Lady called the cops on me.

Does matter if a bird, a deer or a T-rex knocked it off. Still your responsibility to have it secure.

 

I wouldn’t have pulled over unless I got blue lights. I wouldn’t have signed any write-ups or reports or whatever without evidence.

 

But yet you agreed to fix it?

 

Sounds like the cop knew the woman making the claim. I personally wouldn’t pay anything without proof. Anybody can claim anything they want but it doesn't make it so. My father is the Pope and I have 100 billion dollars in the bank. Don't ever ask me to prove it though!

 

First don’t argue with them, they are the “experts”. Just stick to yes and no questions unless he wants you to expand on your answer.

second … ALWAYS TAKE PICTURES, LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURES. I mean everything related to the incident from the load itself to a 360 of the car and details of the damage.

third … let the insurance company deal with it, never offer to pay for anything, here is why. If she decided to be a ******* about it, she could actually inflate the cost of the repairs, it started with bumper cover then there is the damaged radiator support, inner fender well, the dent that she claims was not there and painting all of it which could mean the entire car. The insurance company can deal with that crap if she tries to pull it with them by sending out an investigator and see if it is fraudulent claim, which mine has for $3000 claims lately. You don’t have the time for this and legal means to deal with it so that’s what you pay insurance for.

 

Don't give the bogus lady the time of day.....

EVERY safety meeting I conducted covered this very subject and went on to how to handle an accident.

Rule #1 NEVER SAY 'I'M SORRY' -OR- 'IT WAS MY FAULT'
.
This lets the professionals handle it, don't settle the case before it is investigated and adjusted by insurance.

Speak to the officer as required, think of the old saw 'Name, Rank and Serial Number' and stick to it.

If you are ambulatory, secure the scene, summon emergency assistance, call your office, privately, to let them know.


Rule #2 TAKE MEANINGFUL PICTURES

So often I get ten shots of the same thing with a few of the other vehicle - NOT GOOD ENOUGH ! ! !

You want to take pictures of the entire scene...NO BLOOD, GUTS AND GORE, but all of the damage to both vehicles.

All skid and yawl marks on the roadway and all the debris laying on the road surface.

Get the view from your seat and get out and squat down to get the eye level view of the other party.

Never expect the responding officer/trooper to be nice to you and remember that most don't understand the size of your blind spots so heavy traffic often confuses who was actually 'at fault'.

Most write it up as Driver #1 said...Driver #2 said and leave it at that but sometimes will add "the results of my investigation shows"....his real input is in those little boxes filled with numbers running down each side plus [in NJ] Vehicle #1 on the report is usually, in the officer's opinion, the injured party and #2 is the at fault party unless three or more vehicles are involved.

I have seen numerous incidets where GOOD pictures, and face it everyone now has a great camera in their phone, have led to insurance denying fault even when the PD report and the other parties insurance did not agree.

Either way it just means the insurance needs to work harder.

Remember that the carier's insurance is there to protect the public from the damage the truck may do.

Most firms have been handling bump stop insurance fraud for some time now, never take it on your own to pay suspicious damages out of pocket.

 

Wouldn't that amount to an admission of guilt ? I'm sure its not a good move at all, myself I'd follow zvar's suggestion to get bol proof and then advise your insurance company your being scammed. Of course, if they couldn't confirm the count I'd pay her off in a heartbeat, but you lay yourself open if you have to go down that route.

 

Good info here. Thank you experienced folk for your opinions on this. Something to be learned.

I’ll admit there are times I’ve paid claims just trying to avoid insurance involvement.

 

After a large loss; I would run things past the president when the loss was less than our deductable; a $900 to $1800 estimate for minor damage.

Our insurance broker gave us a release form to use that the other party has to sign before a notary and send back to get the check.

That was his way of trying to make our experience mod look better after that large payout, anything serious was reported and handled by insurance.

Also I have learned that the initial description of an incident to the insurance can affect the eventual payout, any time an auto entering the highway hits our RF wheel; they hit us gets investigated but saying we hit them in the same situatiion was quickly paid off.

Good pictures really help.

Box truck owner op returning from service on a day off, signals and starts to enter the right hand turn lane when a Mercedes flew by on his right sideswiping his truck.

The hit cracks his hood, pops the grill off without striking the RF corner of the bumper -or- the RF steering wheel.

Mercedes files a B/I [body injury] claim along with claiming damages to BOTH sides of the auto.

The pictures show her LS damage is consistent with hitting our guy and the damages suggest litle impact so where does the B/I claim come from?

Key on getting our insurance to fight, tooth and nail, was his pictures of the area showing the white fiberglass from his hood at the very begining of the turn lane.