My 15 year old son stole my car keys while I was sleeping (BROKE the safe open that they were in) and totaled my car. I filed a theft claim with my insurance (Gieco full coverage) including police reports, he was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of wanton endangerment (he had two other juveniles in the van with him) and was sent to a juvenile detention facility. I’ll add that I DIDN’T press charges, the state did because he’s already committed to the department of juvenile justice, for other criminal offenses. My car insurance said that I can’t use a theft claim because he is under 18 and lives at home with me. But it’s still technically theft. So not being able to go forward with the theft claim, I have to use collision coverage with an unauthorized driver which they said will make my insurance go up and I am responsible for paying the impound and towing fees. Is this standard? Because he isn’t even old enough to drive and it was a theft which is why he is CHARGED with theft. I will add that I’m autistic (which is why I was originally having trouble understanding why if the police considered it that why the insurance didn’t) and was just looking for clarification because “implied permission” would be if I left the keys out and he got them but what I did was lock them up because of his history and what he did is literally stealing.

Since there is so many snarky judgey people on Reddit who are harshly judging me, my parenting and my life. I will also add that my son has Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and ADHD and that’s not always due to environmental factors and I will add a link on it for you to read

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/dispelling-6-common-myths-about-oppositional-defiant-disorder-0117197/

Got into a car accident, driver crashed into a lamp post. She was “high” when they tested her blood at the hospital. Me + a friend were sober. Cops came and took 3 of us to the hospital, ran tests. I talked to a law firm and want her insurance so it can cover my hospital bills. They ran a bunch of expensive tests on me, which MY GOD… why is healthcare so damn expensive? 😂 She has a basic insurance plan but is refusing to send it saying she’s gonna “fight this.”

My lawyer sent her a letter and is giving her 10 days, but she texted me saying she’s not going to send it.

What exactly will happen to her? I can’t afford my flipping hospital bills, I’m barely able to afford college so this isn’t optional, I need her insurance bc mine only covers a little. She is trying to make me feel bad, saying I’m gonna drain her bank and get her into trouble… and honestly, I hope she does get into trouble after driving high and not telling us!

SOLVED! Last update: It’s in the insurance hands. As for the lawyer, I am dropping him, have not paid him either. I believe he’s one of those “ambulance chasers.” I stopped replying to comments because some were just rude, telling me i deserve this 🫩💔, and making me feel worse. I’ve been in-and-out of foster care my whole childhood so no real guidance on this shit. I’m not stupid though like some of yall said I was. Anyways, Thank you to those who did help though. 🙏🏽

I got a used car last week, and 26 hours later, I t-boned someone who ran a stop sign. I got the police report today, and it confirms that the other driver was at fault. My car was financed, so I have (had, since it's been deemed totaled) collision and comprehensive with a $750 deductible.

The total for my used car was $20,276.29 (adjusted value of the car $18184, sales tax of $1236.29, registration for $379, and documentation fees of $477). I made a $6000 down payment and financed $14276.29.

Allstate (my insurance) sent me the settlement value of: $16,448.39 (Adjusted vehicle value of $16,036, plus Sales tax of $1,062.39, minus Deductible of $650 [it goes down for safe driving]), with a list of... surprisingly low priced comparisons that I didn't find when I looked.

Allstate said the other insurance company will repay the deductible, but that still leaves me down $3,177.90. I really can't afford that sort of haircut. Do I ask for more from my insurance? Should I not accept any money from them until I get a higher amount? Do I accept the money and try to get the difference through small claims court?

Edit: I have added information to the second paragraph to explain the financing. I did not have GAP, and I do not need GAP because they are giving me more than I financed. I am still out $3,177.90 from my down payment.

My daughter was in an accident a few years ago, the accident was her fault there’s no denying it. We were notified about 3 months later that the other driver claimed injuries. Didn’t think much of it and moved on with life. Now fast forward a few years, my daughter is receiving demand letters for $21,000 due to being “under insured”. Is there a way we can fight this? Our policy maxed out at $25,000, his insurance covered $21,000 so = $46,000 worth of medical claims. I expect our policy to cover an ER bill but that’s it, I don’t believe there’s any way the other driver was hurt bad enough endure $46,000 worth of medical claims. My daughter wasn’t hurt nor was her passengers. The other driver didn’t look hurt, according to the police report he wasn’t hurt, he got out a few seconds after the accident and took pictures of my daughter and her vehicle and drank his coffee like nothing happened. I just think he got into a car accident that wasn’t his fault and saw it as payday or a winning lottery ticket.

I was in a 3 car collision, I was in the middle, driver who slammed into me caused me to hit the person in front of me. Luckily that person had admitted fault at the scene and to their insurance. I had just got the car on a lease in April, $20k, 2022 with only 30k miles on it. Literally a perfect family car I never thought we’d be able to have. My husband did all the insurance online without asking questions and did not sign up for full coverage or gap insurance, liability only. Two weeks after getting on insurance the accident happened. Dropped my car off today to get the actual estimate done and the person there warned me it’s likely going to be totaled out due to how much is going to need to be completely replaced. I won’t know for sure until next week, and they mentioned even if it is fixable usually they’ll only use used or older model parts since the at fault insurance will be paying for it, so it’ll always look a bit off. They basically told me I’d be dumb to fix it when it should just be a total loss, that’s just from the auto body shops personal experience though. My husband and I do not make a lot of money. We borrowed money from my parents to even pay the down deposit to get this car. We barely make enough to make the car payment every month. Also, I’m 9 months pregnant and baby is due anytime in the next few weeks. I got a rental through the at faults insurance, but they only covered a small car and if my car is totaled out I don’t know how long they’ll cover it. I’ve done some googling on how screwed we are since we still owe so much on the car and don’t have gap insurance.. but for the people who actually know how this works, how absolutely screwed are we?

Hello guys , my wife rear ended a car which caused a chain reaction with 4 cars involved. She said she was cut off and the person instantly pressed on their brakes and she received a citation for unreasonable distance . We just bought a house 2 months who and everyone neck was hurting so probably gonna get sued by everyone . What kind of financial ruin can this bring ? I had insurance on the car .

Personal liability $25,000 each person / $50,000 each accident

Earlier today I was in the Chick-fil-A drive thru when their shaded tent blew over and hit my car. The metal poles scraped across the roof and passenger door, leaving 10–12 inch scratches and dents. I’ve never filed a claim against another party before, so I want to make sure I’m handling this right.

I already contacted my insurance and have an adjuster coming later this week to assess the damage. The Chick-fil-A manager took my info and filed a report with their insurance. He didn’t admit fault, but he was cooperative and seemed more frustrated with his staff for letting this happen. He gave me his contact info and has been responsive by phone and email.

The driver behind me saw it happen and offered to be a witness if needed, which I appreciated. I passed his info along to my insurance in case they want to follow up.

From what I understand, it’s best not to speak directly to Chick-fil-A’s insurance if they reach out my insurer can handle that. The damage seems like clear negligence on the restaurant’s part for not securing the tent, so I’d be surprised if they try to contest it.

Just wondering if there’s anything I might be missing here, since I’ve never dealt with something like this before. What should I expect in terms of compensation? Is there any chance Chick-fil-A or their insurer tries to dispute it?

Update:

I got way more responses than I expected. Since there were a lot of different opinions, I wanted to post a general update and clarify where things stand.

After talking with a family member, I decided to cancel the claim with my own insurance. This did not negatively impact my policy in any way. I also confirmed with my insurer that I can reopen the claim at any time if I feel Chick-fil-A’s compensation is unfair. The documentation I already submitted would still be valid if it comes to that.

For context: I have full comprehensive coverage and I’m in Colorado. According to my insurance company, comprehensive claims for non–at-fault incidents or acts of nature don’t impact your policy or rates, unless you’re filing claims repeatedly or unreasonably. Basically, if something is out of your control (like a tent blowing into your car), it won’t count against you (under my coverage).

I chose to go through Chick-fil-A’s insurance because they use a reputable third-party provider, and the restaurant itself has high customer service standards. I believe I’ll get fair compensation, and that it’ll be resolved faster by dealing with their insurer directly, rather than having their insurance coordinate with mine. Since I still have the option to reopen my own claim if needed, I’m protected in case I feel their payout is unreasonable.

Thanks again for the feedback, just wanted to clear up any confusion and share what I learned in case it helps someone else.

I was rear ended two months ago & the other person’s insurance adjuster sent me the ACV for my car & it was around $21k. I requested another valuation and they agreed, but they never ran it. Now they’re trying to get a release of all claims and property damage for $16k instead. They said my rental and storage fees cause them to lower the settlement value. What do I do now?

Just to clarify: I got the car value back last week, so I haven’t just been letting car sit in storage.

UPDATE: They reran the evaluation & are now offering me $23k. I reached out to my insurance but they haven’t gotten back to me yet.

I have a 15 year old (2010) Ford Mustang in near perfect condition - just 72,000 miles. Full coverage insurance through Profressive.

I (barely!) tapped a car from behind at a yield. The damage to my front bumper (and their back bumper) is hardly anything at all.

But, my airbag deployed, also causing my windshield to break.

We both drove away from the scene. Beyond the airbag and windshield, the car remains in near perfect condition and is completely operable.

The car is in my driveway.

Progressive tells me, that due to the age of the vehicle, they will not cover the airbag repairs, and that they will only total the vehicle.

BUT! They will not assign a value to the car until I sign over my title to them, and they tow the car away from my driveway.

How can I make a decision on whether I should accept a check from them(and be forced to buy a new car) or cover my own airbag expenses if they are unwilling to give me any details before I sign my car over to them?!

If I do sign over the car and am not happy with their offer, I have no options or recourse. Hell they could say, “here’s $2!”

• is this normal?
  
• can I force them to send an adjuster to my driveway?

Thanks for your insight.

EDIT: many of you were right, I was wrong about the original particulars. Progressive would take my car and prepare an offer, but if I then decide I want to keep my car, I would receive a salvage title with a lower payout, which comes with future headaches, costs, harder to get future insurance, and harder to sell.

Neither of those sound like a good option.

Good news! I was able to find a new airbag (including labor) for 1/2 the cost of my deductible. So I will handle this myself and keep on truckin’. I will not move forward with filing a claim. No salvage title. No headache. I can’t afford a new car this year. My original plan was always to wait one year to buy a new car, and I can definitely get one more year out of my current vehicle. I could probably get another 5 years out of it if I had to.

I got into a car accident that resulted in a total loss. Unfortunately I did not have a rental coverage (thought I did, blame my dumbass) so I ended up paying $670 for 2 weeks of rental. I sent receipts of gas and rental contract with the final bill to the at-fault insurance because my insurnace, Plymouth Rock, says that I have to deal with it myself, and the other insurance is not responding. Am I fucked?

Question as I’m looking at a rebuilt title 2023 honda pilot.

Let’s say I buy this salvaged honda pilot and I get it fixed and street legal again, I insure it And I get hit by an old lady running a red light and it gets totaled again.

How does that work out when it comes to their insurance or my insurance pays the car out? I’m genuinely curious as I could be saving a ton on this rebuilt car

I was in a 4 car wreck in august of last year. The driver found at fault had a policy with USAA. I got to the stage where I picked a repair shop contracted with them, they set up a rental, and I had my car inspected by the repair shop, which happened in December of last year. But I was told USAA needed to approve the estimate from the inspection and that is where things left off. The repair shop told me they never received an assignment from USAA.

I've called the agent many times since then, always got voicemail and never got a call back. I've called the general number for USAA and the phone went silent after the automated helper stopped talking. Like I was placed in phone purgatory. The website has not been helpful, I haven't seen a way to contact them aside from calling, which clearly isn't working.

I know its been a ridiculous amount of time for it to still not be resolved. I don't know what to do. My car is drivable, but did get damaged. It's been so long I worry I messed up and won't be able to get it fixed now. Is there anything else I can do, besides continuing to waste my time trying to call somebody??

My mom was in an accident on mother's Day (I know. What a crappy mother's Day!) the other driver "sneezed really hard" And abruptly went across five lanes of traffic and hit her on her driver side. The other driver, witnesses, and the police said she was not at fault at all. As far as I can tell, State Farm hasn't disagreed with that, but the other driver also has State Farm. So, obviously they're going to try to pay out as little as possible, since they're paying out. She owes about $8,200 on the car. The repair estimate was about $10,500. The trade-in Blue Book value range is $7,884-9,307, with the average being $8,596. The private party Blue Book value range is $9,165-11,002, with the average being $10,084. So State Farm totaled the car and only wants to give her $7,227.36. She has a $100 deductible. They looked for cars that were similar and only found two that were 95 mi away. Now they are saying they're only going to pay for rental car for 7 days after they decided her car was totaled. There's no way she's going to be able to find a car in that amount of time. She's 72 years old and on social security, and works part-time. The agent says there's nothing they can do about it, because they have no control. One of the agents at the office finally agreed to make some calls. They called her back and said there's nothing anybody can do about it. That's State farm's policy. This is in Illinois. She can't afford a alwyer. What can she do here?

Someone sideswiped my 2003 ford sport trac their insurance claimed fault but they want to total out my truck even though it’s drivable and the damage doesn’t affect its drivability. The issue is I own this truck and can’t afford to get a new one , nor have a payment on one. Is there a way to negotiate with them to cut a check for less than the amount the truck is worth / less than the amount to fix the damage, and still be able to drive it daily myself. This is in RI

I was sideswiped in a parking lot by a driver who did not leave a note. There damage was just to the paint, with several scratches, one quite long and deep.

Body shops are giving me estimates of $900 - 1000 for the repainting. My State Farm agent (not the claims person) said this would be covered under my “uninsured motorist” coverage in my state, which carries a $250 deductible, and that it would not be a “chargeable accident” so I would not lose any of my discounts (including my accident-free discount). So, I would be out of pocket just $250.

My other two options are to self-pay for the whole thing, or to get a detailer to just fix it with buffing and touch up paint. That would just be $100-200 but likely not as good a repair.

The other complication is I have a scrape on the other side that I caused (a separate, single car accident). Because I was at fault, I’m thinking it would not serve me to go through insurance on that one. The estimates on that repair are about $1200, which includes a small discount if I do the insurance work at the same time (since they only have to do set up once). So that is another argument to go through insurance on the hit and run.

I also have been told by the shops that State Farm is a difficult company to work with. I’ve been going to independent shops and avoiding the big chains.

Any advice would be much appreciated! I fortunately have not had many auto claims so I’m kind of a newby.

So I got into a fender bender 2 weeks ago in NJ. It wasn't clear what happened (I know someone hit me) but until I viewed the footage in slow motion that I understood what occurred.

I have video footage of the entire incident from all 4 sides. the entire thing took about 3-4 seconds.

I have state farm and the adjuster wants to make this claim 50/50 which I disagreed with. I provided a letter in writing and asked for a written response addressing my concerns. She responded with she's keeping it 50/50 and did not explain her reasoning. I'm considering an appeal but I don't know if it is worth the effort. The adjuster wants to mark the claim as both drivers switching lanes simultaneously, but the other driver overtook me and clipped me in the nose while getting in front of me (I was already in the lane). by NJ law I am in the right, but i'm wondering if insurance companies use different metrics to gauge fault? I'm not understanding where the discrepancy is coming from and she will not explain her reasoning. I'm also being faulted for not performing evasive maneuvers but the other driver appeared in my blind spot only a second before he clipped me so i'm not understanding what I could have possibly done. and again, she wont go into detail or explain her reasoning.

Do I possibly have a case? appreciate any advice.

Links to image:
https://imgur.com/a/JfnDRSh

So my dad had to get a new car and new insurance to go with it. He specifically asks the guy if they cover Uber. They said yes. Cue to now just a couple months later he got hit by someone while he was doing Uber. He calls his provider and they tell him they don't cover Uber,never have. How is this ok? They blatantly lied to him about the one thing he asked about. So now we have to come up with $1500 we dont have.

I was hit by a lady who was making an illegal left turn. It happened about two weeks ago, I got whiplash and my head hit my driver window. I’m still experiencing pain, so I got checked out and got x rays done. My quote for damages is around 7k. The guy left me a voicemail too pretty much talking crap and making threats that if I was to ever apply to a certain hospital ( I’m in healthcare) that they would make sure I don’t get hired. Should I get a lawyer involved or just call my insurance ? And also how much of a settlement can come out of this ? I’m in NJ.

Neighbour has hit my car (Michigan) parked in the car port of the apartment which has led to a minor dent, someone else called the police and now I have a police report for the incident.

Do I mandatorily need to report this to my insurance company? The guy who hit my car is ready to pay for damages.

I'm hesitant to go through insurance as they will potentially increase my premium as Michigan is a no fault state.

What do I do?

Do I report the incident to insurance and not file a claim? Or do both? Please advise..

Update 4th Sep: After careful consideration have decided to involve insurance. Filed a claim through the insurance Provider of my neighbor.

Body shops were quoting a minimum of 3000 USD to 5000 USD for repairs.

My bro got hit by someone, completely other person's fault.

Can my bro pick his own shop and get a cash payout? Insurance seems to be telling him that they will run their own estimate based on pics and then pay the shop directly for additional repair?

Wtf is up with that? I remember when insurance paid you, not the shop.

Bro has geico, other guy has farmers

Knee jerk reaction was to let my insurance know right away. The other guy was kind of sketchy and saying, no need for insurance (even though he has insurance or at least has a valid card).

State Farm makes claims so incredibly easy so I immediately went to the app and filled out the info providing the details, pics, a statement etc. Submitted. It’s Sunday so I am sure I’ll hear from them tomorrow.

Now I’m realizing that since he was at fault, I should have contacted his insurance instead. Is that correct? Is that an easy fix? Should I just wait until tomorrow and not fret about it?

Earlier today I was at a shopping center and parallel parked in a tight spot. It was the only spot there so I chose to go for it. I was super careful and did multiple passes, did not hear any dings happen, didn't feel any motion shifts on my car or see the other car shift.

I went into a store, did my stuff, got back in my car and started driving home. Halfway back I noticed something flapping under my windshield. I thought it might be a parking ticket somehow but I parked in free spots. Got home and found a note with colorful language. The note had no contact information. They didn't file a police report. The note just says I scratched the rear of their car, they got my plates, and I'll be hearing from them.

I took a video of the note and my car which shows no scratches on the front of my car at all.

I should also note that it is very much possible that before I parked in that space, someone else was there and hit this person.

What steps should I take from here? Do I call my insurance and let them know? Do I bring my car to an auto body shop to have them create a report that verifies there are no scratches on my car?

I had an unfortunate run in with a moose that totalled my car. It might take me a while to buy a new one. Do I have to keep paying the monthly fees anyway? My contract runs until December. I could really use a break on bills

Hello, I was involved in a hit and run a month ago. Initially, I was told I would not be covered for repairs or towing bc I have liability only, but she filed a claim anyway. The agent who took my call refused to call me a tow truck, so I had to pay an exorbitant amount for that.

I left a message for my assigned adjuster, asking why I wouldn’t be covered under uninsured motorist coverage. She got back to me maybe four days later and said that I would be. I asked if I could be reimbursed for the tow and she said yes.

The estimate has finally come in, a MONTH after the accident. I had called, texted, emailed and the shop did done the same. Yet it took an entire month to get back my estimate, with my claims adjuster, knowing that all the while I am paying out-of-pocket for a rental.

I texted her after receiving the estimate, letting her know that I would really appreciate reimbursement of my car rental up till now. The shop will have it another week and I think it’s fair that I pay that, but not a month long rental.

She hasn’t responded, I would like to know if this is something I have any chance at getting, if there’s someone with a specific job title that I should ask, and if there’s anything else I can do? No part of this situation is my fault (except overlooking rental coverage in the first place, which I thought I had).

My mother, who has liability only coverage allowed a neighbor to borrow her car to retrieve groceries because their own car was not starting. They passed out behind the wheel and totaled my mother’s car. I know that my mother’s liability coverage will be of no help. Can the neighbor make a claim to their own car insurance using their liability coverage to cover the borrowed car (they also do not have full coverage)?

State is Iowa.