Best day ever (not really)

Ask the Hackrs
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21

That means it was 100% drivers fault and his insurance should cover everything.

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22

Definitely, scat pack is very nice upgrade over R/T.

23

I’m convinced.

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24

Yikes, I know what I would have done… finished eating my Chipotle burrito.

Just messing. Happy to hear you weren’t near the vehicle when this happened! Sorry for the rough day.

Not sure what you mean about the insurance though. If you have the other individual’s insurance information, weren’t you able to just submit that to your own insurance company, and have them handle the rest?

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25

I don’t have it yet, I have to wait for the report. But when I spoke with my insurance they seemed like they wanted to be very hands off

26

Edit - deleting my post after doing some further research. NJ has an insanely complex partial no fault insurance system. I don’t want to give you bad advice and can’t give you any accurate advice without knowing what kind of insurance you carry (basic insurance, limited right to sure insurance or unlimited right to sue insurance.

I doubt many on here understand NJ insurance laws and no one knows enough details to give you proper advice. My general belief would be you should err on the side of caution and notify your insurance provider unless you understand the situation fully and can know with confidence you aren’t gonna be on the hook otherwise.

Does the PBA have any lawyers who can help?

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27

That’s an interesting twist. I didn’t think of coverage limitations.
Is there a statute of when you have to notify them?

28

Hmm… generally I would think that one shouldn’t talk to another person’s insurance company.

OP would have to inform his own insurance regardless and state that the car is not drivable. If it is totaled, it would then fall off his policy.

He may also have a car rental benefit that he could activate for a few weeks. So Insurance would find out either way.

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29

BAHAAHAA :laughing:

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@JD81
Do you work with Dodge?

31

I’m not a NJ lawyer and the laws are so complex I wouldn’t even feel comfortable reporting what I am seeing on the NJ department of banking and insurance website.

Not sure if you meant it this way but yes. The other guys insurance is only out to protect its own interest. For the police officer OP, I’d compare you talking to the other guys insurance without assistance to a suspect talking with a cop/detective. Your relationship is adversarial. They aren’t there to help you.

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32

You said it better.

My husband was involved in a similar situation (no-fault) and never even answered the other company’s phone calls. He just gave his own insurance company the story and description, and let them handle it.

33

I guess we’ll have to see what happens. Something similar has happened to me in the past. Someone bumped my from behind in traffic. I called my insurance and they told me that if it wasn’t my fault, I have to contact the other persons insurance unless I want to file a claim. And that’s what I did and they paid for the damages. It seems to me that this is going to work out the same way… I hate NJ. But yeah as I said before, I called my insurance already (progressive) and they said the same thing. Unless I want to file my own claim through my own insurance, I would have to contact his insurance. Why would I want to file a claim when I was eating a burrito in my house!!!

34

I have some relationships and may be able to help answer questions or assist in beating certain prices…but not offering any deals right now.

35

The problem with that approach is that I’ve heard enough stories when you talk to your own insurance and file a claim when it’s not your fault - your own insurance still raises your premium since you have technically files a claim that will be on your record.

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36

While this is true, a decent insurer will still pay the OP.

A good person to ask would be a body shop you trust to do the repairs 100% right the first time. Not your insurer’s preferred one, not the other party’s preferred one. Choose your own, and then ask them their experience of being paid by the other party’s insurer.

That’s a good litmus test of whether they may not pay or nickel/dime you. You have to balance that risk against the issues of adding a claim to your own insurance file (even though the claim will be subrogated and they won’t incur any marginal cost, it could change your risk profile).

37

I do not think this is true.

38

I disagree. The risk is that the other guy only has 5k property damage insurance. The other insurance provider decides the damage is greater than that, sends OP a check for 5k and says our involvement in the matter is over. Then even if you have a right to sue the guy (which the NJ insurance website indicates depends on the type of car insurance OP has), you will likely end up spending more in legal fees than you recover from judgement.

IMO you absolutely have to know 100% that the guy has enough insurance to cover the cost of the car, even if it’s totalled, or you have to file a claim and have your insurance company inspect the car. To me, Saving a few grand in premiums over 7 years isn’t worth the risk of owing 40k next month.

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39

Ok, I live in NJ and have filed all 3 ways here: through my insurance, letting them deal with the at-fault party; through their insurance, without even notifying mine; and through theirs after notifying mine. Options 2 and 3 don’t differ. Your insurance doesn’t care if you call them, if it is totally the other driver’s fault.

As for option 1, I have had this play out 2 ways. In one instance, the other driver’s insurance was fighting the claim. Meanwhile, my insurance (NJ Manufacturers at that time) came up for renewal. As someone else said, it shows as a claim, no matter the fault, so my insurance DOUBLED. I paid that for a full year before the dispute was settled and it came off my record. Of course, I asked NJM for a refund of the increased premium I paid the past year, and they laughed at me. Main reason I am no longer with them.

Most recently, the driver was already arguing at the scene, so I went through my own insurance. They managed to get the other insurance to pay up in about 2 mos, so no ill effects on my policy. Geico has been amazing since I switched to them. Love them so far.

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40

I’m thinking this will get fixed. Be thankful it is a lease.