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Insurance claim for very minor accident
Anonymous2 views6 answers
I was involved in a very minor car accident .My car bumped into the car in front of me during a merge from a side lane to a main lane. Very tiny scratches to the other car. No damage to my car. The driver took my insurance details and when I asked for their details , refused to give me. I only have the driver's name and number. I want to report this to my insurance co., but do not want to make a claim as there is no damage to my car.
1.What should I tell my insurance co?
2. If the other driver wants to make an out of pocket settlement - should I agree ? What precautions should I take?
Your policy requires that you notify them if in an accident. If you dont, they could possibly give you a problem if you need them to defend you from a later claim by this person.
If you are willing to take a risk, you could just wait and see what happens. Maybe you wont hear from him at all. The statute of limitations is 2 yrs for injury and 3 yrs for property damage.
If you have any history of claims, this one could hurt you on rates. If the guy makes a small claim against you, perhaps you could pay. You need to get a release of claims for the guy to sign if you are going to settle on your own.
You need to tell your insurance company you got in a wreck to put them on notice and then let them pay the person if they make a claim. This is what you have insurance for.
1. Notify your carrier to safeguard your rights.
2. If it is minor as you say make sure your car is fixed 100% prior to signing a release.
www.PhillyInjuryLawyer.com
Christian K. Lassen IIPersonal Injury LawyerPhiladelphia, PA ·
You need to report every accident you are in to the insurance company, which is always required as per the terms of your insurance. You don't want to jeopardize your coverage in case you are in a real accident next week. Never settle with a party directly. 3 times a week a person posts a question on stating that they paid a person a couple thousand to settle outside of the insurance, and now they want another couple thousand, or now they have retained a lawyer and are suing for 30k. Always let your insurance settle or defend any claim.....that's why we all have insurance. Right?
I believe it is always prudent to let your insurance company know what is going on. If they don't end up paying out money on a claim for personal injury or property damage to a third party, your rates (premiums) should not go up. As far as negotiating with the other party to resolve the claim without involving the insurance companies, I would be cautious as you proceed forward. Make sure to document everything on paper. Most verbal agreements will not hold up in court if the other party wants to enforce the agreement. Best of luck!
Report to your carrier. The other party might already reported to your insurance. so when you call, first ask whether a claim has been reported under your policy number. if the other driver makes an out of pocket settlement offer, first obtain the repair estimate of his car to find out the amount that is required to fix his car. also make sure to have him sign a release for property damage and personal injury to protect you from future lawsuits and additional claims. You may hire an attorney for a minimal fee just to prepare those releases for you.
