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Bump the curb accident - file police report?
Anonymous12 views3 answers
A very very minor accident against a road hazard - single vehicle collision. Hitting a pothole, or bumping the curb or a construction barrel. Do you call the police? I ran over the median when making a turn. No body damage but caused a misalignment. The traction control light stayed on after incident. I have very low deductibles $250 and a clean record. I have liability, comprehensive, collision and even mechanical breakdown insurance with GEICO. Which type of claim do I report? Is anyone familiar with Geico MBI? Something that only caused mechanical damage. Do I need a police report to file a claim? The bump caused the misalignment and I want the insurance to pay for repair. Thanks.
I cannot speak specifically to GA law (I'm only admitted in CA), but generally I can say that there are a couple of issues here. First, you can file a police report. But, be aware that if you caused any damage to public property in the process of your very minor accident, the public entity may want to look to you and/or your carrier for repairs. (I had a case where the driver hit a light post and was charged for the cost of its repair.) Secondly, you don't generally NEED a police report to make a claim, but it helps. I can't speak to underwriting decisions, but you may also risk having your rates increase by asserting the claim. That said, if the damage is significant enough to warrant going through insurance, then that's the decision you have to make.
Does not sound like you did any damage to the curb or roadway barrel. If no damage to the property owned by the municipality then I do not see any obligation to file a police report. As to the damage to your own car you need to assess if you think that the repairs will exceed your deductible and any rate increases and then make a choice to file a claim or have it fixed on your own.
You describe this as "a very very minor accident" that caused a misalignment. If all you need is an alignment, that alignment probably costs less than your deductible of $250. Your policy rate is likely to go up if you file this claim, and it may get denied without an accident report depending on GEICO's internal claims procedures and criteria. It sounds like you'd be better off saving your first claim for something a little more serious.
