car accident - what do you think?

[qaz393]

yes, most dealerships will have a contract with one of the 3rd party body shops

I believe Acura Markham has a deal with one of the car shops on Bullock drive.

i think this is a reason why insurance is more expensive in toronto. by going to the dealership, you get one more party involve (middleman) to grab money from the insurance companies.

[rdtx2002]

you mean this?

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/accid...appen-1095460/

No thanks if it's a thread started by you.

[rdtx2002]

i think this is a reason why insurance is more expensive in toronto. by going to the dealership, you get one more party involve (middleman) to grab money from the insurance companies.

perhaps. but it really depends on the dealership. If they don't have a body shop, then they need to bring it to a 3rd party. But if they have a body shop, it'll depend if they are busy or not.

too many factors.. but that could be one that causes insurance to go up

[qaz393]

perhaps. but it really depends on the dealership. If they don't have a body shop, then they need to bring it to a 3rd party. But if they have a body shop, it'll depend if they are busy or not.

too many factors.. but that could be one that causes insurance to go up

trust. everybody needs commission. i get offered "20%" for tow truck referals

[helenhelen]

i just called my insurance company to ask what my coverage includes.

was told that the deductible is $500 (phew! not as bad as i thought).. but this is whether i am at fault or not (i still have to cover it ).
if i am not at fault, insurance company will pay for repairs (minus the deductible). if i am at fault, they will not pay for repairs. if i am partially at fault, the insurance company will determine on a case by case basis (i think). when i called just now, i purchased the additional collision or upset coverage upset so that repairs will be covered even if i am at fault. i know that since my accident happened yesterday, the coverage won't cover it if it is deemed my fault at all since i only bought it today (but it's for future cautiousness! damn, why did i not buy this before??). anyway, i am pretty sure i have a good case that i will not be deemed at fault since the collision happened in my lane, and the witness said he saw the cab pull out into my lane and hit me.

[gmag]

this might help determine fault http://www.ibc.ca/en/Car_Insurance/d...tion-Rules.pdf

[helenhelen]

thank you. according to that document, i am not at fault (i was driving straight and the other vehicle in the next lane collided with me in my lane). now that i think about it, he was probably trying to get around a cab that was stopped in front of him.. which might explain why he was partially in my lane to begin with. then probably didn't check his blind spot before trying to move forward.

[durrsak]

I have had comprehensive for almost 4 years now, and twice when I had not at fault accidents (100% not at fault) i was not charged a deductible. That is why i find this very strange, as I thought no deductible is charged if accident is not at fault.

[helenhelen]

nevermind what i said above.. i will definitely report it now after having read this:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/shoul...-quote-287182/

just want to cover my ass.
but will still see if he wants to settle privately and not go the insurance route. it would help me anyway since it would mean i wouldn't have to deal with the deductible.

durrsak, it depends on your coverage.. for mine, i have a $500 deductible whether it was my fault or not.. i could have that removed for a higher premium (which i am considering now)..

when i called my insurance company to ask, they said when it is a not at fault collision, your premium will not go up.

[flyz]

I would never trade in higher premiums for a deductible on a not at fault accident.

I had only liability on my previous car and still had no deductible on that. In the end, I was involved in a not at fault accident and the car was totalled. Didn't have to pay a cent and insurance paid out for the cost of the vehicle....

Driving in the city, with pedestrians, cyclists and cabbies is enough to not drop that on your policy.

[jordanr19871]

nevermind what i said above.. i will definitely report it now after having read this:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/shoul...-quote-287182/

just want to cover my ass.
but will still see if he wants to settle privately and not go the insurance route. it would help me anyway since it would mean i wouldn't have to deal with the deductible.

sigh

if you want to cover your ass do it properly and report it
who do you think is easier to deal with? a sketchy cab driver who drives like a maniac 24/7 (and you didn't even get his insurance info )
or an insurance company that is established and has no problem paying for the repairs at a reputable shop?

body repair is expensive - an entire new front bumper could be $1000+ with paint - and he wants to fix your car at some taxi cab shop?
its YOUR car and HE HIT YOU

and what would you do once the cab driver stops answering his phone/switches numbers so he doesn't have to pay knowing you can't do anything to get in contact with him?
then your on the hook for over 1k of work +tax - will you then call your insurance company? "hi there, a cab hit me and i decided to settle privately and now the cab ripped me off, i got the car repaired so can you pay me for it? thanks"

[wewillsee]

didn't read the whole thread but i'd do this:

ask the cabbie driver up front to pay up and tell him you will go through insurance if he doesn't. Also tell him that he has witnesses that have an accoutn which indicates you are 0% at fault.

If he refuses, report it to insurance. Tell the insurance you are at 0% fault and have a witness to prove it. Show the letter and hope for the best. If you are deemed not-at-fault. You do not have to pay ANY deductible. However if it is a shared fault then you might be out of luck. Having the witness who can testify on yourside is really good though.

Good luck.

[Tiberius]

Here's my 2 cents (haven't read everyone elses comments)... and I will start by qualifying this by saying that I believe you can find the "fault" rational online if you search for it that is used by insurance companies.

My recollection is that it is the fault of the car that is entering the lane, until the car is ENTIRELY within the new lane. Once all 4 tires are in the new lane, it would become the fault of the car originally in that lane (ie. you would be rear-ending the car that entered the lane in front of you... and when you rear end someone, you always get 100% fault).

So... based on your description, the cab was not fully in the lane yet, so the cab is at fault! The damage described also indicates this would be true.

What is the cabbie doing... well... it's simple. He's trying to save his insurance rates!!! At fault accidents KILL you... your rates sky-rocket!! As a cab driver, making his living by driving, this is a huge concern for him!!

You have a choice:

a) Report everything (to collision reporting centre and insurance) and go through insurance for your repairs (and pay that deductable). You should be deemed at fault (based on my understanding of the rules... but you should do your own checking and get second opinions, etc.. I do think I'm correct on this though)

b) Do the cabbie a HUGE favour and quickly go to get his auto shop (or a place of your choosing if you feel uncertain about his place) to give a quote to fix your car. Tell the cab driver you will let the entire thing go unreported if he pays the full amount to repair your car. Get cash from him to cover the repair immediately if you are concerned about him following through, etc. If you have a couple quotes for the repair and feel certain of the amount it will end up costing, getting the cash up front will end his liability to you and you won't be worrying anymore about getting shafted.

Helping someone out by dealing with the accident between 2 people is a decent thing to do (although technically not acceptable to insurance companies - they like to nail everyone for their driving mistakes). Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you are comfortable dealing with him directly and trust he'll do the right thing.

Part of this comes down to understanding the reporting rules (time limits, etc) involved... which I don't know. If you know you have 2 weeks to report the accident to the reporting centre and insurance for instance, then you could give this guy 13 days to get cash in your hand for the repairs to your vehicle, or you go report the incident to cover your butt.

Hopefully this helps a bit... but ultimately, it comes down to a few key things:

1) Who would insurance deem to be at fault (I believe it would be the cabbie based on your description)
2) Do you want to be safe, secure and take the easy route - if so, you report to insurance and pay your $1000 deductable? (do you pay a deductable if the other party is at fault??? I have never thought about that before)
3) You do the cab driver a solid and give him a chance to make it right - as I'm sure he knows he'd be screwed on insurance and will be HIGHLY motivated to avoid the accident being reported!! (his insurance could go up to $5000+ per year for many years... so paying a thousand or two to you should actually seem appealing to him if he's smart!!). You take on some risk here, but perhaps end up $1000 ahead if the deductable doesn't come out of your pocket this way?

[helenhelen]

first off, thank you for everyone's useful comments. this forum is awesome. FYI, found out my deductible is only $500 (phew!) and it is applicable whether i am at fault or not (not phew!) because of the type of coverage i has chosen to purchase.

so this is what i did:

-went to auto shop near me and got a written quotation. turns out the damage is just over $2500 (including tax)! there was an issue with wheel alignment too, and some internal damage.. so not just the bumper.

-called the cabbie to tell him i did this and that i was planning to go report it at the auto collision centre, but we could avoid the insurance route if he gave me either cash or a certified cheque from the bank before i went to do the repairs, for garage of my choice. he argued with me and said stuff like "i told you yesterday we would go to my garage," etc. despite the fact i told him that i did not know him, nor his garage and so why would i trust to go there rather than to my own? he was also trying to argue that i was wrong about him being at fault and that he was doing me a favour with his suggestion of going to his garage. oh, really? if you are not at fault, why would you offer to pay for someone else's repairs? i still haven't figured that out. maybe incentive for the other person to not go the insurance route even if it would cost him a few thousand to repair both his and mine (likely still cheaper than his insurance premiums for next few years)? anyway, i told him the witness emailed me today with what he saw, and the cabbie said "that witness was on the wrong side!" or something like that. excuses, excuses. i feel for him since it is his livelihood, but he was being nasty to me and refusing anywhere but his shop so i decided to go the insurance route. if the cabbie just told me he wanted a few more quotes, i would have happily gone to check out a few garages that friends recommended to me (not the cabbie's because his determination about using his sketches me out), and i would have been glad to do so in order to get the cheapest price.. but nope.

-reported collision this evening and got the report written up. they didn't care to see the email with the witness's account.. they just took down his name and number. however, i found out the police don't determine who is at fault.. they told me the insurance company does. oh great (especially since the cabbie is probably going to deny being at fault, and insurance companies don't exactly like dishing out money). the police deemed it to be $2200 in damage (they didn't include tax). so, the quote is probably pretty accurate.

-going to call my insurance company now.. wish me luck!

[helenhelen]

by the way, what is the difference between an auto repair shop and a body shop? when i told the cabbie i called my mechanic (mainly cuz i don't know what else to call him... i just assume any car repair type place has mechanics??), he said that we have to go to a body shop, not a mechanic. however, when i drove by the garage he was urging me to go to yesterday, i saw the sign said "S.M. auto repair". the place i went to near my house is called "guan's auto repair". so what is the difference?