90 YO driver backed in to me

[whaap]

Originally Posted by FR-S/GT-86

I know this is what insurance guys always say, but this isn't how it works in the real world. I was rear-ended in Chicago at a busy intersection by a guy in 2005 when my Mini Cooper was brand new. I was sitting at a light, and when the light turned green (I was about the 8th car in line) he just accelerated into the back of me. I think I had owned it for MAYBE 3 weeks. The young man that rear ended me spoke broken English, had only been in the country (from Nigeria) for 5 weeks, and when he hit me it was his 5th (yes, FIFTH) moving violation in 5 weeks. He, luckily, had an insurance card.

I reported it to my insurance, went through with all of the repairs ($4600), paid my deductible, and waited. And waited. And waited. So, now it's the end of 2012 (7 years later) and his company is STILL fighting with State Farm about it. They have not paid a dime of the repair costs yet, nor my deductible. Their argument? He was only insured for about a month, and had not even made a payment yet, so they don't feel that they should be liable.

7 years.

So, text book or not, this isn't how it always works in the real world.

Forgive me but something else an insurance guy will always say is if you don't pay your premium your policy will lapse and you will not have any coverage. Why would you expect things to change even after seven years?

[Want.FR-S]

Originally Posted by quik1987

If I'm a danger to those on the road sure. Don't mind being chauffeured at 80. I'll be lucky if I can wipe my own ass at that age.

The question would be: would you admit yourself if you are a danger to the road at that age? As people said that driving is a privilege, not a right. But that is not what many people would think.

You can, and you will, do lots of things at 80 years old, if you take good care of yourself.

[Gearbanger]

I love these type of threads!

[Mango22]

Sorry about your car. Wow, 90 years old and still driving, sort of. I'm guessing they were in a boat sized car too.

In my younger years, I worked as a waiter and one afternoon I was working on the patio and remember seeing this old couple get into their big a$$ car and proceed to back into several cars until they managed to get their ocean liner of a car out of their parking space. I flew into the parking lot and stood in front of their car so they couldn't leave, once I saw they had no intention of leaving any info on the windshields of the cars they hit. Needless to say the couple was denying any wrong doing but finally came clean when the police arrived. The paint on their bumper told a different story. I also saw them both look back when they hit one of the cars, then look at each other and then the wife motioned for him to just go. He might have stopped if she wasn't with him.

If only old people would drive small cars, they wouldn't be playing bumper cars in the parking lot all the time. They forget that parking spaces and parking lots are marked much smaller than when "they" were younger. Sometimes the parking spaces and lots are too small for even a normal sized car now.

[FR-S/GT-86]

Originally Posted by whaap

Forgive me but something else an insurance guy will always say is if you don't pay your premium your policy will lapse and you will not have any coverage. Why would you expect things to change even after seven years?

They issued him an insurance card and issued him coverage. He WAS insured at the time, but had not made any subsequent payments after the accident. I am not some kind of idiot... I guess I should have been more clear.

[whaap]

Something isn't right. If his policy was in force when the accident happened your company would have been able to subrogate and get their money and your money back. Only two things would have prevented that: 1. His policy "was not in affect" at the time of the accident or, 2. There was a dispute about how the accident happened and the arbitration committee decided against you.

It doesn't fly that his policy was in affect when the accident happened but they decided, because of him cancelling the policy at a later date, to not cover him for your accident. There's absolutely no way your insurance company would allow them to do that. Your company would have had the insurance commissioner all over their asses.

You owe it to yourself to contact your insurance company and have them explain, again, what happened because you got it wrong.

[FR-S/GT-86]

Originally Posted by whaap

Something isn't right. If his policy was in force when the accident happened your company would have been able to subrogate and get their money and your money back. Only two things would have prevented that: 1. His policy "was not in affect" at the time of the accident or, 2. There was a dispute about how the accident happened and the arbitration committee decided against you.

It doesn't fly that his policy was in affect when the accident happened but they decided, because of him cancelling the policy at a later date, to not cover him for your accident. There's absolutely no way your insurance company would allow them to do that. Your company would have had the insurance commissioner all over their asses.

You owe it to yourself to contact your insurance company and have them explain, again, what happened because you got it wrong.

I have asked and asked... I get the run around on the corporate end. I have given up, frankly. I will call my agent again tomorrow and re-open the wounds... just for kicks. I should also state that he was not insured by a major insurer (not that it should matter) but one of those cheap no-name companies...

I was not at fault, he was ticketed and I was not... I was sitting still in a line of traffic when he accelerated into me. His statement to the police was that my brake lights were off... (they were... it's a manual transmission, duh... I had put the car in gear because the light had turned green)... the officer chuckled, but that was the only thing the guy really could get out in English.

[whaap]

Keep in mind if your company is playing games with you that's also a no-no. Tell your agent/claims rep/whoever you talk to that you really want to know what happened and if you don't get a clear answer you will ask the Insurance Commissioner to look into the matter for you. If your company has been "putting you off" that should get them on the ball. If it doesn't, call the insurance commissioners office. As I stated earlier in this thread, they're free. You've already paid their fee by paying your taxes and they will go to work for you against your own company.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by quik1987

If I'm a danger to those on the road sure. Don't mind being chauffeured at 80. I'll be lucky if I can wipe my own ass at that age.

me too! ehe! eh! eh! as fredrich march said to paul newman in the
movie "hombre" i quote!.."it's a shock to grow old mr. russell!"