Two rear collisions on two succesive nights?
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Two rear collisions on two succesive nights?
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I live in NJ and I have NJM full coverage on my 04 Infinity G35x. I have been driving for almost 5 years and never got any tickets or involved into any accidents; a clean record. A lady backed up into my car while it was parked on Friday night. I happened to be walking away from it when that happened. She was an older lady that couldn't communicate in english so I called the police. Paint was chipped off the rear bumper's corner and center. The officer said that he wrote in the report all the details, and that I am absolutely not at fault. He added that since my car was parked, reporting it to my insurance company shall not raise my premium. The lady's son arrived at the scene shortly after the officer left; we agreed not to contact insurance companies and that he will pay for my damages. The following morning I got an estimate of $899 from a reputable collisions repair shop, without bumper replacement. I notified the lady's son and he asked that we take the vehicle to another repair shop that his sister dealt with and did a great shop. I went to the shop before him to get an unbiased estimate; which was $613 without replacing the bumper. He agreed to have it repaired at the cheaper shop; but I insisted to have it done at the first ($899). Because the first shop had more quality finishing done to the vehicle; and most importantly because I felt they can scam me behind my back some way or another. We couldn't reach an agreement and I called my insurance company who said an adjuster will handle my case within the next two business days. That same day (Saturday night); on my way to NY and right before the lincoln tunnel's toll pay. I stopped in line to pay, and three seconds after; another old lady rear ended me car. We called the police who filed another report. This accident completely damaged my bumper, pushed my trunk door inwards, and bent the metal by the fuel lid area a little. The lady agreed to work it out without insurance, and we exchanged numbers. Now it is Sunday morning and I don't know what to do. NJM (my insurance) is ok with one claim but I noticed their preferred tier is 1 claim per 5 years record. I am not sure if I can cancel the first claim, since the repairs to the second collision will fix the first collision's damage anyways. But again, I am afraid that if I cancelled the first and not reach an agreement with the second, then report the second; my insurance company would charge me for 2 claims. My collision deductable is $1000 and I am absolutely cluless of what I should do. Please answer to the best of your knowledge without satire or sarcasm. I just paid $20,000 to buy this car a month ago and it's absolutely devastating to see this happen to it. Thank You.
Additional Details
Thanks for the first two answers I got so far; a little more detail in response:
1) The first incident is reported already and I have 9 days to report the second.
2) I did HEAR (never read) from numerous people that in NJ, when both cars are in operation (not parked), both premiums go up regardless of who is at fault. Meaning that yes I may not have to pay for damages but my premium would still go up. My girlfriend got into a similiar incident whereas the other driver backed into her front end while getting out of a parking spot at a mall. The officer reporting to the scene told her she would be better off handling it without insurance since both premiums will go up.
Thanks again for your input, and pardon my lack of knowledge with these matters.
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Hennie S
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Mike, For car insurance the quickest method to get a low quote is do a car policy comparison. Be sure to choose the same coverage levels, you can get an accurate quote to compare against others. Use the same coverage area, auto make/model, mileage and driving history to ensure you get an apples to apples comparison. To get fast auto insurance quotes, go to http://www.autoadviceonline.com/Auto-Insurance-Quote.html and you can compare all the major auto insurance companies. |
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Luna & Lawnboy
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I really do not think your insurance is going to go up. You were clearly not at fault for either loss. When you mention these tiers, are they referring to any accident, or just at fault accidents?
You are kidding yourself about having the second loss pay for the entire damage. Appraisers are very good at what they do. Based on the description of the accidents, they will likely be able to determine what accident caused what damage. I have seen far too many claims go bad when people decide to handle claims on their own. For example, who is going to pay for the rental while car is in the shop?
You should report both losses to your insurance company for records only. Let them know you are going to file third claims.
Skip dealing directly with the individual parties. Contact THEIR insurance companies and report the losses. Provide the first with your estimate. They will pay you for the damages, but may compromise the settlement by averaging the estimate from the garage. The second will appraise the vehicle and deduct the old damage. Just be up front with both insurers.
Stop being such a nice guy, it is going to bite you in the butt later. It is too bad if these two individuals do not like how you wish to proceed. |
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Skyhawk
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#1 Unless YOU are at fault, your deductible has nothing to do with it and it will NOT affect your driving record.
#2 You are violating your contract with your insurance company, and possibly the law, when you settle it outside of insurance.
You are only asking for trouble by doing this.
Go to your insurance company, give them the reports of BOTH accidents and let them handle it. That is WHY you pay them. You WON'T be paying the deductible, and your insurance rates will NOT go up.
The insurance company of the other operators are liable for any damage that is caused by one of their insureds, NOT yours. Your insurance company just works on your behalf to get the money.
Learn from this lesson and NEVER agree to handle accidents outside of insurance.
EDIT: O.K. Apparently New Jersey has a different system.
That being the case, the first one should not cause a rate increase. The second one would, under that system, but you still would not be liable for the deductible.
I'd still discuss it with my agent, see what they say.
Wow, I'm amazed that the officer advised her to not to go through insurance. I guess New Jersey is different because in most states it is mandatory to notify the insurance company of any accident.
Good Luck |
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mtwaites
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Whenever problems like this occur, it is always a good idea to go through the insurance. I can understand your reluctance to go through the insurance as your insurance rates will go up, but you do need to have someone who is impartial to both sides in order to come up with a fair and accurate estimate of what happened, and to mediate the cases.
I know that you're not wanting your premiums to go up, but let me say that if you go along dealing through the way without insurance, you might be having way more problems than if you handled it through insurance. Sure your premiums may go up, but if you're scammed since these are two older ladies, you never know what will happen. The premiums will just raise for a while before they will stop again. This will be I believe when you have been free from an accident for at least 6 years. |
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