If you were in a car accident-Ins. claim

amother

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:02 am

I was in a minor fender bender. I was partly at fault but according to the police report I was totally at fault.
The other party filed an insurance claim with my insurance and milked my insurance company for lots of money. I just spoke to the ins co and they gave me an exact list of what they paid out. Basically it was a beat up, old car and they managed to get insurance to pay for lots of the damage that was obviously there before.

My question is now that ins paid out a large amount of money and its already going to cause my premiums to increase a lot when I renew my policy in another month, If I file a claim now to repair my damage to my own vehicle (extremely minor but I wouldn't mind making money off this if its a possibility) will my insurance premiums go up even more? or it just goes up a set amount based on the fact that there's an accident claim...?

this is in NJ. thanks!

listenhere

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 10:24 am

As far as I know, It goes by incident. Your insurance doesn’t go up more if they got more money. And yes, you should get your car fixed as well because it won’t make a difference.

Most insurance companies also allow one incident without the insurance going up.

Your insurance agent should be able to answer your questions in more detail and with more confidence.

amother

Bone

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 10:27 am

I don't know.

When I was in an accident (not in nj) my insurance company reached out to me to hear my side of the story and ended up putting all the blame on the other driver even though the police report said otherwise. (Police report said I hit her, but I was able to prove that I didn't)

You do have to realize that depending on the expenses involved it may be easier for the insurance company to just pay relatively minor costs.

But if you know the damages were from previously you should talk to the insurance company and ask why your policy paid.

amother

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 10:34 am

listenhere wrote:

Thank you!! I actually called my insurance agent and two others. My agent had no clue at all. the other two each said opposite things Smile

amother

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 10:38 am

amother Bone wrote:

Because I did not have the right of way, the agent said I am automatically at fault.
They actually went to get a private quote because I begged them not to take out a claim on my insurance. I heard how high premiums increase once that happens. The auto body quoted them like $800 to fix the dent.
After they insisted on just going thru insurance, they got close to 10k!!! For damages that wasn't even in the area of the crash. I have no idea how that can be. I already called the ins company and ask them what was going on. But they snobbed me out and said that their adjuster knows what he's doing and I can file a complaint but the other party already got their money so there's not much to do at this point.

amother

Forestgreen

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 10:41 am

amother OP wrote:

Something sounds off. Insurance companies are notorious for making you fight to get legit damages covered.

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 11:56 am

1. I'm not sure that the other party can force you to go thru your insurance. Meaning if it is agreed that you are responsible for the damage, you are then required to make good and have it repaired. If you have an estimate from a body shop that the repair will be $1000, you should always accept that and not go thru your insurance because insurance never cares and just balloons the damage 5x what it actually is and then recoups their money by raising your premiums.

Did the insurance already pay? You should immediately stop the insurance claim and resolve it yourself. Unfortunately your insurance will go up way more (especially over time) than the $1000 it will cost you to fix the damage.

2. As far as your own car, you said there is minor damage. You almost certainly have a deductible of between $500 and $1000 which you will have to lay out if you proceed with a claim for your own damage. It doesn't seem worth it to make a small claim considering this.

amother

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 12:51 pm

amother Hotpink wrote:

Re 1. they did 'Force' us. they were actually extremely nasty to me. I apologized and right away told them I really rather not go thru insurance and just fix it privately. they agreed to get a quote but then told us that they will be filing an ins claim because they want to and they have the right to. what more was I able to do?

Ins company already paid out.

re 2. if they managed to extort so much from my ins company for damages to areas that was even part of the accident then why wouldn't I be able to do the same? If I can make 4/5k from the accident and my deductible is $500. its not worthwhile?

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 1:16 pm

amother OP wrote:

Ok, you said in your op that the damage is extremely minor to your car. While it's true that auto insurance companies throw money around, there's only so much you can get if it's extremely minor.

Also, I think these insurance companies will try to recoup their money and then some by raising your premiums. So I'm not sure it's really possible to come out ahead.

amother

Forestgreen

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 1:23 pm

amother OP wrote:

When you say "make 4/5k" do you think you are going to be walking away with cash? That's not how insurance claims work. The body shop needs to put in a claim and get it approved and then they get paid. You won't be walking away with anything besides a fixed car.

amother

Milk

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 1:33 pm

I’m not in NJ, but someone scratched my minivan in a parking lot. The scratch didn’t look so bad, but it was so big that I needed basically the whole side of my van fixed up so it was a crazy amount of money. Like it started from the back window, went across the sliding door, stopped at the driver door. But each part that there was a scratch had to be replaced. It ended up being the bumper, the back panels, the door panels, tons of stuff. And it didn’t matter if there was a scratch from before somewhere else, the car had to be fixed and repainted and once it’s repainted the whole piece has to be repainted. So OP maybe that’s what happened to the other car. Yes, the damage from your car wasn’t bad, but if a lot had to be replaced it’s $$$$$$$. Good luck!

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 1:38 pm

amother Forestgreen wrote:

Some big insurance companies have claim centers where you can bring your car in and have.them asses sha value the damage. They'll then give you a check. If you choose not to repair the damage, you can keep the money. Nothing shady.

amother

Steelblue

Sun, Dec 31 2023, 2:19 pm

amother OP wrote:

They likely only gave $800 for the car. All the rest was likely for medical. In most states, all medical related costs to an auto accident have to be paid for by car insurance. Medical insurance can only pay once the car insurance policy is maxed out.

Even if they looked fine at the time, whiplash usually manifests the next day. One visit to the ER could rack up a bill ov 10k easily with imaging.

amother

Tue, Jan 02 2024, 12:07 am

amother Steelblue wrote:

No. Not at all. The Insurance company gave me the exact details of everything they paid out. it was ONLY for car damage. and their car rental. nothing medical related.