Minor hit/run damage and State Farm

[Peetie Wheatstraw]

Went shopping about a week ago. A ziooion cars in front of the bldg. I parked in the 3rd slot to the side of my super-mkt, where no cars were. 40 min. later, still no cars, but somebody had banged a corner of the rear bumper on my '94 Thunderbird.

Dealers estimate is $520 to repair.

State Farm coverage includes (250 ded.) Comprehensive, Collision, and "Uninsured Motor Vehicle".

State Farm sez my hit/run falls under Collision. Does this sound right?

I've been waiting several days for a call from a SF field-claims guy ...

The last thing I want to do is piss around with a "State Farm repair" at a "State Farm shop". I'd like to establish a reasonable cost- to-repair and have them cut me a check. Is this still done?

I have trouble keeping up with what insurance co's are doing and not-doing these days.

Thx, Peetie

[Pete C.]

In my opinion a $520 repair isn't worth filing a claim for, but since you contacted your ins. co. you're screwed now anyway and they will likely raise your rates even if you don't file the claim. This of course is BS since expected losses are supposed to be factored into the existing premium, but the govmn't lets them get away with this fraud since they pay off the politicians. You should have a higher deductible so that the only claims you consider are those significant enough to be worthwhile.

[Pete C.]

Check the spot and see if it is covered by the ever present security cameras, if it is have your atty. get a copy of the video.

[ransley]

Likely a video exists of the acident, call all the stores surounding the lot and see if you can go review them, BTW, 250 wasnt worth filing a claim for, usualy a 1000.00 deductable is normal, and your rates would be alot less. If t was me id not claim, just drop it and see if you can find the other guy.

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

Most places, parking lots are private property and police don't care and won't file reports on anything less than personal injury...

Security idea isn't a bad one as possibly could identify culprit and pursue them directly for full restitution (via small claims court if they wouldn't ante up simply being confronted w/ the evidence of culpability assuming were able to do so)...

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[Peetie Wheatstraw]

I didn't want to overburden y'all with unnecessary details, but ...

When I found the car damaged, there was a guy on the lot that said he saw a red cab near my car. I got a police report: a nice cop reviewed the security tape, saw the red cab, was unable to get the license #. No evidence the cab impacted my car, just that it was in the same area. Revolving camera: cab probably hit my car while the cam was looking the other way.

So, it is a *documented* hit/run. I was not at fault. State Farm has the police rept #.

Remember the Firestone tire recall on Ford Explorers some years ago? Around 2003, the Firestone on my Tbird peeled a tread while I was passing an 18-wheeler on the hiway. Tripped the idiot Ford inertia switch (which has never worked right), near got me killed. State Farm send a field claim guy, cut me a check, took the defective tire, placed a claim against Garbage-Firestone, and *did* *not* raise my rates. "A professional claim settlement." But that was 5 years ago.

As for not filing a claim, why am I carrying/paying-for insurance? I've no "at-fault" claims in 10+ years, my annual premiums are about $450. Would it really be that much cheaper with $1k deductable? Note that book-value on '94 Tbird (which means nothing to me personally) is maybe $2200.

Maybe I ought to drop Comp/Collision, save a $, I dunno.

Peetie

[dpb]

Peetie Wheatstraw wrote: ...

Excepting it's lacking the one critical thing--actual evidence the purported perpetrator actually did the deed.

Follow up w/ State Farm and get on w/ life...what can any of us here tell you that's going to do any good whatsoever since you have the tape and it's not conclusive--the cabbie can claim he was close but never hit it and unless you can find him and match paint samples or get hard evidence in some other way all you have is "looks like could have" footage. How can you actually prove the damage wasn't pre-existing that time?

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[trader4]

Maybe where you live, but here in NJ, if a hit and run occurs in a private parking lot, the police not only will respond and make a report, they will pursue it, if possible. Former disgraced US Senator Toricelli was tracked, found and convicted of doing exactly what happened here. He backed into a parked car in a bank parking lot and drove off. The police tracked the license plate and his was convicted of leaving the scene of an accident.

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

Must be slow times in NJ, eh? :)

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[ransley]

Insurance is for the big stuff, go ahead and file, dont be suprised if you are dropped from the 2 claims.

[Peetie Wheatstraw]

I can't. But the claim is not being decided in a court of law under strict rules of evidence, etc.

No "at-fault" claims for 10+ years and you think they'd assume I was perpetrating fraud for a $270 claim? Sheeesh!

Some ins. co's might record it as "at-fault" automatically, I suppose. I called the agent: he said it should be "no problem" ==> no rate hike.

[Doug Miller]

No.

Collision insurance pays for damage to your car in an accident that was your fault -- obviously not the case here. I'm not sure whether this falls under comp or uninsured-motorist, but it's definitely *not* collision.

[aemeijers]

Unlike on television, few people in the real world HAVE an attorney, and it certainly isn't worth hiring one for a $520 hit'n'run. I went through the same thing in the apartments I used to live in- some pickup truck (judging by the damage), caved in the rear corner of my Honda Accord, and fled. (Assuming he even noticed- 2500 pound accord vs. 7000 pound

4x4, he might not have felt it.) I called the cops to do a phone report, just to get a report number for the insurance. They wouldn't even do that for a private-property accident. (apparently the strip down the middle is street, but the parking slots aren't, or some such nonsense.) I called up my insurance company, and they let me file a claim anyway. It was over a thousand bucks- car isn't perfect, but you have to look close to tell, and it still drives okay. If it had been $500, I would have eaten it.

-- aem sends...

[trader4]

This is incorrect. Collision insurance is precisely there to pay for repair of the covered vehicle, regardless of who is at fault. If another party is at fault and can be located, then your insurance company can go after them to recover, but their first reponsibility is to pay for repair of the covered vehicle following a collision, withour regard to who is at fault. That's why it's required for an auto that is financed. The party providing the financing wants to know that the car will be paid for if hit and damaged, regardless of who is at fault, whether the other party has insurance, can be located, etc.

[dpb]

...

No, I was talking about the route of trying to track the perp down and going the court route -- you would then have to have at least sufficient evidence to be convincing even if you could find the bum...

My recommendation in the beginning was "follow up w/ SF and get on..." if you recall. Which, I see, you did w/ the results I expected.

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[George]

Sounds like you haven't been involved with attorneys in a long time. It would be $500 just to fire a letter or two back and forth if you could find someone willing to do it who wasn't looking for the next class action or chasing ambulances.

[Pete C.]

Around six years ago or so.

Mine only charged me about $500 to ride shotgun over an insurance company provided atty. who I obviously didn't trust even though they were supposed to be on my side. My atty. even attended a couple meetings at that price. As they say, it's the 95% of them that give the other 5% a bad name, the trick is to find one of those 5%...

[Pete C.]

I do, or at least I did before I moved halfway across the country.

Nor is an insurance claim generally.

Having one of those 7,000# truck, I can confirm that you can indeed flatten stuff (like a shopping cart) without even noticing unless you happen to have the window open and hear it.

Makes you wonder what we pay their salaries for, doesn't it?

Yep, you just need to figure your threshold cost, as well as how much you care about the damage. For my truck, it's function over cosmetics, so while I try to keep the truck in decent shape, I don't worry about much in the back half.

[trader4]

I'd also find out what the difference in insurance pemium is for a $1000 deductible vs $250. In most cases it's enough that it makes sense to take the higher deductible. That way you don't have to report $500 claims and go through a lot of hassle that could raise your rates. But with $450 premium, maybe it doesn't make sense. That rate is one folks here in NJ would love to have. Even with an excellent record and no accidents, it's hard to get a policy for 2X that here, even with a high deductible.

[willshak]

on 7/17/2008 11:57 AM Peetie Wheatstraw said the following:

The 94 TBird does not have a bumper, it has a rubber valance, backed by some steel framing. What does this damage consist of? Paint scrapes? Take it to a vehicle detailer, one of those guys that touch up minor damage and wear for used car dealers. The price will probably be 1/3rd the cost of replacing and painting the valance.