Well, I didn’t!
My car has been hit while parked on a couple of previous hit and run incidents but I never filed a claim because of my $500 deductible and the damages would have cost less than that.
Couple of weeks back, I was at Sam’s Club waiting in an aisle for someone to pull out of a parking spot and a parked car backed right into my passenger side causing a big dent!
So I got out of the car, checked the damage and called 911. And they said you don’t need a police report since this happened in a private property. (I did not know this!) So, we exchanged insurance information and I called my insurance company with the information. Since, this was of no fault of mine, I expected to pay nothing. And which is what the agent at the company told me at that time as well. So I took my car to a claims adjuster and he wrote me up an estimate. I was also told that the claim would not be on my Policy and they would pay from the other party’s policy.
I got a call this morning with a good news, a bad news and a good news. First, the good news is that they have cut a check for the estimated amount and it is already on its way! The bad news: the claim has been set up on my policy as a ‘no-fault’ accident. This is because, in Michigan, unless your car was completely parked, if you were hit even with no fault of yours, the claim goes off your Policy and you have to pay your deductible. My heart skipped a beat. I had just switched to a $1000 deductible! This is crazy.. it is not my fault and I still pay my deductible and I cannot collect that from the party at fault!!! I wanted to scream.. what the **** are you talking about?
Well, the final good news was that since (luckily) the other party’s policy was also from the same insurance company as mine, they waived my deductible!! Whew… that was a close call!
I have to wonder how the claim would be set up on the other person’s policy! If it was set up as a ‘no-fault’ accident, that might mean that you can hit any vehicle in a private property in Michigan and they cannot come after you for their deductible!! Now, no matter how careful I drive, I have to watch out for dimwits backing into my car! Or I am going to end up paying $1000 deductible even if it wasn’t my fault!
How does it work in your state? Or if you know more about how this works, please do leave your comments. Disclaimer: I claim to be no expert in this matter and I am just sharing my experience in this incidence. How does it work in your state? Or if you know more about how this works, please do leave your comments. Atleast there are places to see health insurance ratings.
Disclaimer: I claim to be no expert in this matter and I am just sharing my experience in this incidence.
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