hey everyone,

i could use some advice with my current situation. back in the first week of december, i was rear-ended by a semi-truck on the expressway in stop and go traffic. the guy hit me 4 times in a row before stopping and claimed he couldn't see me and thought he hit a "road bump." a police report was filed immediately, and the officer found him at fault (of course) even though i think he was trying to claim that i cut him off (even though he couldn't see me, apparently, and the lane change i made in front of him was 5-10 minutes before he hit me). the officer told me that he could not see me, for my information, but that's besides the point now.

i thought the damage was going to be catastrophic after hearing the four loud crashes, but somehow only my rear bumper cover, left tail light, and left tailight housing have to be replaced, along with a chip on the left rear quarter panel where the tail light was thrust forward (~$1400).

anyhow, for some reason, my insurance company only contacted the trucker's company right before new year's. the other company sent out an appraiser and said they needed to see the police report because of conflicting stories between the trucker driver and i. they received all of that by january 8th and told me they should have a response in a couple of days.

it's now the 24th and i've still heard nothing definitive from these guys. the original guy i dealt with told me someone else was taking over my case, and this new guy never returns phone calls to me or my insurance company. the two times i was able to get a hold of him, he told me he had "to contact the insurer to see what they want to do" and would get back to me that same day. i never heard back either time.

so this is where i'm at right now. i'm currently trying to get a hold of a supervisor at that company, but have not been able to do so yet. my insurance company told me i could pay my deductable through them since this is going nowhere, and it has been a month and a half since my car has been damaged.

basically, i was wondering if anyone has been through a similar situation or had any suggestions of a course of action to take. this is the first time i've had to deal with setting up a claim through someone else's company and had no idea it would be so frustrating. sorry for the long post, and thanks for any help.

 

you should be proactive, and continue calling and writing them. Do it so much that they have no choice but to resolve the issue.

 

You should pay the deductible to your ins. co. and have them deal w/ it. Your ins. co. should fix your car and collect the money from the truckers ins. including your deductible. I'd get them on this immediately.

 

Thats what I did when my car got hit by a garbage truck. You have an ins company, so use it.

Does anyone know if your ins goes up if you're in a not ur fault accident?

 

Yes it will! go up i mean! what you need to do is take it to a body shop and have them deal with it! i was rear ended by some lil ford focus witch happen to be a company car and i took it to the auto body shop and they got ahold of my ins co. and i payed the deductable to the auto body shop

 

your insurance wont go up for a not at fault accident... your insurance company should be the one doing the work for you.. get your car fixed, the at fault party should pay, and your ins. company will make sure of that.. good luck

 

oh okay. I initially paid the deductible, and i got a 500 dollar check in the mail a few months later, im guessing I won the case and was no longer my fault?

 

Yes, pay the deductible and let your insurance company handle it.

It will NOT increase your rates, and will NOT make it a chargeable accident on your records.

I have done this in the past, and while it might take a while, your insurance company will pursue it 'til hell freezes over. They will get their settlement(AND your deductible) from the party at fault.

But meantime, your car is fixed and you're good to go.

Its one of the benefits provided by your inusrer. Use it.

bill

 

Agree.

Are you an insurance investigator? Appraiser? Mediator? Probably not. You pay premiums, let them handle it.

 

thanks for all the replies. the consensus seems to be to go through my insurance w/ the deductable, and i will probably go ahead and do it. i'm sure it will relieve the stress of dealing with these insurance *******s.

 

Yup.. they'll take care of it and get your deductible back.

 

Damn truckers! These people seriously need to learn to drive and quit thinking they own the road!

Anyways, the police report should have sealed the deal with the insurance company. He's at fault is the bottom line. Regardless of what he claims. He was ticketed and that is the end of the story. Get on these jokers at the insurance company and really make yourself a nuisance. Worst case scenario is that you start climbing the ladder at the insurance company.

 

alright guys, somewhat of an update. we contacted my insurance agent, and he was able to get the ball rolling. i still need to speak to him still to get the full story, but what i've heard so far is that they want me to sign a release form from any additional medical bills before sending out payment.

this sounds more like blackmail than standard procedure, and i'm not sure i want to do this. is this type of thing routinely, if ever, done?

 

have you found out the truck drivers company?

 

Have you been checked out by a doctor?

 

Why? I would contact my agent and tell him to do his damn job. You pay for insurance and there is no reason you should have to compramise your rights in order to collect on damage to your car. Once you file your claim you ins. company should fix the car and any further dealings should be handled by them....not you. That is what you pay for (and probably too much). Ask your agent WHY they want you to sign and give up any chance of collecting for a medical condition if it arises (due to the accident) Don't forget even though they are your ins. company they still try to keep costs to a minimum.

 

one more thing, what company is this? Allstate ?

 

Keep detailed records of EVERYTHING, including phone calls made and received, reports, questions and answers, etc. If it drags on over time, you won't remember the details. Good record keeping will pay off, especially if it's supported with photos or other "evidence".

I had a 70 year old man in a Crown Vic run a red light back in 2005 and hit me in my TT head on. Both cars were destroyed and I'm still working with my lawyer on damages. I took dozens of pictures and ended up using almost all of them.

 

my company is progressive, but it's actually my insurance agent (who we purchase all of our insurance through) who recently spoke with the trucker's company. the trucker's company is sisco (www.cb-sisco.com), which i've never heard of, and i believe they are the ones who want me to sign a release.

sisco called my parents' house instead of calling me (i'm still on their policy because i got a much lower rate), and i got a voice mail from my mom earlier today relating the story second hand, so i'm not 100% clear yet what the deal is exactly.

i'm not going to jump to conclusions until i get all the facts from the agent, but just like you guys are reiterating, it sounds fishy as hell to have to sign a release to get money that they owe me anyway! i will update when i get all the information straight.

and i did go the ER the day after the accident because i was having neck and shoulder pains. they gave me an Rx for valium as a muscle relaxant and told me to follow up if necessary. i haven't gone back yet, but i might as well to make sure everything is alright.

 

Don't sign **** unil you are thoroughly checked out. This may be a good time to involve an attorney since they are trying to screw with you about these releases. Don't let them put you on the defensive.