Ugh. Accident.
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Oh Bernard. Are you sure you are ok? You may be sore or worse tomorrow. If you start feeling stiff please do get yourself checked out.
It sounds like a bad one. I recently went through this myself--rear ended, car was drivable. It ended up being close to $10k for repairs, which surprised me.
Adjuster took a few days. Repair took weeks. I paid for my own rental replacement but enterprise gave me the insurance rate of $35 /day. It added up.
@rustyfingers My left shoulder is sensitive, like I'd had a vaccination, and my left side when I make certain movements is a little stiff, but otherwise not bad.
At this point I'm rather hoping it is called a total.
Sorry to hear of your being rear ended.
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Damn. That’s a shame.
Glad you’re all right!
@Steve-Miller Thanks, Steve.
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Glad you’re okay. Hope you still feel okay tomorrow! Prosecco cheers to you. Sorry about the car.
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I’m so glad you’re okay Bernard.
This doesn’t help now, but maybe will help someone else in future. Rob’s car was hit in a parking lot in July. He called the insurance company immediately - before anyone else. They told him to call the police and they would deal with everyone else. Within two hours the police had come to look at it, the insurance company had arranged for it to be taken to a local body shop, and they had pre-arranged a rental in case we needed it (we did not). While we were on our trip the insurance company dealt with the estimate, approved paying for it, and kept us up to date about when it would be ready. It took a week after our trip for it to be finished so I emailed the adjuster from the airport and asked them to arrange a rental for our return. Our only contact with the body shop was to pick up the car at the end.
I had never been through the process and was shocked at how helpful the insurance company was and how little we actually had to do. They just handled everything.
Obviously it depends on your company, but if I were ever in an accident I would definitely call my insurance company first because they may be more helpful than you’d think!
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@AdagioM Thanks, AdagioM. Not feeling too badly today. The Prosecco was fab, as always. Leftovers in fridge for later.
@Bernard said in Ugh. Accident.:
Not feeling too badly today.
Glad to hear this!
@dolmansaxlil what insurance company do you use?
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I’m so glad you’re okay Bernard.
This doesn’t help now, but maybe will help someone else in future. Rob’s car was hit in a parking lot in July. He called the insurance company immediately - before anyone else. They told him to call the police and they would deal with everyone else. Within two hours the police had come to look at it, the insurance company had arranged for it to be taken to a local body shop, and they had pre-arranged a rental in case we needed it (we did not). While we were on our trip the insurance company dealt with the estimate, approved paying for it, and kept us up to date about when it would be ready. It took a week after our trip for it to be finished so I emailed the adjuster from the airport and asked them to arrange a rental for our return. Our only contact with the body shop was to pick up the car at the end.
I had never been through the process and was shocked at how helpful the insurance company was and how little we actually had to do. They just handled everything.
Obviously it depends on your company, but if I were ever in an accident I would definitely call my insurance company first because they may be more helpful than you’d think!
@dolmansaxlil Thanks, dolmansaxlil. I ignored some pretty bad advice from the body shop I had visited and I'm lucky they were booked up until the 16th.
I called my insurance (AAA) as soon as I got home, which was 4 hours after the accident. They have been very helpful so far. Since I'd already rented a car, they opened a new reservation in my name at the reduced rate and asked Enterprise (one of the rental companies they contract with--coincidentally the company I rented from) to merge it with the one I made and reimburse me for any over charges.
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Remember I’m in Canada so my insurance is probably different. I am with TD Insurance. I’ve been with them for 23 years for auto and home insurance and while I haven’t had a lot of claims I have been very happy with the level of service when I have had to make a claim.
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Hi Bernard, I only just got home from a trip so only just seeing this. Please don't be in a rush to declare yourself uninjured. It's very common when in a car accident to go into a kind of shock that wears off slowly, sometimes over a few days. During that time your body kind of puts up a shield that keeps you from feeling much.
I was in an accident last fall, and at first thought I was just fine, physically. Within a week I found out I had severe lateral whiplash, and a few months later a back molar cracked and broke off--the dentist asked me if I had been rear ended, because that was what it looked like, from his experience. It was ten months before all symptoms from the accident were at last resolved. The other driver's insurance took full responsibility and paid for everything, including OEM parts for my nearly new Subaru Forester.
As for the business end of things, you can still file a police report and should, if you haven't already. Was this a hit-and-run? Did the other driver have insurance? It's his insurance company that is responsible, and so your insurance company will probably go after them, since you haven't put in a claim with the other driver's insurance.
You should be entitled to 100 percent coverage for every out of pocket expense you have had, including the cab, the co-pay on the car rental, your deductible, plus compensation for inconvenience and wear and tear on your nerves. I'd even send the a bill for the roses and the prosecca and call it compensation for the anguish their driver caused.
I'm not a doctor or an insurance adjuster, obviously. Just speaking from my own experience in my own jurisdiction. It may be different with your insurance and in your state. If NH has an insurance commissioner, it could be well worth your while to call that office and find out what your rights are.
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BTW, the accident you describe sounds much, much worse that the little rear-ender I had last fall. I mean, it's hard to believe you weren't seriously hurt, especially if the car was totalled. I was hit in the driver's side while driving my Volvo, 45 years ago, very similar to the accident you describe, and found out only years later that I had suffered a concussion.
I'm glad you are feeling okay. Sorry about your car, but boy we all would be much sorrier if it was you that was totalled.
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Bernard, so sorry this happened to you. I have to agree with piqué about injury; it can be hard to know how badly you’ve been injured. The adrenaline kicks in and obscures the trauma.
As others mentioned, the insurance companies have these things down to a science. There’s a back and forth between the parties, all according to schedule. I remember all this from when I was hit by a car in 2020, and was covered by the car insurance my wife had, even though I was on my bike.
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I've been out of action for a couple of days - just checking in and saw - I'm so glad you're still here to discuss - and agree that sometimes in the heat of the moment, we overlook or are unaware of injury. I do hope the car replacement isn't too challenging.
