfriends car, denting one panel pretty far in, cracking a light, and scratching/scuffing her bumper somewhat bad.
Aside from them being stupidly loud out back just below our bedroom window sometimes (we we figured would happen, living with the young crowd (not that we're old; we're just not freshmen/sophomore aged)), we haven't had any real issues with the neighbors. The girl came over this morning appollogizing profusely
Though we haven't had any problems with them before, we're fairly convinced they're all f*cking idiots. They do stupid crap like parallel park their cars at the end of their driveway, double park in their own driveway, leave a box of books on top of their car - with all the windows down - for an hour during the summers worst rainstorm, leave their front door open all night, etc. Clearly new to the whole living without mommy and daddy thing.
So here's the question: Should we just go with it and not involve insurance companies? Or should we demand she provide insurance information? Can we even demand it, as we can't exactly prove that it was them, aside from the girls admission?
xenchu on
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You can trust most people. Especially neighbors. Its not like they're going anywhere.
It's never a bad idea to get insurance information. If they want to settle without dealing with them fine, but if you have their info you still have a way of getting your car fixed without the money coming out of your pocket. Datestamped pictures of the accident are also a good thing, but really only if you take them right after the accident.
My girlfriend got partial information from the girl, who then suddenly changed her mind mid-conversation and said she wanted my girlfriend to talk to her dad tomorrow. So, the dad is coming over tomorrow afternoon. At this point we really don't trust them that much, and short of them writing us a check for $1500 (to cover the cost of me temporarily fixing her busted turn signal, the cost of the full repairs, and getting my GF a rental car while hers is in the shop) tomorrow, are going to take the insurance route. It's just a little weird how hellbent they are on not involving their insurance company at all.
If they refuse to give us their insurance information tomorrow, what's the best route to take? Call the cops?
Call the cops. I had a feeling this would happen. She's going to try and get Daddy to get her out of this. Call the police and call your insurance company ASAP. Let them know everything that's happened. Take pictures of the damage on your car and if you can the damage on her car.
Until July for the last two years I had nothing but the most basic basic cable and as a result saw way too many daytime court shows. Its seems silly but a lot of the advice from those shows is good advice. Document everything, get it all in writing and always assume the other person is going to screw you so if it happen you're prepared for it.
Always call your insurance company.
Wouldn't that, in fact, be getting daddy to bail her out?
for small damage most people dont, because if they pay themselves then they keep their rating. with insurance you have to pay the first $500 (in my area) anyway.
So for an extra $400 you keep good rating and don't get your isurance jacked up
If he gives you enough $ on the spot, then I wouldn't call the insurance. If he gives you any trouble, tries to down-play the damage, etc., call insurance & cops right there.
I was in a similar situation last year, where the other party did not want to involve insurance for an incident for which he was 100% at fault. I spoke to my insurance agent right away but did not file a claim. They recorded all of the details I had (the day after the crash) in case the other party reneged on their promise to pay. I got an estimate and I went with the other party to his autobody shop who confirmed my estimate was in the right ballpark. The other party paid me on the spot in cash for the full amount of my estimate. Nothing was ever officially filed with the insurance companies.
I don't know how your insurance company works, but this could give you some piece of mind while trying to be neighborly at the same time.
I just know too many people who got screwed out of thousands of dollars this way.
If they don't agree to any of that, police & insurance company.
1. You are not confident that the at-fault party is able or willing to cover the damages to your vehicle with personal funds.
2. You want to formalize the process to protect both parties involved by creating a paper trail.
I always advise people to involve the insurance companies for damages exceeding $200 because of reason #2--whether they're the at-fault party or not. The other driver and her family have no way of knowing that the quote your girlfriend received is legitimate or if it's been inflated by a dishonest mechanic--or if it was inflated by your girlfriend so she could buy a new pair of shoes. Whereas if you make a claim to her insurance company, what will happen is that her insurer will send a claims adjustment agent to your girlfriend to assess the value of her car and the amount of damages to it and offer her a settlement to use to repair the damage. While they may decide that they should pay your GF less than the $940 estimate you might have received directly from the family, doing it this way eliminates the potential for them to contest the payment and significantly reduces the chances that your next H/A thread will be entitled "So my girlfriend needs to know how to find an attorney."
For nearly $1k in damages, play it safe, formalize the process early.
I got in a fender-bender (less than 10mph collision) with some woman. We both pulled into a gas station and checked out our respective cars. Her bumper only had paint scratches on it, my hood was crumpled near the headlights. She noticed that I lived in the neighborhood next to hers, as I did as well. We exchanged only our phone numbers and names. Looking back, that was probably a REALLY bad idea, as she could have sued the shit out of my parents and I. But everything ended up working out o.k., as I agreed to pay for her damage ($400.00 for another bumper/paintjob).
Bottom line: I can see where that chick is coming from. Not telling the company keeps insurance low for both parties. However, you shouldn't let her dick around. The woman I hit was really nice, but I was proactive about both apologizing and by agreeing to pay for damages only I caused. Don't let this chick give you the run-around. Get her info as a backup.
Some people are weird about insurance. I'm not sure how you went from 1k to 1.5k so fast, but cars can be expensive, try to have some quotes on hand for Dad. I've had people try to tell me there was no damage to my car at all after hitting me or tell me it could be repaired for 50 dollars. In both cases I got their insurance information when it happened and each repair was over $500. I don't trust strangers to hand over hundreds of dollars, but insurance premiums are pretty tame where I live and the insurer doesn't crucify you over a moderate claim so there isn't much incentive to not go through insurance.
Also, it's in your best interest to go through insurance for your protection. It's in hers not to because she doesn't want her premiums to get higher.
The at-fault party likely thinks its in her best interest not to involve the insurance company for the reason Bowen mentioned. She's not only a bad driver; she's an idiot. If she has enough flexibility in her personal finances to be able to make a $1,000 outlay, okay, well, fine, but in that case she probably doesn't care too much about how much she's paying a month for insurance. Financially, it ought to be a no-brainer: it's easier to find an extra $150 every six months for a few years than it is to find $1,000 all at once.
Legally, by not involving her insurer, she's exposing herself to some rather profound liabilities in the event of a legal action initiated by your girlfriend. That's the sort of thing her insurer should be liable for. That's why she's paying for insurance in the first place.*
*this last sentence is based on a premise that no one has yet suggested to be false: that she has insurance. One other motivation for trying to not invovle an insurance company is if the at-fault party doesn't have current insurance. Just saying.
We're still hoping to handle this through insurance. I'll post another updated in 5-6 hours after my girlfriend meets with the neighbor and the dad. I've suggested she call the cops if they give her a hard time at all. Hopefully this ends well.
You -can- do this without going through the companies; depending on your own company, even with collision, you may still wind up taking a hit on your premiums as well. Go through legit mechanics, keep the paper trail, and give over the final cost. For the most part, there isn't a problem until there is one, and if they have issues paying, then you can use the insurance company as backup. If the repair cost is rather high, they may decide to go through insurance anyways - but idiots who drive usually have more than one collision like this already on record, so it may work out for them best to pay up directly. Too many incidents, and you can suddenly find your self virtually uninsurable.
Get witness statements, get the paper trail, get the insurance involved. Don't return any extra money- it's possible she could turn around and accuse you of trying to rip her off or something. Courts are big on details like that.
Yes, I watch waaaaay too many court shows on TV. I also know how much of a pain in the ass insurance companies can be, so you need to get this going ASAP.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Call your insurer. Let them know what happened. Do not contact the police; they'll have little interest in anything under several thousand dollars worth of damage. It does not need to be reported to the police. Get the estimates (several would probably be good) and talk to her father, I'm sure he's coming to pay you, nothing else. Filing claims counts against both of you, it's terrible to do, you try to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. If you get spooked by their behavior, then you can go to insurance, but as long as they're being reasonable, it's a totally dick move to do so. And again, it's bad for you as well. Might not jack up your premiums now, but rest assured they'll account for it if something else happens.
Does not compute?
OP - What happened? We need to know.
I didn't know filing a claim where you weren't even in your car would count against you. You need a new insurance provider if so.
Ditto.
It's not being paranoid it's making sure you're not out $1,000. You should file a police report because it serves as a record of the accident and if you decide to not tell your insurance it will help you if you have to go to small claims court to get your money from this chick.
First, it may or may not even be legal in your state to do so. Many states have laws that say that any accident must be reported to the insurance company within 24 or 48 hours or a similar timeframe.
Second, you pay them money to protect you. Paying your premium without taking advantage of their resources is a waste of your money.
Third, if something goes sour with the other party, the insurance company is there to act as a middleman and will even go to court for you in some cases.
Fourth, an accident may involve damage that you can't see. Insurance companies are very good about making sure that even "invisible" damage is repaired whereas a private party might insist that only surface damage is.
Fifth, often the reason the other party doesn't want to go through the insurance company is because they don't want a point on their driving record. Well guess what? That's how bad drivers stay on the road.
And yes there are people who will tell you "I dealt with an accident once without insurance companies and it worked out fine." Yeah, that's nice. You can do something risky and stupid once or twice and not have it end up terribad, but that doesn't change that it's a risky move.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Any claim filed counts in my understanding of the situation, regardless of fault. Won't bump your premiums automatically but if you ever do have one where you're at fault it will be worse than if there were no other claims. It's purely a financial move on their part. Don't take my word for it, I'm sure there's an insurance adjuster or two on here.
Anyway, when I said call them, I meant "inform them of the situation" not "file a claim"
I'm not familiar with individual insurance policies as much as I'm familiar with the laws surrounding personal property, so I can't say. In any case, PROTIP: if you are involved in an accident, and you are not at fault, you file a claim with the other driver's insurer, not your own.
It's kind of funny this way, actually. I went with USAA in part because they had good customer service, but in the only accident I was involved in as a driver, I had to file with Geico. In case you're wondering, their customer service isn't that shabby, either. Or at least it wasn't after the first day, when they informed me the other driver was expressing interest in contesting the claim, and I laid into them with a detailed explanation of exactly what I was going to do to them in order to bleed them dry if they didn't immediately accept my claim.
(PROTIP #2: Geico's lawyers are cowards)
What you say is true only in New York and other no fault states, and wouldn't even be applicable in this situation because the damaged car was parked.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.