YACT: Accident

[handoverfist]

I sideswiped this 92 nissan sentra the other day. Completely my fault. I have a 00 Isuzu Rodeo. Damage done to my car was more than the sentra. I was going maybe 10 mph max. Hit sentra on the driver side right above tire well. Kind of close to the left turn light. Now the lady is claiming her radiator is leaking because of the accident. I didn't think this is possible, because of the speed of the accident and where I hit her. Is there any way I busted her radiator? Also, she is taking her car to a mechanic who is a friend. Of course they are going to hook her up. What's the standard protocol on this? Can I make her get another estimate at somewhere I feel is reputable? Thanks for any info.

 

[Scouzer]

your insurance company should be handling this.

 

[handoverfist]

Ya I'm going to see how much the estimate is first, before handing it over to insurance co. I told her I would pay out of pocket.

 

[jpeyton]

You really can't do anything. It's completely her option to accept an out of pocket payment, because at any point, she could simply refuse, call her insurance company, and in turn they will call yours.

 

[HN]

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Ya I'm going to see how much the estimate is first, before handing it over to insurance co. I told her I would pay out of pocket.

telling her you are willing to pay out of pocket gives her the greenlight to really find a way to screw you. then you have to go back and forth about proper estimates and who's screwing who, and this and that. and with a mechanic friend, it may be even worse for you. I say go straight to your insurance company; it's why you pay them once or twice a year.

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: HN

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Ya I'm going to see how much the estimate is first, before handing it over to insurance co. I told her I would pay out of pocket.

telling her you are willing to pay out of pocket gives her the greenlight to really find a way to screw you. then you have to go back and forth about proper estimates and who's screwing who, and this and that. and with a mechanic friend, it may be even worse for you. I say go straight to your insurance company; it's why you pay them once or twice a year.

QFT.

Your insurance company has professionals who will know if this is a scam. You on the other hand have no chance of refuting her mechanic.

 

[jpeyton]

Word, last time I got into an accident, I didn't tell them I was going out of pocket until after they had an estimate for me.

 

[her209]

Make sure you get it in writing from her on what the mechanic says was damaged due to the accident. Then use it as blackmail. :evil:

 

[JonTheBaller]

Did the police file a report? If not, it never happened.

 

[handoverfist]

Lol... Ya there was no police report. She said she is willing to accept payment out of pocket. Looks like letting the insurance company handle it is the best option. I think I will wait and see how much the estimate is, before telling her to call my insurance co. Hopefully it's less than my deductible. Thanks for all the info.

 

[pcnerd37]

As somebody who sells just radiators for a living, I would say its possible that the radiator is leaking, but probably not likely, it would help if I had pics. Also, radiators tend to develop leaks often anyway, so I dont think it would be hard to say that it could have been a problem before the accident. Without pics its hard to say for sure, but I would say the radiator leaking is most likely not your fault, but a previous problem with the vehicle. I also work at a salvage yard that I see accidents everyday, and its something that really is a case by case basis and you can never really know the extent of the damage from somebody's word. If i were you, especially if the mechanic is a friend of hers, I would say that before you are willing to pay anything, you want to have a mechanic of your choice check it out. Also, you should ALWAYS get a police report for something like this, if you dont, it will likely come back to screw you.

 

[1sikbITCH]

The importance of a police report is only good for getting the insurance company to accept liability. In this case, the driver already accepts liability, and the presence of a police report will only do further damage.

In a lot of places, if there are no injuries and both cars are drivable, the police will tell you to exchange information and call your insurance companies. In Baltimore they absolutely will not write a report unless someone says they are hurt or there is a ticket to write. Then again here you usually can't get them to respond period unless shots are fired anyhow.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller
Did the police file a report? If not, it never happened.

You're an asshole.

 

[sinucus]

where is our in house insurance scam artist? He should be able to help... </joke>

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: sinucus
where is our in house insurance scam artist? He should be able to help... </joke>

Paging PAB!

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: HN

Originally posted by: handoverfist
Ya I'm going to see how much the estimate is first, before handing it over to insurance co. I told her I would pay out of pocket.

telling her you are willing to pay out of pocket gives her the greenlight to really find a way to screw you. then you have to go back and forth about proper estimates and who's screwing who, and this and that. and with a mechanic friend, it may be even worse for you. I say go straight to your insurance company; it's why you pay them once or twice a year.

LOL, all you guys are missing the point of how much his premiums will increase (usually applied for the next THREE years). He got lucky that the lady was willing to let him pay out of pocket. and no matter what all you guys think, he WILL SAVE A TON. quote me.


And yes, as JonTheBaller said....now he can completely turn around and say it never happened. Legally, you are not suppose to leave the scene of accident. So, none of the insurance companies or the police can do anything now, even if the lady goes to the police. But since everyone here is a moral person...we would never tell him to do that.


If you smell something fishy, go take a look yourself. It shouldnt be hard to see where her radiator is...and check to see any physical damage done to it. If she still bitches about it, tell her to fvck off and take it to another mechanic or you will not pay her a dime.