My Injury Claims is a site dedicated to those who have suffered injuries and are trying to endure the difficult task of completing the claims process. It is difficult enough to suffer through the injury itself, but to navigate your way through the red tape and collect what is rightfully yours can make the process unbearable at times. So we are here to provide a place to discuss and vent (if necessary).
I insure my car with Admiral insurance in the UK. Recently I was involved in a very minor accident, for which I do not intend to claim. It is not clear whether the other party will claim from their insurance or not. If I report the accident to my insurer, even if neither side actually puts in a claim pertaining to the accident, will this be considered as a claim for working out my No Claims Bonus next year?
I had a similar situation a few months ago. Someone clipped my back bumper, no major damage, and no injuries (thankfully). She was humming and hawing about whether she should put it through her insurance.
What I did was to straight away report the incident to my local garda station, just to have the incident on record, and I phoned my insurance company the following day. I didn't give my name, just made the specific enquiry - did I have to officially inform them of an incident in which I had no liability and no claim in. They told me I didn't, so I didn't officially inform them of anything!
The best thing always is to get any minor incident on record in your local police station - that way, you have some recourse if the other party decides to change their story - that happened once to a friend of mine, who ended up getting completely scr*wed by the other party.
Good luck.
This year I had a car accient that wasn't my fault, but now my renewal has come through and I have zero no-claims bonus. Is The other party is paying compensation etc so does it still count as a claim? If so am I entitled to claim the difference (as my insurance has jumped from around £500 to over £1000!) I'd apreciate hearing from anyone who has any knowledge or suggestions! Thanks.
The way it works is you report to your insurers, who will then claim off the other party's insurers. If the other party's insurers accept the claim then they will be paying out, not yours, so you won't lose your NCB. There is no claim on your cover.
I'd contact your insurers to establish what is going on - it may be that the NCB is suspended temporarily while the bickering between insurance companies is going on, but they should tell you what's happening. Something similar happened to me once, it turned out that some clerk in their office had put a tick in the wrong box . . .
My car accident scenario gets worse ….
The driver who hit me in fact had insurance on the car, but he did NOT OWN the car (and you cannot insure something you don't own). SO the driver has reported his insurance company (Infinity) to the Dept of Insurance b/c he was paying premiums on a car he didn't own and Infinity never checked to see who owned the car.
My NEW, highly IMPROVED Allstate adjuster has told me to sue the *driver* in small claims court (as she/Allstate will be going after the *owner* for damages, deductible, etc).
I am planning on asking for:
1. Rental car charges (40.24/day by 50-60 days) - as I don't have rental car on my uninsured coverage - since insurance is required by law in California!
2. Loss of Value (as soon as my car is fixed… we are at 45 days and it still isn't done) which for a 2007 with 4,000 miles on it will be approximately $3,000 (I have visited both CarMax and dealership for estimates).
Am I missing anything?
Suggestions?
1. Loss of value (per my agent, it may work b/c we are selling the car and will document through 3 dealerships - cost of repairs are over 15,000.00 and still going - too bad it has to be 50% of value to total!)
2. I am suing the driver, not my insurance company … my insurance policy does not cover a rental car for uninsured collision coverage. They paid for the deductible, the repairs, etc.
3. I have FOUR children to drive - so there is no car with three rows of seats to rent at 25/day. Most of the time, I only have the baby or two youngest, but I can't put a booster seat in the front passenger by law - so no 25/day for me.
4. So what all do you sue for (small claims in CA is 7,500?) - rental car, loss of value (though it is not a given), time off work,
5. CA does not allow court/filing fees to be included for small claims (SC100 form states this)
I don't know about your new and improved Allstate adjuster, but let me break it down for you……
The Allstate policy has what's called a Right of Recovery clause in it. What that means is YOU can not do anything to jeopardize their ability to collect back the money they paid to fix your car. THEY have assumed YOUR rights since they paid on your behalf. (What they can not do though is subrogate for something they did not pay, like your rental) NOW…..
You can go to small claims court, but 1) you have to sue the DRIVER AND THE REGISTERED OWNER and 2) you have to sue for ALL the monies Allstate paid out on your claim + your deductible. If the TOTAL amount of money paid out exceeds the small claims court threshold, you have to file your case in civil court. Also, you can not sue 1 person and Allstate the other, you have to sue them both for ALL damages, and only 1 of you can do it.
In CA, you CAN NOT sue for loss of value–there is no such thing in CA.
If you take the incorrect advice of your new and improved adjuster and sue the driver for just your rental car charges….guess what? You have forever barred Allstate from recovering their money back and THEY will come after you for 1) breach of contract and 2) the money they were unable to collect. How do I know? I was an Allstate adjuster in CA for many years and I have seen this happen repeatedly to people who didn't listen to me about this same subject and decided they knew more than I and are now in collections.
I had an accident while driving a company pool van (my fault) the damaged was payed for by the companies car insurance. Does this affect my personal no claims bonus.
Cars don't have accidents, people do. The accident is part of your driving record. People assume the claims-free discount has to do only with claims on personal policies, but an at-fault accident is still an at-fault accident no matter who owns the vehicle you were driving. Sorry.
An automobile insurance adjusted from insurance company get paid for their services.