omfg!

x3

 

Sorry to hear that, it's a nasty phone call to be part of. I bet you went crazy for a few mins there.

If that's what happened then you have no reason to not get the cops and insurance involved. Getting hit from behind is almost always someone else's fault.

If you don't then give it a couple of weeks and the other party may have thought up some great story and made an excuse to not pay out.

Do it the proper way if she's not at fault.

 

ya... i told my wife to call the insurance company right away.... i hope she doesnt procrasinate.

 

indeed

 

Another good thing to know (even though it doesn't pertain to your situation), If this accident WAS her fault, her insurance rates will not go up if the insurance company pays out less than $750.

 

glad she's ok, but now its time to have a sit down with your wife and tell her to always call the cops when she is in an accident

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you ALWAYS call the cops and have the accident documented. I know someone who had the same accident and did just as your wife. Later the other person claimed that he was backed into. They had no way to prove what really happened. I hope this turns out OK for you but I have a bad feeling...

 

ya... i have heard lots of anecdotal evidence about what you should do and should not do and i have seen it swing both ways.

personally, i have been hit 4 times (other persons fault each time) in different trucks over the years and there was only 1 case that the person changed their story and i was out for the cost of the damage. in that case, it was a young kid in college and i bet his insurrance company would have jacked his rates so he changed his story. true, a police report would locked in the story.

in each of the cases that i was hit, the accident was so minor that i felt it was a waste of time to wait for and involve the police. but i got bit once... so i dont know.

hmm... i think i may go out and buy a couple of inexpensive digital cameras to keep in our glove boxes to use in cases like this. you just never know and had my wife had a camera, i am sure she would have taken pictures.

anyway... i digress

EDIT:
ohh... and it doesnt matter if you call the police or not in "no fault" states (unless there was bodily injury); the insurance companies are the ones who duke it out. (colorado is an example of a no fault state).

 

you have 24 hours to report an accident. i hope your ole lady visibly saw the other chicks drivers license and didnt have the other chick just tell her her info. report that mess. the damage may be under the bumper. those things sometimes pop out and it seems like nothing is wrong. good luck.

 

so i was able to inspect the damage.

her bumper has 4 circular depressions where the screws holding on the license plate of the suburban dug into it. there is also a small dent in the middle of the 4 circular depressions. my wife didnt think that there was more damage than that, but i inspected the seams and edges of the body panels and you can tell that they are off. the rear bumper on the Scion is one large piece thats about a foot tall and wraps around the sides of the car up to the rear wheel wells. the edges of that panel are lose and the seams dont line up all around it. obviously, there is some structural damage behind the panel; bent hardware i would assume. this body panel is a panted fiberglass piece so i dont know if that can be buffed down and repainted. if not, that would have to be replaced along with any supporting hardware. that could get up to $2k i would guess?

i also called the insurance of the lady who hit my wife and i filled a claim. i got a claim number and that department is supposed to contact my wife on monday for her statement and to figure out what we are going to do next.

i called my insurance company as well and they said that these events cant be challenged; the lady of the suburban rear ended a stopped car.. theres no getting out of that.

so, hopefully, all will turn out well

 

All I know is if that were me, I would have left work and started driving her path to work. Glad to know she's all good. As far as the Scion... tough car it sounds like. It's a keeper. Hope all turns out good in the end.

 

It's not anecdotal evidence if it's happened to you, too. From your own experience, you get burned 25% of the time you don't get the police involved.

FWIW, if anybody ever hits me, the cops are showing up. I don't care how much they beg/plead for me not to call them. Not calling the cops is just asking for trouble later.

I sincerely hope you're dealing with honest people. And, again, I'm glad to hear your wife is OK. I would have FREAKED if I'd received a call like that.

 

CA is different than most states when it comes to accidents. If you're driving down the street and a car falls out of a tree in front of you, and you hit it from behind, you are at fault. Hit a deer, at fault. Etc etc. It's obvious she was rear ended, the claim will take it's course all we be ok in the end. You would be surprised at how many people don't get police reports. Fender benders happen all the time. I always tell my clients to file a claim no matter what because at fault parties tend to change their stories - and that's why we pay for insurance, use it if it makes sense. Most of the time things work out the way it should.

 

whoa, glad she is okay.

I know that very feeling about wondering if a loved one is okay or not.

 

Glad she is safe!

 

It's nice of you to worry about me B.

 

UPDATE:
we filed a claim with the lady's insurance company (state farm) and they determined that their insured was 100% at fault and have agreed to fully pay for the inspection, estimates, repairs, and car rental.

so now we have to chose one of state farms "select service repair shops". i have a list to go through...

so far, everything is going smoothly.

 

Coolness

 

That is weird that you have to go through one of state farms "select service repair shops." They just told me to take it to whoever I want to get it fixed by.