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Filing late insurance claim after hit and run accident
Anonymous2 views5 answers
On Oct 2, I got involved in a very minor car accident. At a traffic light I made a left turn after it turned green. The other driver crossed the stop line at the intersection. The left corner of his front bumper swiped my driver side front alloy wheel. As soon as I stepped out of my vehicle, he said 'nothing happened, sir'. As I looked over to check for damages, the other driver kept talking me out of it. He didn't even step out of his vehicle or call the police. He said, 'we're both lucky' and took off. As I drove I noticed a dash light stayed on and there was mechanical damage. The only evidence was a rubber mark which I wiped off. How do I file a claim? Uninsured or collision? I don't have a police report, 3 months later. There were cameras at the intersection.
Report the incident to your insurance company and explain the circumstances. If you have collision it may be covered. Your policy probably instructs you to report the incident promptly but if your insurer was not prejudiced by the late report they may not be able to deny your claim. As for the intersection cameras you should check with the appropriate agency to see how long they keep the images. Good luck to you.
You should look at your deductible and your damages, as well as possibility of your premiums increasing. Then make a cost-benefit decision on whether to file a claim. Unless you have name and address of other driver and proof, you will probably lose your claim. You can check with city to see if camera tapes are saved this long, but I doubt they are.
Go ahead and contact your insurance company and let them know what happened. They will let you know how to proceed in your case. In the future you may want to report the accident to your insurance company as soon as you can. Waiting like this "may" cause issues with you and your carrier.
Good luck!
You should never have waited this long. If you do file a claim, with the minimal evidence, the delay will raise issues that could get your claim denied.
Weigh the numbers. If the claim is small you'd have to eat a deductible and would probably see your insurance rates go up or get cancelled.
