Title. Was in an accident (nobody was injured we all safe) that screwed up 3 cars. I was at 0 fault (a car hit another car that hit me into the curb). Just dealing with insurance this week and it's a nightmare. It's all theoretically going to be solved at no cost to me because that's what insurance is for, but dealing with estimates and towing and rental and this and that and the other is just taking it's toll on me. I feel I'm over my head with it.
Does anyone have any advice here? It's going to require a lot of body work to fix and the car is basically brand new (yeah I know I'm PMC bourgeois over here) so I'm really concerned about not getting it back in junk shape. Has anyone gone through this? What do I need to look out for? What should I be asking?
Anyone have any general accident / insurance stories? Feel free to share those too if you want, even if it's not helpful to me. Would be nice to hear about how others managed this stuff.
Hey, I'm a personal injury attorney so I deal with insurance companies all the time (but usually only in a physical injury context). We ordinarily have clients handle their own property damage claims (because if we took a fee on that, nobody would ever get the full value of their vehicle), but we usually give them some general advice for how to deal with the insurance company:
You want to make your claim for property damage as quickly as possible following the collision (and it sounds like you already have). A lot of insurance companies will provide a shop/mechanic that they want to work on your car. It's usually a good idea to use them: they'll have an easier time getting paid than some other mechanic who hasn't dealt with that insurance company/adjuster before. Frequently, you'll take it in to somebody who estimates that the cost of repair is higher than the total value of the vehicle. In that case, your car is totaled, and the insurance company will make you an offer for the total value of your vehicle. This can be a bummer (depending on the size of your deductible), but its also a pretty straightforward process. Most folks agree that the Kelly Blue Book is a fair measure of the value of a used vehicle, so whenever they make an offer for your totaled vehicle, check it against the Kelly Blue Book value. If their offer is lower than the KBB value, you can usually point out that your car has a higher value than they're offering. Sometimes, they'll meet you at the KBB value. Other times, they try to screw you. At that point, you can try to get another estimate or look through your policy for some clause about an umpire or reevaluation, but more often than not it'll be more of a hassle than its worth (and that's how they get you...). With regard to your rental and any other expenses, just keep good records and make sure you're submitting those items frequently. They might require you to fill out proof of loss forms or other documents in order to receive compensation. Be sure to follow their rules. They are unfortunately fully in control of the process and will hold you to it. Whenever they send you a release to sign, read it very carefully. It will probably fully resolve your property damage claim, so make sure you've submitted and are being compensated for all of your property damage claims (including rental, etc) before you sign.
I'm glad to hear that nobody was hurt, but I want to push back on that a little. Even minor car wrecks can result in some extent of injuries, which sometimes don't become symptomatic until days (or about a week or two) later. You almost certainly have a coverage on your own insurance called Personal Injury Protection (PIP), usually at a limit of $5,000. This is generally the easiest benefit for you to get from your insurance company. If you're worried at all about stiffness in your neck or pain in your back or any other typical car accident injuries, be sure to go to your doctor or an urgent care and get checked out. Most of the time, you can submit that bill under your own PIP and get it covered up to the limit (usually $5k). Also, if you're starting to feel any injuries whatsoever, reach out to a personal injury attorney in your area. They'll be able to get you treatment under whats called a Letter of Protection, which is an agreement whereby your treater (physical therapists, pain management doctors, orthopedics, radiologists for MRIs and the like) agrees to treat you and defer billing until you've reached a settlement on your case. It's far from perfect, but it's a good way to get seen by a doctor if you don't have medical insurance. Plus, a good personal injury attorney will be able to generate value on your case, getting all your medical bills paid and hopefully getting you a couple grand for pain and suffering (no guarantees tho). The most important thing for a personal injury case is to go to all your appoints, follow all your doctors instructions and complete physical therapy. Also, don't give your insurance company a statement until after you've retained an attorney (and usually, they'll tell you not to make a statement at all).
This turned into a bit of a ramble, but I hope it helps.
Not a ramble at all, this is a ton of good information and you're clearly an expert in this area so I really appreciate your input. There was one small wrist injury on our side that already seems to be going away, but I did mention it in the report as wrist pain and they told me if it gets worse or persists go to a doctor and send them the report and the bill and they'll take it from there. It feels fine today at least and I don't have any other pain. So I'm keeping an eye on that. It was low speed; we were slowing down to a red light when someone hit us from the side (because they were hit from the other side). Most of the damage is just because I got hit on both sides; one from the car that hit me, and the other from being popped up into the median. I don't drive an SUV so even the fairly small gutter / median was enough to scratch and dent things and break the wheel and tire.
I've got the estimate in hand for the body damage at least...it's nowhere near the KBB of the car but still a lot (it's nearly brand new and it was not an entry level car) so I don't think I'll have to worry about it being totaled unless they get under the hood and realize there's significant internal damage. I'm hoping that isn't the case, but it hasn't been up on a lift yet so I can't be sure.
Interesting that you say it's better to use the insurance companies shop, that surprises me. I figured they would use the cheapest possible shop that does the shadiest possible work to save themselves a buck. I had them take it to a shop nearby me that specializes in my type of car that seems highly rated with a ton of reviews and has been in the neighborhood a long time. So I'm hoping this place is a place I can trust. I do always see lots of nice cars outside their place and in the window so that inspires some confidence in their work at least.
Anyway really appreciate your input, this does help. It sounds like I'm doing things the right way for the most part so that's validating at least.