I'm parked next to a car, I open my door, the wind blows my door and hits the other car. Am I liable?
Good question. If you used reasonable care in opening the door, that is all that is legally expected of you. If the wind snatches the door out of your hand, you may not be legally liable for the damage.On the other hand, your insurance company may not think that it’s worth a battle and may pay the claim.Turn the matter over to your insurance company and let them deal with it. It’s unlikely that the loss will affect your premium.
What happens after a car accident with no police report?
The consequences would depend on the severity of the situation.Minor accidents don’t warrant a police report. When the accident does not injure anyone and the damage to property or car isn’t serious, often the driver just files a claim with his/her insurer and everything goes back to normal. If it’s a two-car accident with no injuries, minimal damage, and both drivers are insured, the police don’t usually get involved.For accidents that resulted in severe injuries and damages to property: Hospitalization and medication for injuries, car repair, damages—all that exceeds your deductible would have to be paid out of your pocket if you don’t file a police report. You need a police report if you want to file a lawsuit or plan to get the other party’s insurance to cover your damages.A police report speeds up the processing of a claim, and sometimes, not having one or delaying the report can mean not getting your insurance to cover your damages. Insurers look at a police report to verify that the claim is genuine, meaning that the accident was real, to check who’s at fault, and to validate the damages claim.Generally, reporting to the authorities is one of the first things you should do after an accident. The only exception is for accidents resulting in minor damages. Different states have different laws on filing police reports after an accident and as responsible drivers we should know the policies in our area.
Do I have to pay the deductible if my car was hit while parked at my residence by a person unknown?
I was sideswiped by a truck who swerved into my lane. The only damage was to my drivers side mirror and window. I did not get their license number because because I had glass all over me. The truck drove on without stopping. I called the highway patrol and filed a report. Yes I had to pay my deductible even though I was not at fault.I had a Bronco 2 that I had parked just off the street. So far off the street it was actually in the ditch. They had to go out of their way to hit it but hit it they did and they drove off without notifying me. I again called the highway patrol and did everything I was supposed to and again I had to pay my deductible.There have been other incidents like that and its why I no longer carry $500 deductible.There were many times at work where I’d see someone with a damaged car telling folks that they’d hit a deer and the insurance would not pay. When I’d question them a bit I’d found out they’d chosen to carry $500 deductible and could not afford to get their car fixed.
What's the worst experience you've had with car insurance companies?
I went for a walk one day and I was run down by a 93-year-old man. He was bent over petting his dog; witnesses said they couldn’t even see the driver in the truck. He was driving a ‘73 Ford and this was in 2006. He was doing 60 in a 20 and he hit me about 40 ft from a daycare. That day I flatlined 5 times and I didn’t leave the hospital for 12 weeks. I still have open wounds, massive pain and sometimes have to crawl to the bathroom because I can’t put weight on my ankle. I was hit at 2PM on a Friday. Monday morning at 9AM the insurance attorney was meeting with my family. He carried liability only so they would only cover $25,000 of my medical bills BUT if I went ahead and died the policy allowed $50,000 payment. If I went ahead and died…that’s the words they used to my husband and mother. I left the hospital with $980,000 in medical bills from one hospital; that doesn’t include the two weeks in physical rehab, the four surgeries I’ve had since then or the eight times in the hospital from infections. They just keep telling me they aren’t responsible for more than $25,000. I have refused to settle, I won’t sign any papers. The old man…he died in March after hitting me in June due to stage 4 cancer that he was on morphine for. Can’t touch the estate, can’t touch anything because it’s all in his and his wife’s names; she was 97 at the time. In October of this year the insurance reached out to my attorney and said they found another $5,000 that they could add for pain and suffering. The agony, the pain, the nightmares, the PTSD, the fear, the inability to leave my house because I might get an infection, the loss of who I was all boils down to being worth $30,000 to them. I was 29 when I got hit. Screw you Farm Bureau and screw your cavalier attitude towards my life. I hope all you bastards get crotch fleas that are always where you can’t scratch.EDIT: I’m not expecting them to pay out a dime more than they offered. I’m hoping that they look at insuring 93 year olds with cancer for only 25K. I’m hoping they review the attitude that says “If she goes ahead and dies…”