Would insurance cover an accident on a Forest Road?

Lol well it's kinda dependent on your insurance and how much they're willing to work with you tbh.

But as far as my situation went. I described the incident to them completely honest. Didn't lie about anything, just told them what happened and let them decide if they wanted to cover. They did, so then they contacted the shop that had the truck to go over damage, and I submitted as many receipts for aftermarket parts to increase the value and avoid a salvage title.

Once it was determined by the insurance how much they were going to cover, the adjuster essentially cut me the check and told me that I could choose what I wanted the shop to fix, and what I didn't. Because in my case, there were a bunch of other cosmetic issues (chips, scratches, etc) that I couldn't prove happened separately, so they wanted to cover and repair it all.

The only caveat was, whatever I didn't have fixed, wouldn't be covered in any future claims (understandably). I ended up picking up the check, and having the shop fix the necessary transmission, suspension, and other mechanical stuff, a couple major dents, and then took the rest of the funds they allocated for paint and such, and put it towards some installs I had to do, as well as some armor, LCA/spindle reinforcement, bedliner on the doors, etc.

I would just be up front with your insurance, and ask if they'll require you to repair it according to their assessment, or if you can pick and choose what to repair based on necessity. I might have had more options since I'd taken my truck to a shop before filing the claim and they didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving it around to one of their approved shops, so that might have factored in. But they were pretty easy to work with in my experience. I could have easily just fixed the required mechanical parts, and pocketed the rest, but I had a lot I wanted to do to the truck so it worked out.

#1 thing is don't lie! You might get away with it, but it really isn't worth it. Any future claims will be under much greater scrutiny just based off damage reimbursement, and if you are caught lying, insurance companies have entire teams dedicated to figuring this stuff out and raking you over the coals when they do. And you will have one hell of a hard time getting insurance after.

 

This is nonsense. No insurance will even revisit your old claims unless you're changing insurance or have many claims in a very short time. Fraud teams at car insurance companies are pretty small. The first two people you talk to have to elevate it to the fraud team and they rarely do that because they're slammed with regular claims.

One of my kids works for Geico and the other for Allstate. Both confirm you can tell them anything you want, just don't add to or change your story later.

 

That's now how my buddy who works as an adjuster for Geico explained it (or the adjuster who handled my case) and he tells me daily about cases he gets that he escalates to the fraud team with even a hint of suspicion, despite being completely slammed with claims anyways.

Just sharing what I've heard from him. From what I understand, it's easier for him to pass a case onto the fraud department so he doesn't have to deal with it anymore and clear his table for other claims, than it is to not escalate it and keep handling it.

As far as revisiting...mine did. Farmer's Insurance. I'm a man of integrity, and don't endorse lying as a principle, but especially on an insurance claim where money is at stake. Lies are harder to keep track of than the truth.

 

That’s all true and nice but you’re dealing with companies who never lower your rate but lower the value of your car. You then have to claim diminished value even though they know the value the day you total it. Your insurance company couldn’t care less about you and you should have the same outlook. You protect your wallet while they try to extract all they can from it.

 

Which is why I don't encourage lying to them, because they'll jump at any chance to deny your claim and leave you high and dry.

I'm not saying to be honest to help them out. I'm saying it to help yourself out. Especially if you're trying to get paid out, which is exactly what they try to avoid doing.

 

I’d encourage telling them whatever protects you and gets your car fixed.

I mean you can tell them you ass ended a buddy off roading but at that point there's no reason to talk to them unless you want your car fixed and rate to go up.

 

To each their own I guess.

OP just asked how I used my insurance in my favor, and I told him. He can choose to do as he pleases.

 

I’ve spoken with geico and they said yes your normal coverage is good on forest roads. As long as it’s marked.

 

@therealprotaco

 

There are some wild things being said here. I would like to say for the record I have worked for them for 15 years. I cannot give advice on this claim, but please do not follow advice on forums other than get an idea of other experiences. Every situation is different. Every accident is different. Every car is different. Etc. The only person that is going to tell you what you can do or what will happen is your adjuster.

Also, be truthful, SIU has a good potential to find threads like this to use in investigations.