car hit in lot, insurance question.

[T-Keith]

My wife left work sick today only to find her car had been hit in the parking lot. A big scrape across the fender, peeling the paint off right about SUV bumper level. The spot was temp. parking for employees from other buildings. The nerve of some people makes me furious.

So I guess now it has to go on our insurance under comprehensive and we have to pay the deductible? Shouldn't something like this go under non-insured motorist? I know it's not the exact same, but the result is. Our insurance has to pay for someone else's carelessness. I believe we have a $500 deductible and it will probably come somewhere high of that. That's not something I budget for.

Some people.

(Editing disabled while spellchecking)
Stop spell checking

 

[guile]

I recently was the victim of a "hit and run." USAA considered my claim as non-insured motorist. I guess it depends on your insurance company.

 

[ekpolk]

N-furiating!

T-K:

Remember, the law is different in every state, although certainly, there are general, common patterns. In FL, where I practice, UM/UIM covers losses for bodily injury caused by an un- or underinsured motorist. Property damage like this is usually not part of the UM/UIM "program", but instead, falls under the collision/comp policy. Naturally, you should consult with your insurance company, and if you feel it's necessary, a local lawyer too. Also, as exciting as it sounds, this is probably a good time to break out your policy and -- gulp -- read it. This would fall under the heading of adding injury to insult (yes, I said it that way on purpose). Yeah, you probably will have to eat the deductible, unless by good fortune, you ID the driver who hit your car. Good luck with this. I'm sorry to hear it happened.

 

[JHZR2]

I just hope you dont have progressive.. theyll do anything and everything to keep from making you whole... trust me... ugh!

JMH

 

[T-Keith]

It's Farmers. Thanks for the input guys. I tried looking at my policy, but I can't seem to find it right now. I tried looking online, but their site has nothing.

-T

 

[UncleS2]

Here in Texas, when something like that happens you go to the local police dept. and get some type of accident report form, fill out the required parts, & turn it in to the insurance company. Your state may have some similar requirement. Probably best to ask your insurance company.

 

[mechtech]

Check to see if you have the 'uninsured motorist' clause.
Many policies do, for a few dollars more.
This will cover it, if you agent doesn't try and pull a fast one.

 

[Pontius Pilate]

uninsured motorist, tried that once and the insurance company said "well we don't know if they had insurance or not cause we don't know who they are so we can't cover it under that"

nice! death, taxes, oil companies, and insurance companies

 

[Gary Allan]

My insurance agent bends over backwards to make sure that I get the most out of the policy ..no matter what the claim.

 

[Evil Ron]

I'm an insurance adjuster. This type of loss would be covered under your collision coverage and I'm sure you'll have to pay your deductible. Uninsured motorist coverage only applies to bodily injuries you suffer when an uninsured motorist causes an accident. However, I would suggest that your wife look in her work parking lot for a car with recent damage and maybe, some of your paint on their bumper. I would photograph this and then talk to the owner of this vehicle and let your insurance company know any information you come up with. If this other party admits hitting your car or you can prove within a reasonable degree, that this was the car that hit yours, your insurance company could pay for your damage and then pursue the other driver for your damages.

 

[Schmoe]

An insurance adjuster named Evil Ron.....that scares me...Farmers shouldn't be an issue, they are pretty cool, at least here in Oklahoma. I've had USAA and they also are pretty cool. I've heard AllState and State Farm are the absolute worst in the industry period. Just look at the problems homeowners from Katrina are going through.

 

[williar]

I understand that Farmers is pretty bad and Allstate and State Farm are OK. Guess it depends who you talk to.

 

[Schmoe]

....or where you live.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

When I lived in Arkansas, I think my State Farm policy had a hit-and-run provision. There was something like a $250 deductible. I only had liability insurance, so I'm not sure if the same would apply with comprehensive.

It might be worth it to check with your agent. As a few people have said already, file a police report, take pictures, and look for the offending vehicle and photograph it. And good luck.

 

[Evil Ron]

Just another thought. Many parking lots have security cameras. Perhaps the accident was caught on tape. Worth checking into.

 

[robbobster]

In addition to the cameras as noted, I'd look for a damaged vehicle in the lot to see who the culprit was...you never know, they may be stoopid enough to bring the car back & park it elsewhere.

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gary Allan:
My insurance agent bends over backwards to make sure that I get the most out of the policy ..no matter what the claim.

---

I apologize for the thinly veiled vulgarity, but I actually heard a judge, who had been involved with the insurance industry before his judicial career say something to the effect that, "Company X will bend over backwards to get you bent over forwards. . ." Usually, this guy is pretty restrained, making the comment all the more suprising . . . and amusing.

To add a little actual value, TK, just remember that while these guys may act friendly, it's all business for them. That's not a condemnation, just reality. If they can do something to save the company a buck, they will. Keep your eyes and ears and nose open, and if you start smelling a rat, call for help. Again, I wish you the best.

 

[oilyriser]

Would it be worth it to check the corner bumpers of all the SUV's that typically park in the area, for paint marks similar to your wife's car color, and for a bumper pattern that matches the scratches? Maybe you'll get lucky and find the person, and they'll fess up. It might be worth a try.

 

[T-Keith]

Unfortunately my wife works at Blue Cross, the parking spot next to where she parked that day was temporary parking for employees from other buildings. That means it could be any one of 3000+ employees at 5 different locations. She still has to ask security to look at the tapes, if there are any.

Here is a picture.

 

[cousincletus]

This happened to someone I know and it went under collision coverage. I hope you have a low deductible, because mine is 500 bucks (ouch). I feel your pain, bro.