Help! I hit a car in the parking lot today and I need some advice.?

Emilie C

It doesn't matter if your mother never told the insurance company you would be driving. If you have a permit, temporary license, or you just GOT your license, you are still covered under her insurance. I think If you have no other options, you will have to go through the insurance, however, if you can find a way to pay, I would do it that way, since the other lady is willing to work with you. See if you can make payments to her, or if she'd be willing to work with you any other way. I hope things work out for you. Have an awesome day! =)

familyof404

most insurance comp. go back 3-5 years to check your record after that it is no longer on there.if your not on the policy you won't be covered. make payments to the lady.

expertless

emilie gave you perfect advice. I dont understand why several people talked about hit and run. You stated very clearly that you have talked to the lady. No hit and run there. Follow emilies advice. and by the way, you dont have to be listed to be covered by the ins company.

Beetle Becca

It varies state-to-state, but in PA, the legal cut-off for insurance companies using an accident "claim" against your rates is about $1500. This is helpful because if you get into a minor little fender-scratching(like what you got into), it won't be used against you. Although $1200 seems like a fortune to someone who doesn't have it, in the grand scheme of things $1200 is really not that much for an accident.

So bottom line...unless your parents or other family members had other accident claims in the last year or so, you will probably be able to report the accident and it won't increase your insurance rates.

However, if $1200 is above your state's legal cut-off, then perhaps you should just pay it off and avoid going through insurance. See if you can borrow the money from your parents, and work out a payment plan. Even if you don't pay them, it is ultimately your parents' responsibility, since it was their car that you were driving(I'm assuming it was their car, right? but if the car is registered in your name, then the responsibility falls on you). If your state's cut-off is less than $1200, then that means that the insurance company will be able to use this $1200 claim against you. It will raise your rates for ~3yrs(again, this varies from state to state). You DO NOT want to file a claim for something that barely makes the cut-off; it is not worth it! Learn from my experience:

Three years ago, I was in the exact same situation as you, except the damage was $1560(only b/c it was a new car). In my state(PA), the legal cut-off is $1500, so if the damage had been $61 less, it wouldn't have affected my rates. But I didn't have the money at the time(it was during the times that I was poor), so I went through insurance. Since then, my premiums have increased an average of $300/6-mo. period...that's $1800 total increase over 3 yrs time!!!...and the claim itself only costed $1560! So essentially the insurance profited off me. So my point is, if your $1200 claim is over the state cut-off, then work out something with your parents where you can pay them back over time! If you don't, it'll raise your rates AND your parents rates(assuming that the car you drove was registered in their name) for the next 3yrs.

To all the "slow" people posting on this board -- it's not a hit-n-run, dummies. The original poster stated that the lady was willing to work things out without going to the insurance company, which indicates that not only did they stick around after the car got hit, but they met the lady in person. The poster's dad even took the lady's car to get an estimate. Please read all the details before you assume, or you look stupid.

fighting saints

Tough situation to be in. Here are some suggestions from a claims adjuster.

1. Ignore the people who are telling you that you will have to pay a deductible if you have your mom's insurance handle the claim. The deductible would only apply to damages to your parents car (if they have collision coverage) not for damages to any other car. In 20 years I have not seen a personal auto policy with a liability deductible so ignore the answers that talk about that.

2. Also ignore the answers that say your mom's policy won't cover you. If this was true, I would have been able to deny hundreds of claims during my career. It's not true. As a newly licensed driver in the household coverage will be provided if you report the accident to your mom's insurance company. Won't be a problem.

3. This whole thing comes down to the money. In the long wrong paying the lady yourself is the cheapest. (although, I should add that legally you would also owe her for a rental car while her car is being repaired. Figure $30 a day). Your mom's rates are going to go up just for adding you to the policy accident or no accident. Having the accident will make the increase even more with most companies. I would suggest that you find a way for your parents to pay the damages themselves. If that isn't going to work then report it to your mom's company and get a part-time job to help pay for your part of the rate increase.

Good Luck with your decision.

Czech Chick

Get a part time job and make payments to her.
Sell something on ebay to get the money.
Have a yard sale to get the money.
Ask your parents to pay her off, then pay your parents in chores and jobs around the house, inside and out.
Get your full license, insurance so you don't have to worry about this in the future. Good luck!

Big C

I guess NO ONE got the right answer. If your parents have insurance and someone from the house drives the car and gets in an accident, like you. Then the insurance does not cover you. That is if you are not listed as a driver in your parents insurance policy, then the policy does not cover you. What it WOULD cover if you lived with your dad and then were visiting your mom and THEN got in an accident.

This is how it works. Insurance covers drivers listed from a household. If any other driver from the SAME ADDRESS of the policy is not listed then they are not covered. Now if another person from a DIFFERENT address drives the car, then the person is covered. That is how it works.

So because you are a residence of your parents household and were not a listed driver then the insurance witll not cover the accident. Even if they report it, the insurance will still not pay.

So you just have to pay.

Rica 82

Honestly, you are better off fixing the car. Ask your parents to pay for it and you'll pay them back as you can. If you go through your insurance company, you will have to lay out the deductible anyway. How much is your deductible? $500 or $1,000.00. Why contact them and then have to pay it anyway? Save yourself the hassle. If this woman is willing to work with you, then just fix her car. Because next thing you know, she'll be suing for personal injuries. So get it over with and I suggest you have her sign a release too, so she doesn't try suing you again for it, since you wouldn't have any proofs.

iWISH iWAS

Her not telling the insurance company depends from company to company and the contract. For instance my old insurance it would of had mattered but my new insurance it does not matter who drives my car. Anyways, sorry to hear about what happened you. But the only way I see out is paying it up front. meaning paying the lady 1200 $. Because lets say if you are an average American family which you are lol your deductible is going to be 500 $ anyways so regardless you are going to be paying 500 $ so i suggest you speak with the lady and try to work out a deal like a payment plan or something but i urge you not to go though insurance. Because if you are new driver which you are ... I can guarantee you that you will be paying 300$ more dollars at least per 6 months for 3 years. Good luck with your situation I hope everything works out.

becauseigotnothingbettertodo

If you kill that lady, there is no problem..... Or rob a liquor store between 1037pm and 1222am and get that cash. Then fire your car out of a cannon into the sun.

amalia s

if the damage is $1200, it's not life changing at all. ask your family for money and i'm sure they'll help you out. but if you run away, then it's a "hit and run" .

Lord Hazzard

go back to thecar, if its still there, and leave your insurance details. then at least its not a 'hit and run'

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