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I had an accident with a person who only gave me their name, phone number and "State Farm" as their insurance Agent. She drove away without waiting for the Police to take a Report. Can I still file a Claim for the damage she caused to my car with this information?
Yes. Call your agent and tell him what info you have. Your agent will call the SF number he has to find out who their insured is. (They probably won't tell you if you call a SF office.) Claims adjusters from both companies will be assigned. You will be interviewed by phone or in person by your adjuster. Do not discuss the case with the other person in the accident or with her claims adjuster. Let your adjuster handle everything including getting a copy of the police report, photos of damage, etc.
WG, former SF secretary
Quote:
Originally Posted by marie-lei
I recommend that you report the accident to the Police if you have not done so already. The majority of insurance companies I deal with require a report before they will assign an adjuster or investigator. Do you have her license plate number?
Then turn it over to your insurance company. You don't even need the name of her insurance company because the insurance company verifies it before they begin work on the claim. I see a lot of people jumping from company to company so the insurance card, even though it appears to be correct, is often on a cancelled policy. I always - from my side - "run" the license plate to determine the insurance company and I'm a liability investigator.
How much damage and were you injured?
Yes, if they gave you a real name, and gave you a real phone number and if state farm ever heard of them.
Did you see their drivers license, did you at least copy down their tag number, take some photos maybe with a cell phone camera??
Did you wait on the police? When they came did you do a report, and are they going to find and ticket the other people for not waiting.
But yes you can file a claim, first you need to contact their insurance
No. Contact YOUR insurance company, not theirs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck
I will stand by it, you contact Their insurance first, make a claim and ask them to pay. You only need to contact your insurance if their insurance refuses to pay.
For example if you have only liability coverage, your insurance company will do nothing to help you at this point.
Depending on how backwater your company is, this might be true. If it's a reputable company, contact them and they will help you work through the details, especially since the other person hit you. The liability is on her end.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck
I won't name companies, but no as a manager for a major company, if they call, we ask them have they contacted the other company first.
It would be very poor for them to use their company first, ( since it can cause their own insurance rates to go up, and even with full coverage they have to pay their deductable)
And if the other company just pays it is much easer and saves having to pay the deductable.
Your insurance does not replace your responsible to file a claim with the other company, or to file a police report. I have done full line insurnce for 30 years for companies like State Farm, Farm Burea and Met, and their first advice will be to contact the other company first, and if they will not work with you come back.
I just called my SF agent who confirmed everything I have written here so far. He too said the OP should not contact the other company. They will not deal with repairing her car without her company involved first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck
If someone (not their insured) calls SF to report an accident with their insured, they will not deal directly with that person, but will call the SF insured to verify that there was an accident and find out if the insured wants to make a claim.
The OP said she was hit. Then she (who pays premiums to her auto insurance company in order to get services at times like this) calls her insurance company to report her version of the facts of the accident. Her premiums will not go up. The other company (if there is one) because of all the confidentiality and privacy stuff going on nowadays, will not take her word for anything and will not pay her one single dime. Her own company will follow up with the other person's company, will pay for her (the OP's) car repairs (minus her deductible), and will go after the other company for reimbursement, including reimbursement of her deductible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck
I know you know what you're talking about and this must vary company by company or perhaps State. I work with insurance companies all the time and the ones I work with (and there may be exceptions - I just haven't run into them) will not take a report from anyone BUT the insured. They won't even acknowledge that they insure a party.
If an insurance company "here" gets a claim letter from an Attorney they send it back with a form letter stating that the accident has not been reported to them and that they do not necessarily represent the potential Defendant.
My auto insurance requires a Police Report - or at least a log entry, also.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wondergirl
Again, I'm sure it varies from State to State. I have a lot of experience with various companies and some are a heck of a lot "better" than others.
However, it is my experience that the premiums DO go up in some companies, that this is not a rule of thumb. I have also seen people change companies, have an accident after many years of safe driving with another company and then NOT get renewed.
Hit or was hit?Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyKayTee
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wondergirl
Either - you are either accident free or you are not. Do I think you should get charged if it's not your fault? No. Companies still have the cost of processing claims and I've seen people lose safe driving rates for less.
My husband got hit in parking lots twice (and he wasn't even within eyesight of the car). Both times the other driver's insurance paid 100%, including the loaner car. The second time he got the "you have lost your safe driver status" message - and he did and his premium went up at the next renewal.
Again - every company is different and everyone has a different experience. My concern when I work is protecting a person's rights in the event of personal injury so I come at this from a different side. My advice is to report it to your company. That's what you pay them for. Let them fight it out.
Like the OP, for some reason, people like to run into me. A woman decided to go grocery shopping while I was in her house tutoring her daughter and forgot my car was between her car and the street. In 2003 an 18 y/o had her head below the dash while rummaging around on the car floor for her purse and didn't notice I was going the opposite direction in the other lane. SF never punished me for being in someone's way.Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyKayTee
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wondergirl
As I've said - different companies process claims and rate people in different ways. Your experience may be different from mine. I don't think that makes either one of us wrong.
So stay with SF - apparently they have been good to you.
I just read the OP's first post - I note that she said she was in an accident with a person who didn't stick around. We haven't even touched on the subject of fault.
Wonder if OP would come back and tell us what happened - ?
That's why I called my agent. I was a BI secy a thousand years ago, so things may have changed with how insureds and accidents are handled. SF is a great co. to work for -- gives terrific Christmas gifts to employees too.Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyKayTee
I too hope the OP returns and tells us what happened.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wondergirl
Unfortunately after all of this we'll probably never hear another word. Christmas gifts, you say? Hmm - I work for Attorneys. I'm lucky I get paid, get alone get a Christmas gift.
:)
I help people with resumes if you're interested in a career change...Quote:
Originally Posted by JudyKayTee
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