Insurance question: I got hit!

[1slowS13]

I have a few questions regarding about insurance.

Obviously, I was driving my 240sx. It had no bumper cover, nor the bumper support. It is sr'd with a big 'ole intercooler up front.

Long story short, an accident happened in the intersection, and the lady in front of me decides to back-up and hit me in my driver side front. Damages are as follows:

Fender is bent and pushed back

Head light popped out of the head light motor and hung down, also popped a couple bolts off the actual radiator support

Hood is buckled, I can see my motor from inside my car.

So my problems are:

1. My car obviously does not have a road-legal motor.

2. My car did not have a bumper cover or bumper support at the time of the accident.

3. My car does not have a working horn. (They don't know that)

I got the other party's insurance information, and also got a police report.

As far as filing on their policy, what should I look out for? Will their insurance adjustor mark me down for my car's irregularity?

Also, we have the same insurance company, yikes :wan:

Any tips? I've never had anyone hit me before..

[1slowS13]

Also, I did not receive and traffic tickets, while I overheard the other party receiving some citations.

[lexlaxlux]

in California its illegal to drive without a front bumper... In Nevada it might be different so you got lucky... besides the cop didn't give you a ticket for that...

1) Don't admit anything
2) Your car had no damage whatsoever prior to the accident
3) If they ask' " Did you see the car in front of you?"
- Answer " Yes but it wasn't moving then I checked the rearview mirror to look around and boom she hit me"
4) Your motor is irrelevant to the accident unless it is damaged
5) Best thing to do BESIDES calling in your claim is to sit down with the insurance agent in their office and submit it in person. They will type out exactly what you say and what damage is done to your car... MILK IT!!

[lexlaxlux]

Oh btw you posted in the wrong section. You should have posted in Chat or Off topic

[1slowS13]

Sorry, mods please move it to the appropriate section.

Another question is, how much do the adjustors really know about cars and the law?

Also, their insurance company is the same as mine.

So all in all since the police did not give me a ticket for no front bumper cover/support can the insurance adjustor give me a hard time for that? Or it does not matter at this point what my car does and does not have?

I already filed a claim and they said the adjustor will call me within 48 hours

Btw, this is Nevada

[lexlaxlux]

I'd advise talking to yyour agent before an adjuster reason being you are not at fault and your agent is on your side.. you can have the same company but it doesnt mean yo have the same agent. A front bumper is there for a reason so I could imagine an adjuster giving you a hard time. Either way it goes depending on your insurance and what type of coverage you have, you will pay a deductible and be reimbursed in the future for the damages that need to be fixed

[lexlaxlux]

Adjustors know fairly basics of a car such as its parts... their main job is to find out what happened and what damage done to you.. they know the laws which can screw you if your in the wrong scenario.
A collision center works with the agent in seeing what the will fix and pay for your claim. Its that guy you gotta worry about

[1slowS13]

well as far as damages, i thought the other party was responsible? i only have liability. im just hoping they total the car, i buy the car back, pocket the money, get another shell.

i just hope they wouldnt bitch about not have a bumper.

my friend told me to tell the adjuster i just took it off so i can get around to work and etc, but im not really the type to get dishonest.

but i will go visit my agent to talk to her to see what i can do. i just dont want to say the wrong thing and screw myself over

btw, im reposting it for chat, so mods close please. thanks!

[1slowS13]

I have a few questions regarding about insurance.

Obviously, I was driving (http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/337190-insurance-question-i-got-hit.html#) my 240sx. It had no bumper cover, nor the bumper support. It is sr'd with a big 'ole intercooler up front.

Long story short, an accident happened in the intersection, and the lady in front of me decides to back-up and hit me in my driver side front. Damages are as follows:

Fender is bent and pushed back

Head light popped out of the head light motor and hung down, also popped a couple bolts off the actual radiator support

Hood is buckled, I can see my motor from inside my car (http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/337190-insurance-question-i-got-hit.html#).

So my problems are:

1. My car obviously does not have a road-legal motor.

2. My car did not have a bumper cover or bumper support at the time of the accident.

3. My car does not have a working horn. (They don't know that)

I got the other party's insurance information, and also got a police report.

As far as filing on their policy (http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/337190-insurance-question-i-got-hit.html#), what should I look out for? Will their insurance adjustor mark me down for my car's irregularity? How well do they know about cars and the law? Im in Nevada, btw.

Also, we have the same insurance company, yikes :wan:

Any tips? I've never had anyone hit me before..

Few side notes are:

I did not receive any traffic tickets, although the other party did receive a few citations.

I already filed a claim and was told that I will be contacted by an adjuster within 48 hours

I just dont want to say the wrong thing and get screwed over.

Thanks for your time!

[佩恩_]

you made another thread?

[1slowS13]

Because I was informed it was in the wrong section?

[heavenboundkevin]

Your best info would come from calling your insurance company and explaining it to them.

i know there was someone posting on these forums who worked for an insuracne company, you could try to find them.

[GabeS14]

Your fine man, they dont really look for irregularities, like that i say this from experience, unless you were sueing for tons of money, which your not.
If the question Of where your bumper or support is comes up, just say it fell off after the accident, and there is no law requiring an actual plastic bumper so you are fine. I would actually say it all fell off after driving home because it was all loose. Lol
Unless you or her took pictures and turned them in. That way they include thos parts in the payout!
Get your car painted! New bumper and enjoying


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1slowS13]

Your best info would come from calling your insurance company and explaining it to them.

i know there was someone posting on these forums who worked for an insuracne company, you could try to find them.

Yea, I plan to going to my agent tomorrow morning just to talk it out. She has the same insurance company, but a different agent. I'm not too sure how that will pan out.

Your fine man, they dont really look for irregularities, like that i say this from experience, unless you were sueing for tons of money, which your not.
If the question Of where your bumper or support is comes up, just say it fell off after the accident, and there is no law requiring an actual plastic bumper so you are fine. I would actually say it all fell off after driving home because it was all loose. Lol
Unless you or her took pictures and turned them in. That way they include thos parts in the payout!
Get your car painted! New bumper and enjoying


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No pictures, but that what is my buddy told me; to tell them that i took 'em off to get to work and etc.

I'm not gonna lie, im already thinking of s15 turbo and bigger injectors, or custom roll cage, ha.

So you guys think im just too paranoid of what the adjuster will say?

[Deviance]

Your best info would come from calling your insurance company and explaining it to them.

i know there was someone posting on these forums who worked for an insuracne company, you could try to find them.

I found him, gtstwincam is his name and here is a link to his thread for insurance claims. hope it helps you!
http://zilvia.net/f/chat/155652-insurance-claims-s13-5500-a.html

here is his contact number since he isnt on here much
Man i sign on to this site and my inbox is full of PMs from 2-3 months ago! Sorry i couldnt help u with your insurance problems...

Just call or text...707-653-5020 and ill get back to u faster..

[GabeS14]

No pictures, but that what is my buddy told me; to tell them that i took 'em off to get to work and etc.

no you understood me wrong, you should never acknowledge that you intentionally took off required safety equipment!!!!!!!
dude, be smart, just dont mention anything..

[1slowS13]

ok, got it. so its better to just shrug my shoulders when they ask, and say that nothing was damaged prior?

[g6civcx]

I do probably just as many cases if not more than he does. I did claims which I believe he does/did. I also worked the litigation side which I don't believe he ever did.



As far as filing on their policy (http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/337190-insurance-question-i-got-hit.html#), what should I look out for?

Look to do all of the following:

1) put 100% of the fault on the other driver
2) accept 0% of the fault for the accident
3) establish the value of the car before the accident as high as possible
4) establish the value of the car after the accident as low as possible
5) #3 - #4 = the amount you want, try to get as much as possible, they will haggle
6) if you end up getting too much, you can give a portion back

Will their insurance adjustor mark me down for my car's irregularity?

Only the adjustor can answer this question.

How well do they know about cars and the law?

Only the adjustor can answer this question. Being how insurance companies try to limit payouts, you can be sure that the adjustor has done this hundreds of not thousands of times before. They know the law really well and they know how much car are worth.


Any tips?

Ask a mod to delete this entire thread. Get a really good attorney. Folow the attorney's instructions.

I did not receive any traffic tickets, although the other party did receive a few citations.

Traffic citations are criminal. Insurance litigation is civil. One has nothing to do with the other. She can get a thousand tickets and still win in the insurance case. This is why you need an attorney.

I just dont want to say the wrong thing and get screwed over.

You most likely will. I did on my first accident. After doing thousands of cases for myself and other people, I now know what not to do.

Only experience can teach you. Just be really mindful of everything you say. Before you say something, spend 30 seconds thinking about how what you say could be used against you. Spend the next 30 seconds thinking about how what you say can benefit you.

If the second 30 seconds seem much longer than the first 30 seconds, you probably shouldn't say what you wanted to say.

They will try to ask a bunch of useless irrelevant things that don't have anything to do with the accident. They're trying to confuse you, trip you up, catch you in a lie, or find other evidence to use against you.

You are NOT legally required to answer any questions. If you feel that they are fishing for useless things, consult with your attorney and object to the line of questioning and refuse to give any information.


About your friend's suggestion, never ever LIE to an investigator. If there is a slim chance that they can show your lie (traffic camera, your facebook postings, your friends turning you in for cash, etc.), you will pretty much automatically lose all credibility, and most likely your case.

You didn't get hit in the front. Whether you have a bumper or not is immaterial. It's not even an issue. Don't make it into an issue.

You could be high on drugs with loaded guns and dead bodies in the back. Like I said above, insurance cases are civil. Criminal charges have nothing to do with it. Being legal or illegal doesn't really matter.

Good luck.

[1slowS13]

I did get hit in the front.

Do you really think such a small fender bender would need an attorney?

[bb4_96]

^ If they try to lowball you get an attorney. Otherwise it will likely result in adjuster hooking you up and you picking up the check. Any time I've been hit insurance companys work fast to resolve the issue before you find more damages. Medical payout is only time insurance has ever given me trouble. As far as your mia bumber goes tell him you took it off for paint (you don't have to tell him when). If he's asking alot of questions and trying to hustle you be quiet and let him talk.

[GabeS14]

96civicX said it all!
definitly dont mention something that could hurt your case.

[1slowS13]

Thanks for all the tips and information guys! If mods can delete this thread, I would appreciate it!

[g6civcx]

In before the lock.

PM me about the bumper issue.