slickrab

Hi everyone,

So it was a rainy day tonight in NYC and by the sound of the title you can tell so far that it obviously didn't come to my benefit. I usually don't take out my new 07 TSX when it’s wet or rainy and instead I usually drive my bucket for local errands. This time I was leaving the city and was going directly to Philly and therefore I needed my TSX for the trip.

So, to get right to the point, I came to a stop at a red light in the downtown area. After about 1-2 seconds of me stopping, I hear a bang shortly followed by a strong force lifting the rear of my car. A 1/2 second later I hear another bang and felt a lighter bump in my car. It all happened so quickly.

Thank god out of all 5 (2 of my passengers, myself, and the 2 other drivers) people involved no one needed medical attention and no airbags were deployed.

I got out of the car and I was like by the sound of that my entire rear is probably totaled. At that moment I said bye to my trip to Philly and hello to the dealer. To make a long story short, it was a 3 car minor pile-up; me, a yellow taxi, and a Lincoln aviator. Amazingly, all my damage is on the bottom part of my bumper from the left to the right side of the car where the reflectors are. The damage seemed minor as the taxis yellow paint could be rubbed off my bumper, but as I looked closer I had a couple deep abrasions, a crack, paint chipping, and heavy scratches.

I called the cops and exchanged info with the two other drivers and took pictures with a disposable camera as the cops took their sweet time to come. They finally came and basically offered me a couple of options. Before I start listing them let me mention that I am 19 years of age and have never had a prior auto accident.

OPTION 1
I was told that if I file a report through insurance that since I am 19 I will be listed as a high risk driver until the age of 25 and that my insurance premium will skyrocket. I would also have to pay the $500 insurance deductible. I had him fill a report out but the cop gave me his cell number and said that I have until Sunday 3pm to call him before he files it through insurance.

OPTION 2
The other option I was given was that the taxis' garage shop may apparently be able to repair the damage. If so the insurance would not be contacted I would not pay a dime besides risking future body and cosmetic problems. Also it seems very shady and risky and being that this is my first new car I'd like only trusty hands to touch the car and not a taxi fix-it-all mechanic do a cover-up procedure. I would also rather get my entire bumper replaced if that is an option I am offered. Seeing how the taxis paint chipped into 5x5 pieces and smeared onto the bumpers of each car, I wouldn't trust who ever did his paintjob. I had the cop walk me over to the taxi driver and act as a witness as the driver gave me the number of the shop owner and his number. It was actually the cop who came up with that idea.

Sorry to have written so much but I really need some help here.
Do I have any other options? Should I bother calling that Taxi’s Garage owner?

It sounds that although I was not the fault of the accident that I am screwed either option because of my age. I am probably more screwed than the two that caused the accident. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and as many of you know this is a timely restrained matter.

zot09

Wish I could help, but I'm not sure what the best option would be. Best of luck, I hope everything works out for the best dude.

n3ok318

iTrader: (1)

If they are willing to "replace" your rear bumper, I would deal with it private. The keyword here is to "replace." Your car is basically brand new, I wouldn't want to repaint the bumper or anything.

Also why the fuck do you have to pay for the deductables? You are not at fault. Find out why you have to pay $500 deductable.

Anyways, good luck!

Simba91102

I would deal with this privately if at all possible. I'd be fairly confident that the taxi company would like to keep it off the books; an at-fault accident can't be good for them since they're commercial (any rear end collision is automatically the rear-ender's fault). The joker in the pack here (that you didn't really address it) is the Lincoln battle wagon. If that owner/operator suffered damage and pursues it through insurance, you're insurance company will be notified regardless of whether you file a claim or not (and depending on how things work in NY, may have consequences for you).

You should have your car examined at a body shop. There could easily be more damage than is readily visible (check rear door operation and panel gaps at least). And if the taxi company is willing to pay up (for repairs at a body shop of your choosing, not repairs made by their own shop) (all I can think of the TV show Taxi................ouch), make sure your car ends up like new; It's a new car now and you want it to stay that way as long as possible.

jswim99

Am I missing something here? You were rear-ended and it wasn't your fault. It shouldn't affect your insurance at all. Go through insurance, let them handle all the hassle, particularly since there were two other cars involved, and get your bumper fixed correctly.

m_allard

Sorry to hear about the accident.

You got rear-ended. It is practically never your fault in this case. I would expect the insurance company of the person that hit you to call you and settle. It is your responsibility, unfortunately, to go to a body shop, or dealer that you trust and get a reasonable estimate for the damages, to get it fixed properly, and safely. The other insurance company will certainly under-estimate the damages because they don't want to pay you. You need to be able to provide the proper dealer estimate to get your money from them. It sucks, trust me. Just remember, everyone is in business to make money. If that doesn't work, you will have to call your insurance company, and they will hunt down the other person's insurance company for you--because your insurance company doesn't want to pay for the damages either. You may have to pay a deductible in this case, but remember who they work for--you, and they will get their money from the other people. This shouldn't really affect your rates too much. Just make it crystal clear that you were rear ended and it was not your fault. If your insurance company gives you crap, cancel the policy and go with someone else.

m_allard

Bottom line, get it fixed properly and safely by a dealer or a reputable shop. You don't know at this point if there is other mechanical damage under your car, neither does the taxi mechanic. Sounds kinda like a cover up. You should contact your insurance company before the police file the report, if they even do that, and explain the situation, they represent you, and they hate surprises.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Go through insurance. No reasonable insurance company is going to make you pay a deductible for a no-fault accident like being rear-ended. Fuck the taxi company. They should learn to be more careful. I have no sympathy for taxi drivers since most of them drive like idiots anyway.

ninjamyst

If it is not YOUR fault, you do not have to report to YOUR insurance. Make the claim through the other people's insurance and replace your bumper. Some idiot lightly scratched my front bumper before, and I was able to get my Acura dealer to replace the entire front bumper AND comp me for the clearbra I had on. I had to complain and yell at the idiot's insurance company alot but they paid for everything in the end. My insurance company still don't know I was in an accident and my rate has not changed.

Remember: If you are not at fault, you don't have to report to your insurance company.

LuvMyTSX

I'd call your insurance and just ask them what would happen to you in this case.

The problem I can see with going through the taxi's garage, is that what if there is some additional damage that they don't catch (or do catch but try to ignore), and just try to "patch" up the cheapest way possible? You have a new car and it should be fixed properly.

BTW, accident or no accident, every person until they are 25 is considered high risk and pays higher insurance, so I'm not sure what the cop is getting at there.

nj2pa2nc

does not matter what your age is. The accident was not your fault,therefore your insurance should not be affected. You also will not be in the high risk either.

buste2

I work for ****** Insurance. Whoever told you that first option is full of it. If you were rear ended and on the police report it states it was the other party's fault, you are fine. You have two options.

1. File with your current insurance and they can pay for all the damages and they will go after the other party's insurance on your behalf.

2. File with the other party's insurance and let them handle the claim.

If it were me, I would file a claim with them and let them pay for the repairs. If they're a small company, they will give you a lot of hassle and a lot of BS. If that's the case, go with option 1.


The only risk you have is that you will have a No Fault accident on your record which last roughly 3 years on your report. It will not affect your current insurance in no way. However, if you would like to switch in the future, it will be harder. Accidents count against you either way. At fault or not. Its just a BS way in the insurance business. So to be honest, if you're happy, file it. If not, and the damages are less than 1000. I wouldn't bother depending how bad you want to switch. Let me know if you have any questions.

TinkySD

Use insurance. No cost to you and no points on your record as you are not at fault.

CGTSX07

I'm really happy to see that there are a lot of smart people on this board that can provide really good advice. Everyone pretty much said what I was going to say. THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT! I was involved in a similar incident which actually led me to getting my TSX (since the other was claimed totaled). You can either go through their insurance or go through your own. The insurance agency should be able to handle everything and make this as inconvenient as possible for you. good luck!

Simba91102

Ah the optimism of youth. First and foremost, it appears that virtually everyone that has offered advice here (including myself) is from someplace other than NY (New Jersey is close, but.......). It's been my experience that auto insurance rules and regs. can vary widely from state to state (this coming from Mass., where we have the most fu**ed up system in the country) so I'd attach a grain of salt to advice from say Texas, concerning the insurance repercussions of a claim in New York. Only my opinion, but again, it's been my experience that if you can keep the insurance company out of it (on relatively small claims anyway), you're better off in the long run. And if you think it won't matter that it wasn't your fault (which it clearly wasn't, assuming the scenario presented is accurate), it ALWAYS matters when someone is in an accident. Maybe not right now, but someday, somewhere, it will.

The cops' advice may well have been bs, but not knowing how things work in NY, he may have been onto something. If you have an insurance agent (as opposed to dealing direct like with AMICA for instance) you could give (or could have given) them a call for advice perhaps. Since you're on the fence, and it may be too late to keep it off the record, you're probably better off just filling out the reports and let the insurance deal with it.

slickrab

Hi All,

I just wanted to express my appreciation for all the support and advice that I recieved off this community and the Acura family. It reminds me that Acura's are bought buy people who respect the value of their money and moral values.

As of know I have still not acted upon either of the offers given to me. As the officer said I have until Sunday or tomorrow 3pm to call him and tell him to rip up the report. I am waiting upon 2 people who have been driving for a while and have heavily dealt with insurance on personal auto issues to give me further advice than that that I have recieved off this community.

I actually have a question and that is, is there anything under the bumper that I should look for that should be damaged?

Here are some pictures that I just took a couple minutes ago in the night time. I guess it would be wrong to say "enjoy!"

[.img]http://www.nassef.us/car/cardamage.JPG[./img]

[.img]http://www.nassef.us/car/cardamage (2).JPG[./img]

[.img]http://www.nassef.us/car/cardamage (3).JPG[./img]

[.img]http://www.nassef.us/car/cardamage (4).JPG[./img]

[.img]http://www.nassef.us/car/cardamage (5).JPG[./img]

slickrab

discreativename

go through insurance. the cop wrote up a police report right?...since they were there and all. get a copy of the police report, tell the cop to rip up whatever thing he was talking about. call the insurance company of the responsible driver, and claim it on their insurance since obviously they hit you. also, there could be possible damage aside from the bumper that they could discover once they take off the bumper, so the insurance can take care of that. if you decide to just go through the taxi driver's body shop, they could possibly just ignore it and slap on your new bumper like they never saw anything.

you're not screwed at all. it wasn't your fault. i was in a similar accident where someone was turning and scraped the paint along the same area basically the width of my trunk. i claimed on their insurance, had it repainted by a reputable body shop recommended by the dealership, and my rates did not go up at all. i just got my bill for the next six months and it hasn't gone up at all.

bz268

This is totally BS from the cops. If you don't report to the insurance, you are totally screwed! Let put it this way. If you don't report to your insurance, the other two guys will a-n-y-w-a-y!

From the pictures, you will not get any point whatsoever... unless your friends go see the doctor and claim your insurance.

snailspeed

Also you don't know what damage is done underneath the bumper. Go through their insurance and have the dealer tear down the rear end for a complete inspection. There could be more than meets the eye . . . not trying to sound Transformer.

Good Luck

spoiledkari

Go through insurance! You will not have to pay the deductable because you are NOT AT FAULT!! plus, there may be way more damage under that car then you can see. You'd be surprised at how much damage can be done by a simple accident...Ask me how I know. The Taxi driver and the cop seem to have some sort of agreement or something. No good cop would suggest that you have your brand new car repaired by a taxi shop. Screw that Taxi place. Make that car new again!!

discreativename

make sure when you go through insurance, DON'T CALL YOUR OWN INSURANCE. CALL THE RESPONSIBLE DRIVERS INSURANCE. as long as you dont claim on your own, your rates wont go up.

discreativename

the other driver's insurance should pay for medical of all your passengers as well.

HI OFECR

Insurance !!!!!!!! Dont forget your exhaust system is right there and the impact could have easily been transferd as far as your down-pipe and where it meets up with the engine.

davidspalding

Most of the members here have more sense than that cop. I hope his report is more responsible than his advice to you.

In the case of my last claim (my wife at the time hit a guard pole at a gas station), the adjuster scolded me for making a report 2-3 days late. Really, I had to report because the ex just wouldnt do it. Maybe that's the insurance company talking, but I recall that even if you don't make a claim, your ins. company wants to know if something happened they might get a call about. Make the call, ask them what your options are. That's what you pay them for -- taking care of you in circumstances like this. Get your money's worth.

In this case, my is get three estimates from body shops recommended by your dealer. Not the cheap shop. Not the taxi company owner's brother's kid brother's body shop. Get it looked at fully, and get estimates for a proper full repair/replacement/repaint of your bumper and anything underneath that might've been damaged/weakened (exhaust pipes?). You might even want the dealership service dept. to check all the air bag circuits, in case any sensors are now defective. (An air bag repair later after settlement would be your expense, and a hefty one, too.) You might ask your ins. company if you're entitled to a rental car (not a Porsche, but something you can get to work with) out of the taxi's insurance claim.

I had an accident where I was the rear car. My father's ins. company adjuster told me that in most every case of a rear collision, the rear car is at fault. Years later, I confirmed that when I was, like you, stopped lawfully at a red light and someone hit me from behind. The other driver's company settled, probably would've even without that driver's first words when we pulled over, "Sorry, I thought you were going to go through the red light."

Best of luck. In a month or so, inconveniences safely in the past, you'll be glad you did it right, not cheap or easy.

CGTSX07

The cop wants to rip up the police report which should state that you are NOT AT FAULT? Something sounds fishy....

jmcbnd

Many states have a no fault clause that allows the not at fault party to make a claim to their insurance company. They will charge you the deductible but it will be refunded when the settlement is finished. The clause also makes it unlawful for the insurance company to raise the premium or make you high risk even though you made a claim.

I just went through this and as a 23 yr old male I had the same fears as you did. Make the claim. You won't get burned if you have a reputable insurance company.

HI OFECR

Hes 19 that means no rental

discreativename

i was 18 when my car was hit over the summer and i got a rental car....but then again the claims agent that was helping me never asked me my age. the insurance can reserve a rental car for you, its just that the rental company cannot offer you rentals insurance.

davidspalding

The officer is offering to "rip up" (or maybe he means close out with no further investigation??) the report, when clearly you weren't at fault? What kind of cockeyed sense does that make? This must be your first accident. You need to understand that sitting lawfully at a red light and getting hit from behind is not something you're at fault at, and you're not supposed to be penalized for that. Stop thinking that because you're a young driver that you have to do anyone any favors here. Get your car fixed properly by an Acura-recommended body shop.

I'm smelling fish like down at the wharf, so I think instead of getting "sea lawyer" advice from us armchair insurance adjusters , you need your insurance company in your corner, protecting your interests. Now. Every month you write them a check to buy their services -- use them!

I think it's usually a feature of the insurance policy, not who the driver is. YMMV and probably did. But in this case, the other company will pay out, so even without the replace loaner clause, he might get it.

Of course, maybe a really good body shop will have a loaner. Or his dealer, if partnered with the body shop, can put him in a car for a coupla days. Just guessing, of course.

tsxcurity

If someone rear ends you at a red light it's not your fault!

I would NOT let the taxi company deal with it because they WILL try to F you over and do a SHI**Y job at fixing it. Take it to somplace reputable to get fixed and tell the insurance company you can't control the other cars on the road and he rear ended you!

ALSO, wash your car, it's filthy. Doesn't your dad bug you about that?