car accident advice, should I get a lawyer

[esquared]

It was liability only so my insurance company was hands off. The state farm guy said he will only pay for cost of vehicle inspection if we can prove that parts of the damage is from the accident. We kind of got scared into not taking it into the dealer since they wanted $160/hour to inspect the vehicle.

I would still get your insurance company involved in this, even though you were just covered for liability.

They may be able to help you out in dealing with this other insurance company.

I was rear ended a couple years ago and I had just liability on my old truck. I called my insurance to let them know and as it turned out the person that hit me has the same insurance company. My bumper had no real, visible damage (scratches) to it but her Infinity had several thousands of dollars to her car. The insurance company still cut me a check for around 1100 for "damages" (scratches) to my truck and for my trouble.

That offer you got for 1K? pfffttt!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call your insurance company tomorrow. You should have called them the day it happened.

 

[tortillasoup]

There is a difference between getting a check and having an adjuster look at the vehicle. If you want your car fixed, you can go to the body shop of your choosing and there will be a back and forth with the insurance company from there...


As for why a hybrid vehicle would start acting goofy after an accident... Well if it's a Prius/Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the rear end of the vehicle is damaged enough and it intrudes into the rear of the cabin enough, that could mess up the hybrid battery pack and or its connections. Any bodyshop worth its weight will find out this damage when they do a tear down of the vehicle.


Take the car to the body shop, tell the body shop who is responsible, and from there, the insurance company will pay for the tear down and the body shop will come back with an estimate for damage, etc.

 

[BoomerD]

There is a difference between getting a check and having an adjuster look at the vehicle. If you want your car fixed, you can go to the body shop of your choosing and there will be a back and forth with the insurance company from there...


As for why a hybrid vehicle would start acting goofy after an accident... Well if it's a Prius/Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the rear end of the vehicle is damaged enough and it intrudes into the rear of the cabin enough, that could mess up the hybrid battery pack and or its connections. Any bodyshop worth its weight will find out this damage when they do a tear down of the vehicle.


Take the car to the body shop, tell the body shop who is responsible, and from there, the insurance company will pay for the tear down and the body shop will come back with an estimate for damage, etc.

Yep...and MOST reputable body shops will give you free estimates...for the best outcome, get at least 3 estimates from quality body shops. However...IMO, you still need a good lawyer. (although I'm somewhat torn...I don't actually think there is such a thing as a "GOOD lawyer"...except when you need one)

 

[halik]

Redoing a bumper alone can be north of 1K

 

[DaTT]

Redoing a bumper alone can be north of 1K

This. I was rear ended in my Mustang last Spring, only damage was a minor crack in the bumper cover, was just over $1k to replace.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Was rear ended last year in my 2008 Subaru Legacy. Just under the passenger side tail light, right on the corner of the bumper. Luckily it was at a yield sign where all cars had slowed down, so she hit me probably doing ~10 MPH? Got an accident report, called my insurance and took it to my mechanic for a private quote before her insurance saw my car. Of course her insurance tries to lowball me. My private quote was around $770, her insurance quoted around $550, and that is what they cut a check for and gave to me right on the spot. I took everything the insurance company gave me to my shop and they took it from there. The final total was around $800.

Do not cash the check. That means you're settling for whatever they told you - which of course is lower than what it probably is.

 

[sphenodont]

A hybrid with liability-only coverage is a terrible idea, unless you've got a sizeable emergency fund.

 

[tortillasoup]

A hybrid with liability-only coverage is a terrible idea, unless you've got a sizeable emergency fund.

If the car is worth $5000, it's kinda hard to pay for collision coverage depending on deductible and fees. I like to pay for comprehensive coverage because it's stupid cheap even with $0 deductible. I figure that if I get in an accident that isn't my fault, the other's insurance pays for it anyway.

 

[schmuckley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dp12qG4920