by Guest » Sun Mar 31, 2013 07:20 pm
I got into my first car accident back in September:
I was driving on the curve stretch of a 2-lane, 2-way street (speed limit ~40mph) late at night when a car coming from the opposite direction swerved into my lane.
To avoid collision, in the spur of the moment I quickly turned my wheels right, ended up hitting the sidewalk, and the airbags popped.
There was no collision with the other vehicle, which drove off without stopping.
I called the police right away, and the police officer did a sobriety test on me (which I passed, I wasn't drinking), filed a report, and helped me drive my car back onto the street.
I contacted my insurance company (Wawanesa) as soon as I got home, the following day I spoke with an adjuster, and by the end of the week my car was in the shop getting fixed up.
Today, I received a notice of investigation from Wawanesa stating that they have found me 100% at fault.
I've spoken to a friend who is an adjuster himself, and I was told that since the only person that the insurance company can hold accountable for the accident is me, the decision is pretty standard even though from my perspective, the accident was a result of avoiding collision with a reckless driver and not due to a loss of control over my car.
If I choose to request a reconsideration of this determination, what are the chances that they will actually alter their decision?
Is there anything I can do to avoid a premium increase?
I don't have any points or negative driving records (been licensed for 10+ years), and I'm not familiar with how the premium increases are determined; any advice will be greatly appreciated!
(My current policy expires in October.)
I was driving on the curve stretch of a 2-lane, 2-way street (speed limit ~40mph) late at night when a car coming from the opposite direction swerved into my lane.
To avoid collision, in the spur of the moment I quickly turned my wheels right, ended up hitting the sidewalk, and the airbags popped.
There was no collision with the other vehicle, which drove off without stopping.
I called the police right away, and the police officer did a sobriety test on me (which I passed, I wasn't drinking), filed a report, and helped me drive my car back onto the street.
I contacted my insurance company (Wawanesa) as soon as I got home, the following day I spoke with an adjuster, and by the end of the week my car was in the shop getting fixed up.
Today, I received a notice of investigation from Wawanesa stating that they have found me 100% at fault.
I've spoken to a friend who is an adjuster himself, and I was told that since the only person that the insurance company can hold accountable for the accident is me, the decision is pretty standard even though from my perspective, the accident was a result of avoiding collision with a reckless driver and not due to a loss of control over my car.
If I choose to request a reconsideration of this determination, what are the chances that they will actually alter their decision?
Is there anything I can do to avoid a premium increase?
I don't have any points or negative driving records (been licensed for 10+ years), and I'm not familiar with how the premium increases are determined; any advice will be greatly appreciated!
(My current policy expires in October.)
Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:25 pm Post Subject:
There is really no way of knowing the chances as it's all up to who you speak to. What I would point out to them is that your filed a official police report at the time of the accident confirming that another vehicle caused you to hit the sidewalk. Ask them what indication they have that this was a single vehicle accident and that you just hit the curb.
If that does not work, file a complaint with your state Dept of Insurance.
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