Establishing Dollar Amount of Liability

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I caused a car accident by rear-ending an other car while I was moving slowly (estimate less than 5 mph) and the other car was stopped. It did cause damage to the rear end of the other car. I thought it was minimal damage but I don't deny there is real damage.

The other motorist's insurance company sent me a letter stating that the damage/payment requested is $1,268.92 .

I accept that owe money and that I will pay.

Is there any way for me to satisfy myself that $1,268.92 is the appropriate amount?

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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 1,533 • Replies: 12

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@gollum,

Have your insurer review the appraisal. They need to know about the accident in any case.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

ehBeth-

I do not have an insurance company. I do not own a car. I was driving a rental car. I declined insurance on the car rental application.

2 Replies

@gollum,

Have you reported this to the rental company? they need to let their insurer know asap. they will also have appraisers on staff. This kind of thing is very time sensitive.

1 Reply

@gollum,

When this happened to me, they gave me an itemized list of the cost of each part that needed to be replaced and the cost of labor.

Can you get a copy of this list? (I suspect that value is correct, modern bumper assemblies are quite expensive).

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

ehBeth-

Yes, I reported the accident to the rental company on the date it occurred.

So, will the rental company inform me whether the dollar amount requested by the other motorist's insurance company is proper?

2 Replies

@maxdancona,

maxdancona-

Thank you. That is quite helpful.

0 Replies

@gollum,

I don't think I would put too much trust in the rental company, they don't have any economic reason to protect you. Of course I would accept any help they offer.

Did you use a credit card to pay for this rental? I might at least talk to them.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maxdancona-

Yes, I used a credit card to pay for this rental. What should I ask the bank that issued the credit card?

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@gollum,

Their insurer can review the appraisal. The other carrier should have given you a full, itemized list of costs - the appraisal.

Look very closely at your rental contract. While additional coverages can be declined, most North American jurisdictions do not allow vehicles on the road without very basic coverages. You could well still be responsible for the damages but don't agree to pay til you've confirmed your responsibility.

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@gollum,

Call the credit card carrier to determine whether you've got rental coverage. A surprising number of cards have it.

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@gollum,

gollum wrote:

maxdancona-

Yes, I used a credit card to pay for this rental. What should I ask the bank that issued the credit card?

EhBeth is right.... you might have some level of car rental insurance as a benefit of the card. If you do, they will definitely make sure that the charges aren't too high because they will be paying them.

But even if you don't have car rental insurance, credit card companies are all bending over backwards to provide customer service. They might still help you simply to earn your loyalty as a customer.

Either way, I would call their customer service and ask for their advice.

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@gollum,

gollum wrote:

ehBeth-

I do not have an insurance company. I do not own a car. I was driving a rental car. I declined insurance on the car rental application.

Yeah. You're going to have to bite the bullet on this one. I was going to suggest that you get a lawyer until I read this post.

Be grateful that you (probably) won't lose your driver's license.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in New York
Auto Liability Insurance

Quote:

How Would Driving Without Insurance Affect My Driver License?

Your driver license and vehicle registration will be revoked for at least one year if the DMV receives information that you were involved in a traffic crash while driving a motor vehicle not covered by liability insurance. Your license and registration will also be revoked for at least one year if someone else driving your uninsured vehicle is involved in a traffic crash and is convicted of operating without insurance.

The traffic court fine could be as much as $1,500 for driving without insurance or allowing someone else to drive your uninsured vehicle. You will have to pay the DMV an additional civil penalty of $750 to get your license back after revocation.

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Establishing Dollar Amount of Liability

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