got rear ended yesterday

[HAVOC]

I left work, stopped in to CVS, and went home.
There was traffic ahead for a red light, as soon as I stopped, the car behind me didn't. He pushed me into the car in front of me.
I think my car is totaled. I don't have any pictures because I got taken to the hospital so I could be checked out. Going to see the car today.

The guy that hit me got a ticket for following too close. Calling my insurance and lawyer on Monday.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I left work, stopped in to CVS, and went home.
There was traffic ahead for a red light, as soon as I stopped, the car behind me didn't. He pushed me into the car in front of me.
I think my car is totaled. I don't have any pictures because I got taken to the hospital so I could be checked out. Going to see the car today.

The guy that hit me got a ticket for following too close. Calling my insurance and lawyer on Monday.

Wow! I'm so sorry that happened but I'm glad you are alright!

I don't know about your insurance company but mine has a number you can call 24/7 to report an accident. If yours does (it would be listed on the back of your insurance card), you might want to call them right away to let them know what happened just to be on the safe side, then talk to your agent and lawyer on Monday.

 

[HAVOC]

Ok. I call later today.
My back is killing me. I had a previous back injury and this didn't help.

Just checked the website (Allstate). There is a 24/7 number.

 

[Barman58]

Make sure you get the report from the hospital - unfortunately although you are the victim you have to prove it to the legal profession

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Make sure you get the report from the hospital - unfortunately although you are the victim you have to prove it to the legal profession

Same for the police report of the accident. Your lawyer should be able to handle all that, though.

 

[HAVOC]

The X-rays came back negative, so that's good.

I have to wait 5 days to get the accident report. I got the report from the hospital. The hospital wants insurance info from the other driver (I think), which I won't have until Friday.

I'm going to have my lawyer look at it. I don't know if he handles car accidents. He mainly does workers comp cases.

At least I get to try out my new printer/scanner/fax. My Lexmark that I had for 5 years died and I just bought a HP OfficeJet Pro 8710. I'm going to save everything to do with this accident.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have to wait 5 days to get the accident report. I got the report from the hospital. The hospital wants insurance info from the other driver (I think), which I won't have until Friday.

I'm going to have my lawyer look at it. I don't know if he handles car accidents. He mainly does workers comp cases.

At least I get to try out my new printer/scanner/fax. My Lexmark that I had for 5 years died and I just bought a HP OfficeJet Pro 8710. I'm going to save everything to do with this accident.

Make sure you keep the originals of your paperwork even after you scan it (scanning is still an excellent idea). Some entities are still in the 20th century and will require originals, not copies.

I hope your back feels better soon!

 

[Barman58]

I have my insurance with the AA (original of the US AAA, not Alcoholics Anonymous )

What this means in practical terms is that should I have an accident I make one phone call and then an Incident manager will be assigned who will deal with everyone that needs to be dealt with, and they will allocate a specialist legal team to tie everything together - they will of course also arrange repairs / relocation of the vehicle and onwards transport of me and passengers if that is appropriate - Not had an incident in many years but good to have the re-assurance

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have my insurance with the AA (original of the US AAA, not Alcoholics Anonymous )

What this means in practical terms is that should I have an accident I make one phone call and then an Incident manager will be assigned who will deal with everyone that needs to be dealt with, and they will allocate a specialist legal team to tie everything together - they will of course also arrange repairs / relocation of the vehicle and onwards transport of me and passengers if that is appropriate - Not had an incident in many years but good to have the re-assurance

Things are a wee bit different over on our side of the pond. While some insurance companies will assist with legal and other matters after an accident, they mostly look out for their own interests (some are better than others). Still, it's best to get them onboard as soon as possible after an accident.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Bummer
I'm sure if your lawyer isn't interested they will surely have a referral
Hopefully the person whom hit you has insurance it is not automatic unfortunately.

 

[HAVOC]

He stated to me that he had insurance. I didn't get any info as I was taken away pretty quickly. The cop gave me a paper with the accident report number and that was it.

 

[Anak]

First of all let me say, I am glad to see that you are in good spirits, and I wish you well in your recovery!

The X-rays came back negative, so that's good.

A general X-ray will only show; If there are any broken bones it won't show muscle strain.

It has been 43years since I had my, as I like to call it, "sandwich" I was on my way to work when a VW stopped short in front of me for a red light and another VW rear-ended me pushing me into the VW in front. My glasses ended up on the floor behind me. The investigating officer asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital and I thought I don't know, I feel okay, but I'm glad I took his advice because an hour later I left the hospital and this is after x-rays, wearing a soft neck brace because my neck and shoulders were all stoved up and I still suffer from neck, shoulder, and back pain. Since it was the driver behind me that caused the accident his insurance covered everything between the three vehicle's.

As Lady F and Barman mentioned, keep detailed records, It may have changed over the years but find out if the driver that hit you has the same insurance as you, mine did and because of that my deductible was waived. If your insurance has a 24/7 # you may want to think about starting proceedings asap. Also, try to find out if that driver was inattentive especially from phone usage. Expect A phone call or two from your and his insurance company and maybe his lawyer. Get your version of the accident write it down, and stick to it.

Do not be so quick to make settlement it may take a couple of months or more before the insurance companies approach you to settle, that's what happened to me but I stretched it out to a year just to have them cover any complications from my "whiplash" and there were several. They will use intimidation to try and force you to settle so it would be a good idea to contact your lawyer for advice, if your already seeing your lawyer for workman's comp this accident may have a bearing on your comp case and the lawyer may decide to help you out. If s/he can't help ask for a referral.


All the best for you,

Steve

 

[HAVOC]

Just got off the phone with my insurance. I started the claim and spoke to someone who took down all my info and kept asking questions I have no answer to, like year/make/model of the car that hit me and who he has insurance with. They are sending an adjuster out this week to look at the car.

 

[HAVOC]

A lot of sheet metal damage in the back. Trunk wont close.

 

[Anak]

Even though you don't have all the answers they will come with time and you will be able to satisfy the adjuster. The important thing is you started the ball rolling. One thing you could try is to call the police department that handled the accident give them the report number and ask if they could email you the report, that's a stretch though as most would prefer you to show up or send by fax.

As far as your car, it depends on the insurance company, some will go as high as $10,000 in damages before they total a vehicle but there are other factors involved in totaling a vehicle, you said you're with Allstate?

What happens if my vehicle is totaled?

A claims adjuster will review the estimate and determine the actual cash value of your car. If the cost to repair your car exceeds the amount it's worth, your car will be declared a total loss, or "totaled". In that case, Allstate will pay you the actual cash value of your car, up to your policy limit, minus your deductible.

Source: Auto Insurance Claim FAQ | Allstate Auto Insurance

I don't know about Allstate, but some companies will allow some haggling about the vehicles worth, it depends on what your gut tells you while working with the adjuster. Did the adjuster ask you if your airbags deployed? that seems to be an important question for any insurance company, it may not total your vehicle in and of itself but can cause enough collateral damage to lean that way. Just from what I see from your photos I'd say you have $10,000 worth.

You will be asked many questions in the coming days, weeks, and months answer honestly, but if you're not sure take a few moments to stop and think and if you're still not sure how to answer, say that you'll get back to them, write the question down so you'll know what to ask when your looking for the answer.

I'll be sending you a PM.

 

[HAVOC]

My car isn't worth $10,000, maybe $5,000 tops.

I posted the pictures to Facebook and a person I know that owns a body shop said it looks like a total.

 

[HAVOC]

Spoke with the insurance company today. Car is totaled. I owe less than the car is worth so I should be getting a check.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well, welcome me to the club. I got sideswiped on the freeway today. My left side mirror is history and there are a lot scrapes on the side of my F150 and the shell I have on the bed. Traffic suddenly slowed down to a crawl on the freeway. I was able to slow down in time but the guy behind me didn't think he could slow down fast enough so he tried to go around me on the left and got hit by a third party who left the scene, knocking his truck into the side of mine as he zipped by. I'm fine, just thoroughly put out with having to deal with another problem (so far, this year has sucked). Adding insult to injury, my left rear turn signal/brake light went out earlier in the day so I had to deal with that as well (the bulbsare original to the truck, which is an '08. Adding even more insult to injury, the tire company I was driving to at the time didn't order enough tires for my truck so I have to go back tomorrow to get the spare, meaning I can't get the truck in for repairs until after that (driving without that mirror is scary because I can't see past the shell very well without it).

 

[Anak]

Glad to hear you're okay LF!
It may be a bit more expensive but would the tire company be able to install a mirror? make sure you get a receipt and submit it to your insurance co.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Glad to hear you're okay LF!
It may be a bit more expensive but would the tire company be able to install a mirror? make sure you get a receipt and submit it to your insurance co.

Thanks, Anak! I've already submitted the claim to my insurance. There is more damage than just the mirror. There are several scrapes along the side of my truck and the shell over the bed. I'll have to talk to them again tomorrow morning before I go back to the tire company to get my spare. I'll know more of what is going on tomorrow.

At least I don't have to worry about the backup light, taillight, and directional/brake light bulbs. I replaced all of them earlier this evening on both sides since it's such a pain in the a...neck to get at them and they are nine years old.