fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

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batpot
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fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by batpot »

Got cut off while approaching a red light. just after the light turned green, the car that cut me off slammed on his brakes. I did so in kind. This repeated itself 1-2 more time, before the left lane cleared and I attempted to pass...he braked again, and my front corner clipped his back corner.

Cop came to scene, and asked if I thought he did it on purpose...I said of course, he did it 3-4 times.

No citation issued, but I have at least a grand worth of damage, and a $400 deductible.
Adjuster is still waiting on getting the police report, but said since I was not cited on the scene, it's very unlikely I will get one...which I guess is good, but I'm still concerned about my rates.
She also said they would check his history for a pattern of this, but I don't think I can count on that for much, regardless of what it reveals.

The real irritation is that the power connector on my dash cam failed, and I've been running w/out it for a few months...just dropped $100 on another one.

So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
I might even be able to do the work myself...depending on how extensive it is.
:annoyed
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Watty
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by Watty »

batpot wrote:So...should I use the insurance?
Yes, even if you have a choice(which you probably don't at this point) if this is a scam then they will likely claim injuries too.
cmeretire
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by cmeretire »

so what did the other driver say to the police? Generally, I wouldn't want to get insurance involved for a relatively small damage claim of around 1000 as you stated. However, in this case, I think you did the right thing by reporting it. If the other party comes back claiming injuries, you don't want to be on the hook for those.
kiddoc
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by kiddoc »

In most cases where you hit someone from behind, you will be adjudicated the party partly or wholly "at fault", regardless of circumstances. Given the possible malicious intent, I think it's smart to have the insurance company on your side to defend you.
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Nate79
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by Nate79 »

Your insurance policy may require you to report it anyways. In this case for sure go thru your insurance company. Too much risk involved.
KESP
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by KESP »

Go through insurance company. The other driver will likely be claiming injuries, and this will get messy. Too bad there wasn't a witness to his other attempts to get you to rear-end him.
bberris
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by bberris »

This is why everyone in Russia has a dash cam. Check out youtube for video of pedestrians throwing themselves onto moving cars' hoods. Coming soon to a country near you.
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lthenderson
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by lthenderson »

batpot wrote:So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
I always report to my insurance company so I'm in the system should the other guy attempt to file a claim against me. I do however opt out of getting reimbursed by my insurance company for small claims and tell them I will pay out of pocket. They know the drill and according to my agent, aren't going to raise my rates unless they are frequently sending me checks.
mouses
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by mouses »

Was this road rage? If it was a scam, i would think some injury claim would have been made by now.
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batpot
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by batpot »

Yes, of course I need them for protection from the other party, as I said, they're already involved.
lthenderson wrote:
batpot wrote:So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
I always report to my insurance company so I'm in the system should the other guy attempt to file a claim against me. I do however opt out of getting reimbursed by my insurance company for small claims and tell them I will pay out of pocket. They know the drill and according to my agent, aren't going to raise my rates unless they are frequently sending me checks.
This is what I was getting at. I'm still on the fence about assuming the risk of more than just bumper cover damage, vs assuming increased rates for ~5 years.
mouses wrote:Was this road rage? If it was a scam, i would think some injury claim would have been made by now.
Possibly, but I don't think that influences my decision in this matter, does it? When I spoke with the adjuster yesterday, she didn't mention any additional claims, but I don't think she has an obligation to share that with me, either.
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deanbrew
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by deanbrew »

lthenderson wrote:
batpot wrote:So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
I always report to my insurance company so I'm in the system should the other guy attempt to file a claim against me. I do however opt out of getting reimbursed by my insurance company for small claims and tell them I will pay out of pocket. They know the drill and according to my agent, aren't going to raise my rates unless they are frequently sending me checks.
Yeah, notifying the insurance company and having the insurance company pay a claim are two different things. I have notified my insurance company about incidents and then decided to repair myself, and there has been no problems with rates or switching companies. The trigger for raising rates or making you less desirable to a new company is claims paid, not notifications. Also, I recall one insurance company telling me that only claims over some dollar amount are a problem (I'm thinking $2,000 or something like that). So, call your agent and ask what claim amount will cause you problems down the road.

If you don't need the car repaired right away, you might want to wait a little while to see what shakes out regarding any medical or repair claims from the other party.
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PVW
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by PVW »

batpot wrote: So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
Since you've already notified your insurance company, just ask your agent if there are going to be any surcharges for filing a claim.

http://www.dmv.org/insurance/how-car-in ... policy.php

The insurance industry keeps track of your potential and actual claims history and can use this information in determining your rates. You can see this information on your C.L.U.E report.

https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/ ... losure.jsp
btenny
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by btenny »

File the insurance claim now and get your car fixed. You will know in the next few months if the person makes a injury claim. They will sue you and your insurance and the insurance person will call you. If they are real fraudsters they will ask for big bucks. My wife got caught in one of these many years ago. It was more obvious at the time than yours and lots more damage so maybe in your case the person will just forget it this time. In our case the fraudsters had "witnesses for the bad guy" that called in to make sure my wife got a ticket. Our case was messy and took 3 years or so to settle. The insurance did everything and took care of everything and proved the lady was a fraud. They still settled for small $$ on the court day rather than defend a extended trial.

Good Luck.
bberris
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by bberris »

Big Bucks? Not really. The usual amount for fraud claims is about $20,000 and the insurance co will pay. If they try for too much the insurance will go to trial.
Easy Rhino
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by Easy Rhino »

did your dash cam record the accident?
cherijoh
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by cherijoh »

Easy Rhino wrote:did your dash cam record the accident?
It helps to read the original post carefully :wink: :
The real irritation is that the power connector on my dash cam failed, and I've been running w/out it for a few months...just dropped $100 on another one.
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batpot
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by batpot »

PVW wrote:Since you've already notified your insurance company, just ask your agent if there are going to be any surcharges for filing a claim.

http://www.dmv.org/insurance/how-car-in ... policy.php

The insurance industry keeps track of your potential and actual claims history and can use this information in determining your rates. You can see this information on your C.L.U.E report.

https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/ ... losure.jsp
Thanks. Had a conversation with my agent/broker this afternoon, and he said even if I don't file a claim, the other party almost certainly will, and that point it doesn't matter if I piad out of pocket or not - a claim is a claim is a claim. So his advice was to let insurance pay it.

Lessons learned: always drive w/ a dash cam, and/or just treat every driver in front of me as if they are a criminal, and not just an asshole...probably not a terrible mindset to be in anyway.
bluebolt
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Re: fender bender...no citation, likely scam...what next?

Post by bluebolt »

lthenderson wrote:
batpot wrote:So...should I use the insurance? Does it even matter at this point, since they've already been notified?
I always report to my insurance company so I'm in the system should the other guy attempt to file a claim against me. I do however opt out of getting reimbursed by my insurance company for small claims and tell them I will pay out of pocket. They know the drill and according to my agent, aren't going to raise my rates unless they are frequently sending me checks.
YMMV on this. I had about an $800 difference in quotes between Geico and my current insurance. When I looked into why, it turned out that Geico did not count the $0 claims against me when setting my rate, but my current insurance company did.
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