? About how car insurance works after an accident

[*LC]

Someone ran into the back of our car. The accident was caused by factors outside the person's control, but it goes down as that person's fault.

I dont't want that person's insurance to go up and our car is still driveable, with obvious cosmetic issues. However, the other driver's insurance is now contacting us for a claim.The other driver's car was probably totalled according to talk at the accident, with lots of engine/front end danage. Will us filing a claim, since the insurance knows about the accident, cause additional insurance issues. The other driver was a single mom who had just started a new job, so I don't wantt to make things more difficult for her. However, there was nothing wrong with my tailgate before the accident and now it is obviouusly damaged. It does still work.

 

Thankfully, I have no experience in this area. Thanks.

[fairfarmhand]

I'd go ahead and file the claim. If her insurance already knows about the accident you might as well. If she's got a good driving record she may have accident forgiveness on her policy.

 

 

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[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'd go ahead and file the claim. If her insurance already knows about the accident you might as well. If she's got a good driving record she may have accident forgiveness on her policy.

 

 

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This. If insurance knows about the accident, her insurance will most likely go up whether you file a claim or not. The biggest cost to them is probably the damage done to her own car. She may have accident forgiveness, but even if she doesn't, my experience as an adult with insurance was that it didn't go up an unmanageable amount anyway. 

 

File the claim and don't worry too much about. You're very kind to think of her situation, though.

Edited January 16, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Guest]

I would file.  In most cases, once the insurer knows about the accident, they are going to do with rates what they are going to do.  Some insurance companies raise your rates if you even call to ask questions about filing a claim!  (They assume you have had an accident...)

 

The other thing is that you should get your car fixed.  Sometimes the damage that is visible isn't the damage that is going to make things break or make the car less safe.  I learned this when I got rear-ended (on my way to a wedding...).  The exterior damage was minimal--barely noticeable--and the car did *everything* it was supposed to do, so there wasn't even a slight personal injury.  

 

But the hidden damage was extensive.  The undamaged skin of the car hid the real safety mechanisms which were squashed.  Had I left it alone, the safety features of the car would have been compromised, and the next rear-ender could turn out badly.  The repair guy showed me what was underneath so I know he wasn't blowing smoke.  All the safety buffers (I don't know their proper names) had sheared off--which is what they are supposed to do--and some parts were crumpled--as they should be, because this is how the car absorbed the energy instead of leaving that to my human body.  

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I would file.  In most cases, once the insurer knows about the accident, they are going to do with rates what they are going to do.  Some insurance companies raise your rates if you even call to ask questions about filing a claim!  (They assume you have had an accident...)

 

The other thing is that you should get your car fixed.  Sometimes the damage that is visible isn't the damage that is going to make things break or make the car less safe.  I learned this when I got rear-ended (on my way to a wedding...).  The exterior damage was minimal--barely noticeable--and the car did *everything* it was supposed to do, so there wasn't even a slight personal injury.  

 

But the hidden damage was extensive.  The undamaged skin of the car hid the real safety mechanisms which were squashed.  Had I left it alone, the safety features of the car would have been compromised, and the next rear-ender could turn out badly.  The repair guy showed me what was underneath so I know he wasn't blowing smoke.  All the safety buffers (I don't know their proper names) had sheared off--which is what they are supposed to do--and some parts were crumpled--as they should be, because this is how the car absorbed the energy instead of leaving that to my human body.  

 

Wow, that's an excellent point and not one that would have occurred me. Thanks for posting.

[Arcadia]

Our insurance is with AAA for our corolla. We asked and the insurance goes up by $100-150 for three years if we have a driving misdemeanor ticket or we are in an accident. It varies by type of car; sedan, minivan, truck, SUV. We were hit on the passenger side so it was the other person's insurance that went up, her car had mild damage to the bumper as she backed into our car without looking.

[JFSinIL]

We have SafeCo and rates did not go up when hubby ran a stop sign and hit another car (no people hurt, was a 25 mph area, but our van totaled) or when dd went around a blind curve on a rainy day and rear-ended a car she could not see until too late to stop...it was a car that had already rear-ended a car that had stopped in the road for some reason.  Did I mention this was a blind curvy road in the rain?  Oh and someone rear-ended dd but was able to take off and flee the scene.  So you never know.  But do file a claim, let the insurance companies "talk" to each other and get your car fixed (I agree, there could be hidden damage affecting safety features). 

 

The girls who ran a stop sign in a 60 mph rural area right in front of us (so we with no stop sign hit them) had no insurance.  Our rates (as hapless victims) did not go up.