good thing is everyone is OK

stopped at red light, van rear ended us going 35

bumper busted, trunk wont close, muffler busted, tailpipe twisted to left, dont know how to tell frame damage, the spare tire came lose and ended up below other car


1)how do i post pic so i can put it in here?
2) help me on insurance stuff....any comments appreciated....the person who hit me has allstate, and the approved network of repair shots that guarantee life work are private shops and not collision centers of dealers.

my insurance agent said i could go thru my own collision insurance, or go through the other persons insurance...I choose the latter, but now I regret it as I have to do the legwork whereas had I chosen the former I wouldve just had to pay my deductible and they wouldve organized everything for me

any comments helpful to help me in process

 

why would your agent let you go through the other insureds insurance when he knows they will not take care of you as well, and have no interest in you since you are not their customer. I would find another insurance agent. also your company would be recovering the deductible from the other persons insurance so you would not be out that either. not trying to give you a bad time, just mentioning this for other peoples benefit. Call your local lexus dealer and find out who they use for collision. get an estimate from them, do not use the auto body people aligned with the other persons ins coverage, their only incentive is to fix your car as cheaply as possible.
If it is not too late, I would go back to your agent and tell him you want your policy to cover this. the good news is the other guy actually had insurance.

 

im with progressive, and i do realize now it was a mistake

but i think its fixable....all i have done so far is file a claim with my insurance and opened a claim against driver with their insurance....the adjustor from allstate is supposed to come next week....i dont have rental coverage thru my insurance and the allstate wont approve until adjustor comes

i think i will call in the MONday AM and get this switched under mine and pay the 500 deductible if its not too late

 

First, hope you are OK. Was a police report filed?

Next, I agree with katzjamr in that you should check with your local Lexus dealership to see who they recommend. Then, have them write up a quote and have them contact Allstate about the repair. If they want the work they will do that legwork for you. No need to run this through your insurance company, IMO.

I have been in accidents similar to yours. No argument on who is at fault. They hit you and they are at fault. Be sure to call Allstate, let them know that one of their policy holders hit your RX and that it was their fault. Have always made sure I had control over which shop would do the work. Also, you should be arguing for a free rental car of decent quality. This is regardless of your coverage.

Though I grew up in PA and lived there for many years I am not sure what the current No-Fault rules are regarding accidents as I have resided in FL for awhile now. Still, insurance companies are all the same in regards to wanting to do the job as cheap as possible. They will attempt to do things such as authorize the shop to tape around the step pad on the rear bumper to paint the bumper instead of removing it and installing a new one as they should. So, be sure to understand EVERYTHING that is being agreed to and get it in writing from from their insurance company and the body shop selected.

 

Progressive... not even in the top 10 of insurance companies I would choose from.

 

Spot on good comments by katzjamr and RX330inFL. I can't imagine your agent doing that. It sounds like Progressive is more interested in collecting premiums from customers than being helpful. My son was T-Boned at an intersection by a red light runner. His Lexus IS 350 was totaled. His insurance took care of everything including a rental car and a excellent settlement. Since he was injured the agent even recommended a good lawyer to handle that.

To post a photo you need to use the "Post Reply" button and not the "Quick Reply" click on the "manage Attachments" button under additional options, then select the .jpg file and upload it to CL, then post to CL.

 

Select the Go Advance button below. Then, click the paperclip icon on the toolbar.

 

Progressive is terrible when it comes time you need them. Hear nothing but horror stories. If carfan1111 lived in Bucks I would give him my old insurance agents info.

 

Good info, I have been doing it the long way all this time.

 

hi thanks

1) yes police came and i have incident #
2) i called allstate and opened a claim against her, they gave me a claim # and told me which adjustor would contact me on MON AM
3) they would not give rental until story confirmed by adjustor..so no rental till MON....I could get one on my own and then submit for reimbursement
4) they have a list of preferred shops, they said I can go to any other, but that if its not their preferrred shop, the work is not guranteed and they wont be liable for any issues that may arise once the car has been repaired and left the shop

what do you guys think I should do? should I tell progressive to use my collusion insurance and go thru like that?

my er bill will go to my progressive insurance, from what i understand

 

also the other issue is my car is parked in my house, i dont think its safe for it to go anywhere far, so i cant be taking it to different repair shops for quote

 

I love the Freudian slip.

Personally, I would call the local Lexus shop on Monday morning to see who their recommended repair shop is and then go from there. The shop may be on the Allstate list of repair shops for all we know. Besides, it is best to get more than just one quote. You will want to see what they think needs repaired and for how much.

Would not rush into anything at the moment as it is the weekend and you are not going to make much headway. You may find dealing with Allstate a friendlier experience that dealing with Progressive in this case. Do you need Progressive to be the middle person in this conversation? That extra step in the process may slow things down. Adjustor calls Allstate who calls Progressive who then needs to call you and then back the other direction.

Also, if you get a rental car on your own now you may end up paying a higher rate than if you got one through the body shop and you will not get full reimbursement from either insurance company. What will probably happen is they will give you some pitifully small amount for rental car reimbursement. Remind them that this person hit a Lexus and an SUV and you expect to be compensated appropriately and not with some economy car. They should be happy they are not paying for your medical bills as well.

Finally, there is also the whole topic of diminished car value reimbursement after an accident. You really need to know what the rules are in PA for this and where it comes in handy to have a good insurance carrier and/or insurance agent. This accident will now more than likely be found on a CarFax report in the future.

 

Do not use your insurance for anything other than to collect from Allstate. Your premiums could go up. Your ER bill should be paid by Allstate, too.

 

1) another issue is Im going away starting on the 13th of june for 2 weeks, if I recall, rentals are only paid until the day the car is ready to be picked up. If its not ready by 13th and then gets ready in that 2 week frame, then Im on the hook for the difference of days of when car ready and when I get back

2) Is there any way a shop wont report this accident on carfax?

3) how should i go for loss of value compensation?

 

First off sorry to read about your situation and glad that you're alive.

I don't know the laws in your state but from what it sounds like, if you were rear ended it's not your fault.

I live in NYC, and my experience has been to go through your own insurance company and take it to a place where you feel that they will do a great job as oppose to letting the insurance company pick the place. I once did it through the other's person's insurance and the nicked and picked about everything. Oh that doesn't need repair, that looked like it was damaged from a previous accident, oh you can find a cheaper after market part than that etc. The next accident I had I went through my insurance which was Geico (over priced because too many damn commercials on tv) and they handled everything and recouped my entire deductible.

A mechanic once told me, next time a person rear ends you and it's not your fault, screw them over by taking it to the dealership for it to be repaired. They will either fix it with all OEM parts and run up the bill or they will total it out and give you a check for the car. But the other insurance company will be paying out their ***. I was kinda shocked but that's the mentality of some people.

In NYC it doesn't matter who you go through in terms of your insurance or if it's your fault or not, you're going to have a mark on your driving record that you've been in an accident. It stays on your record for 3 years, and in that 3 year period it may go up depending if it's your fault or not but it's definitely not going down.