Was hit in a hit a run, no ticket. Insurace was lapsed.

by kmd2006 » Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:35 pm

So yesterday I was involved in a hit and run. I was the one hit. My car got put through the fence of the local zoo. 3 people saw the accident from start to finish including seeing the jerk who hit me drive away. I called the police, tow truck and my dad. Handed the officer my DL, insurance cards and registration. He called it in, filed the report and told me I could get my copy in two days. After a visit to the ER, I went home and called my insurance company to file a claim. It was then that I found out they had cancelled it a few weeks earlier. Later found out a payment wasn't processed, but I recieved no notification that they didn't get the payment or that the policy had lasped. I have since made sure that my policy is now up to date and in good standing. Obviously unless they find the guy that hit me, I'm going to have the eat the cost of the repairs. My concern is on the legal end of it. Since I didn't know my insurance had lapsed, I unknowingly gave a police officer incorrect information. As I previously mentioned, I was not given a ticket or found to be at fault.

I live in Little Rock, AR.

Just wondering what potential ramifications I could see from this or if there is anything I need to do. No one else was involved other than the guy that hit me who as I mentioned drove away.

Total Comments: 3

Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 08:24 pm Post Subject:

Since I didn't know my insurance had lapsed,


Well, that could be true. But, generally speaking we know when our coverage is about to expire, and when we make a payment, we often check our bank records to make sure it was cleared. If you made the payment online, there would have been a confirmation number for it, and you would have received an email confirming the payment. But if "the check was in the mail . . . " that one we've all heard before.

Rammification? None as far as I can see, other than all the cost to repair all the damage you did to the zoo's property is going to be your responsibility -- doesn't matter that it wasn't "your fault" -- it was done by your vehicle, which makes you financially responsible. That, and the cost of repairs to the damage to your vehicle.

Now, if someone managed to get the license plate number to the vehicle that got away . . . .

Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:17 pm Post Subject:

I know for Life Insurance, most states have a grace period. This means that if you miss a policy payment for some reason, the policy remains in order for a certain number of days before it lapses. In Virginia, for life insurance it is 31 days.

Therefore, if your insurance just lapsed a few weeks ago, you may want to investigate it and see if there is in fact a grace period. If there is, the insurance company would still be responsible to pay for the damages.

Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 09:35 am Post Subject:

Grace periods in life insurance are generally a minimum of 31 days in all states (the language may state "one month" in a couple, but 31 days is more specific.

But on the property and casualty side, and in individual health insurance, the grace periods tend to be shorter, such as 10 or 15 days. The NAIC Uniform Policy Provision Law for disability/health insurance identifies 7-10-31 as the number of grace period days based on the usual premium payment mode (frequency). The 31-day grace period on applies to mode less frequent than monthly. Most states have adopted this provision.

Insurance companies are free to increase the grace period beyond the minimums, but cannot shorten the period..

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