Automotive

Rear-ended Question; what to do next?

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Nov 9, 2008
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Thornhill

Rear-ended Question; what to do next?

hey all, first accident for me: i was rear ended when i stopped at a red light.
auto shop quote : 900 dollars.

the thing is my car is on lease so i'm planning on going to their auto shop to get another estimate.
i also have minor back pain in result of this, and planning on making an appointment with the doctor.
i've also made a report to the self-report auto collision centre.

i have all their information, what is the procedure once i get an estimate?

the other person says he will see the quote first before deciding to handle through insurance.

do i have to contact my insurance at all? i know people do light damages without insurance, does that mean they don't contact insurance at all? (i've read that you're suppose to report any damages to car immediately)

any feedback on people who've been over this? sorry if these are basic common sense information, but i'm a recent driver so i'd like to know how people handle these incidents.

thank you!
17 replies
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Mar 22, 2007
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Hamilton
So wait... You reported already.
Just let the driver know to report as well.

You kinda screwed him over
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Nov 9, 2008
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Thornhill
yao416 wrote: So wait... You reported already.
Just let the driver know to report as well.

You kinda screwed him over
have i screwed him over by reporting to the auto-collision centre? :S when i called the police, they told me to do that... i have not contacted insurance yet!

EDIT: the purpose of my post is because i've read so many horror stories about getting sued, getting screwed by the other person and things going wrong after deciding not to go through insurance, etc... thanks for anyone who have something to say.
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Sep 5, 2005
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reporting to collision is ok, if they other party wants to deal with you privately, they still can, but you have covered yourself by reporting the collision to the police. You can deal privately if you feel that you're not at fault and neither yourself nor the other party do not have any health related issues stemming from the collision.
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Mar 7, 2007
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Bencherstyle wrote: have i screwed him over by reporting to the auto-collision centre? :S when i called the police, they told me to do that... i have not contacted insurance yet!

Out of curiosity, why did you call the police???????????????????
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Feb 24, 2007
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A $900 repair doesn't include car rental. People usually not willing to pay if it is over $1000.Well. And if you have minor back pain, it'd be, to the best of your interest, report to your insurance company and let them deal with it.
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Nov 12, 2004
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Hometown
OP I can't believe the number of people on here who always worry about the person CAUSING the accident LOL. Doing what you have is all within YOUR rights.

If more people looked at accidents this way maybe there would less of them.... Below is my take on how things should go in your situation....

Sorry but if you ram into me from behind when I am sitting at a stop light. It is MY choice whether we go through insurance NOT yours. If you want to keep it your choice, then kindly keep your car from hitting mine.

So do not ask me to go get multiple quotes, or take my car to some hillbilly friend's shop who is good at taking waver ticks out of metals on vehicular units for cheap. Definitely do not expect me pay for a rental if I need one while my car is being repaired, or ask me if I could get by with an econobox either.

Also, and this is really important, whatever you do after hitting me, DO NOT complain that you can not believe this is happening to YOU. I can't believe you rammed me either... and my back and neck hurt, so I am a little testy.

Start by being humble and damn apologetic, and don't dodge one text or phone call for more than 10 minutes, after I have allowed you the courtesy of choosing whether to let you save money by paying CASH for all related bills instead of me just going through my insurance. Do all of these things THEN we might be able to work on keeping your insurance rates low...
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Apr 20, 2011
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Toronto
$900 damage, is that for scratch bumper repaint or any body dents?
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Aug 3, 2014
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You got injured in the accident. Most likely you will need some sort of therapy from whiplash, which will cost a lot. Don't look at the $900 in car damages. Think about your health. The other driver will not cover your medical expenses. Report it to insurance.
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May 2, 2010
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yao416 wrote: So wait... You reported already.
Just let the driver know to report as well.

You kinda screwed him over
Know the facts before accusing people. Reporting to collision center does not mean reporting to insurance. Even police will tell you as he writes the report you can still deal with the other driver privately.

OP, talk to the other driver with your quote and let him decide, but don't go any further. If he's not willing to pay for what you deserve, just go to the insurance. Based on my experience, it never ends well and not worth the trouble. If the other driver do understand you're doing him a favor by not claiming insurance right away, you can be a little more patient.

Do not contact insurance company unless you're making insurance claims. If it's $900 + few days of rental, it is better to avoid insurance claims for the other driver.
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Go through insurance, whiplash after effects can last for months and require lots of physio massage etc = expensive. If you go through insurance you are covered. I would also contact a personal injury lawyer,... It makes things easier and your insurance company won't take advantage of you.
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Hamilton
Someone answer this for me then.

Why would you report to collision centre if you're going privately
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yao416 wrote: Someone answer this for me then.

Why would you report to collision centre if you're going privately
Because that's an obligation required by law as far as I know. You can still resolve the matter privately after reporting.

Also, the other driver may try to take advantage of the situation - I have seen it happen. You must report to collision centre in 3 days or so, if you're reporting an accident. After that date, police may not accept the report. Think about it - the other driver drags this matter on for days and in the end he/she wants to go to the insurance. Now you report to the insurance company to make claims and they will ask for the police report, what will you do then? Would you tell them that you wanted to resolve this matter privately first but didn't go well?

You're a victim of the incident. Why bother taking a risk?
Newbie
Jul 12, 2014
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I may be wrong but you're only required to report if it's over a certain amount. It's something like $1K, $2.5K, etc.
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I like to give people second chances. It's an accident. Not like they did it on purpose
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Apr 20, 2011
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yao416 wrote: I like to give people second chances. It's an accident. Not like they did it on purpose
my sentiment exactly.
$900 damages on a new car is probably just repainting the bumper, there's no serious damages and fellow rfd is advising op to sue the hell out of him for life.
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Nov 12, 2004
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super7 wrote: my sentiment exactly.
$900 damages on a new car is probably just repainting the bumper, there's no serious damages and fellow rfd is advising op to sue the hell out of him for life.
If the person isn't rude or demanding when they have CAUSED the accident, I have let them off without doing anything 3 times now. Those times were on a vehicle I was going to be junking in a few months anyhow. If it hadn't been my winter beater though, they would have wanted to follow the simple guidelines I posted...

What is wrong with holding people accountable these days? Should the victim of someone's inattention have to worry about getting a bunch of quotes, going to some shady body shop so the other guy can save a few bucks? Or spend countless hours trying to communicate with them, or chase them for what the insurance company would give them with a lot less hassle? Also keep in mind if you go the insurance companies' recommended body shop you get a life time warranty on the repair in most cases.
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May 2, 2010
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yao416 wrote: I like to give people second chances. It's an accident. Not like they did it on purpose
Of course, if you are a decENT person, you should give them a chance to (no second chance though) make up for it.

However, I can say these minor rear ending accidents can be avoided 100% of time if the driver simply followed the rules of the road - simply paying attention to the road and the car in front if you, keep safe distance for the speed and road conditions.

So, usually drivers will not intentionally hit you from behind, but when it does happen someone is at fault. Recently, I have seen more of these things occur simply because more drivers are distracted by doing illegal things while driving. So it is not just an accident, it is an accident caused by their mistakes.

Bigger problem is when you are trying to be nice and give them a chance to resolve it privately, often they become demanding unreasonably and try to accuse you of something. When that happens, just walk away and talk to insurance, and be prepared for it all the time. It is unfortunate a lot of people don't understand the cost of repair, as you can see from many posts in RFD as well.

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