OT: Car Accident Advice

[UConn Do It4]

Having a bit of regret and can use some advice from my fellow yarders. Wife and I were coming back from Providence earlier tonight and we were rear ended in Johnston RI. Back bumper has some minor dents/imprints and flexes inward much easier then normal when pressed (but not loose/hanging or anything). Otherwise it's pretty much unnoticeable.

Stupidly I didn't call the cops to have them file a report. Just took his insurance and license info and snapped a couple quick photos. Not sure why I didn't insist on having police come, just going to chalk it up to being flustered and lesson learned for the future.

Here's where I'm hoping for some advice...

I called the police station tonight and I know I can drive back to Johnston RI tomorrow and file a walk in report but I'm not sure if it's worth it really (I'm in Farmington)?

Should I just call his insurance and get a claims adjustor to come out and write it up without a police report?

Should I bring my car to a shop and just get a quote and try letting him pay outside of insurance? Feels like this one is a stupid question, but not sure if it makes more sense considering I don't have a police report?

Had a good run and it's my first time being in an accident in 20 the last years.

 

[whaler11]

if you didnt call the cops to the scene they aint gonna have anything to do w you after

if the other guy doesnt admit fault to his insurance co - you are on your own

 

[RichZ]

Call his insurance Co. Hopefully, you took pics of HIS car too.

 

[TRest]

Submit the claim to his insurance company. They will call him and unless he’s a Richard, should cop to fault. Rear ender scenario helps you quite a bit here, no argument over who had a green light. If you have collision your company can pay for your damages then go after his company.

 

[jojipoji]

Burden of proof is on the person who hits a person from behind. file a report

 

[casual-yardin]

Call YOUR insurance company. This is what you pay them for. Ignore the other 3 responses you got so far. YOUR insurance company will get your car fixed and make the other guys insurance pay the deductible.

Again, this is why you pay your insurance co.

 

[Ts5034]

Thats why If the damage is bad enough where you care enough to have the car fixed, you always need to call the police to file a report.

 

[UConNation]

I've worked in the insurance industry for several year now and used to handle auto claims. First and foremost, in a claim like this, the only thing a police report is good for is to verify which parties the accident took place between. If they didn't witness the accident, all they're doing is typing up what you said and what the other party said. As was said above, so long as the other guy doesn't try to say that he wasn't involved, you're good on that front. In terms of which insurance company to call (yours or his), that's really up to your preference. If you don't mind forking over your deductible up front, then it'll be easier for you to go through your insurance. You'll ultimately get your deductible back when your company subrogates against his, but that can take some time depending on whether or not this guy admits he was involved. If you don't want to pay anything up front, then your only option is to file a claim against his policy. Again, rear enders are very straight forward liability claims, so as long as he owns up to hitting you, the process should be very easy.

Side note - it's been a while since I've handled these claims, but I believe in Rhode Island you're entitled to Loss of Use or a rental. So, if you have another car that you can drive while yours is in the shop, make sure that his company pays you for Loss of Use of your car. It's not much (believe it's $20/day), but if you don't need the rental, it's a nice little bit of pocket change.

 

[ElPresidente]

Call YOUR insurance company. This is what you pay them for. Ignore the other 3 responses you got so far. YOUR insurance company will get your car fixed and make the other guys insurance pay the deductible.

Again, this is why you pay your insurance co.

This ⬆️⬆️ should be your last option. @whaler11 said it correct. If the other party doesn't admit fault you're on your own. At that point you'd have to submit a collision claim (if you have collision coverage) against your own insurance. YOU will pay your deductible and YOU will be waiting an eternity if and when your insurance company recovers your deductible. Your insurance WILL go up and that blemish will follow you for the next five years.

Sincerely,

Your local (casual) Insurance Boneyarder.

PSA for the year for the group. Always call the police and file the report.

 

[RichZ]

Lets go back a few years, to 1996. I was leaving my apartment on Rte 1 in Bridgeport, and took a left to head for the parkway. An old fart turning left out of the side street I was turning in to, drove into my drivers side rear quarter panel. "Oh, I didn't see you! That color is not very visible." (it was bright, metallic blue). He admitted it was his fault. We were both turning left, I was on the main road, he had a stop sign. We exchanged insurance info. I called my insurance agent, who told me that the guys's insurance company should be calling me to arrange for an estimate.
Two weeks later, I haven't heard anything, so I call HIS insurance. "Let me get the file. Here we are. OK, since it was your fault..." WHAT? He drove into the side of my [expletive redacted] car! "Well, I'm looking at the report he filed, and it clearly states that he was stopped at a stop sign when suddenly, he hit you. Since he was stopped, he can't be at fault, and we are not liable."
State Farm. They know a lot of things, because they've seen a lot of things. Or some such malarkey. (Side note: There's a word you don't hear often anymore, but since this is a story from 1966, I figure it's in keeping with the spirit of the tale.)
Called my agent again. State Farm had an estimator at my house the next morning. I didn't like his estimate. Went to my buddy's body shop and got a real one. Eventually, they paid it.
Wait. Ignore the state farm stuff. It was Geico. Back when their checks still said "Government Employees' Insurance Corporation."

 

[casual-yardin]

Lets go back a few years, to 1996. I was leaving my apartment on Rte 1 in Bridgeport, and took a left to head for the parkway. An old fart turning left out of the side street I was turning in to, drove into my drivers side rear quarter panel. "Oh, I didn't see you! That color is not very visible." (it was bright, metallic blue). He admitted it was his fault. We were both turning left, I was on the main road, he had a stop sign. We exchanged insurance info. I called my insurance agent, who told me that the guys's insurance company should be calling me to arrange for an estimate.
Two weeks later, I haven't heard anything, so I call HIS insurance. "Let me get the file. Here we are. OK, since it was your fault..." WHAT? He drove into the side of my [expletive redacted] car! "Well, I'm looking at the report he filed, and it clearly states that he was stopped at a stop sign when suddenly, he hit you. Since he was stopped, he can't be at fault, and we are not liable."
State Farm. They know a lot of things, because they've seen a lot of things. Or some such malarkey. (Side note: There's a word you don't hear often anymore, but since this is a story from 1966, I figure it's in keeping with the spirit of the tale.)
Called my agent again. State Farm had an estimator at my house the next morning. I didn't like his estimate. Went to my buddy's body shop and got a real one. Eventually, they paid it.
Wait. Ignore the state farm stuff. It was Geico. Back when their checks still said "Government Employees' Insurance Corporation."

Bingo. I understand we are talking about minor accidents here but calling the other guys insurance is kind of like defending yourself in court. My wife and I have probably been in 5 fender bender type accidents over the last 10 years or so on both sides of the blame. We always call our insurance co. which is GEICO (and yes if I was at fault and I could spin it I would always try to make it sound like it was less my fault to completely the other guys fault when it wasn't).

If we have damage within 24 hours we're told where to take our car (no one goes around "getting estimates" anymore unless you live in the middle of nowhere or your insurance co just sucks) usually a dealer that is set up to work with GEICO and bill them directly. They also give us a loaner proly at a fleet rate to GEICO.

We don't pay a dime and they work with the other guys insurance. My rate has never gone up because of this type of accident even when I was at fault and had no damage (my wife getting a red light camera ticket is another story).

As far as calling the cops it certainly is good advice but what's the reality? Where I live you would call the non emergency line wait several minutes to be told your not a priority but they'll try and get someone out when they can. You'll also be told that if you are on private property like a shopping center parking lot all the cops are going to do is make sure everyone is OK. No report. And good luck having me stick around waiting for cops if I tapped your bumper. Take a pic of my card,, here's my number and see ya.

If you are ever in a serious accident on a public street or property where there are injuries, fatalities or property damage keep in mind that similar to a crime scene the cops aren't there to formulate a nice story for someones insurance co. After they've made sure there wasn't any illegalities, secured the scene, made sure the medical people have access, direct traffic, etc. their job is to assess what happened and make sure they document what happened so the city / county etc can limit their liability i.e. leave it to the insurance co's and leave the city / locale out of it. In other words the cops aren't asking you questions to help your cause with determining fault.