Talnus

So....

My girlfriend just got a 91 Accord LX 5speed about a month ago. She got insurance 2 weeks ago, liability with no collision. I have the same insurance on my car. I took her car out today to get some food for us, and I was waiting to turn left out of the parking lot, 2 lanes of traffic stopped for me to turn out, I went and a guy hit me in the turn lane. My fault completely.. I didn't see him.

His airbags went off, my radiator got all bent up. He was an old dude.. shaken but OK. I am just fine. I have a bad feeling her car is totaled. It grinded when I tried to start it after the accident, and the radiator got pushed in pretty far.

1 - I didn't get a ticket, but I was listed first in the accident report, which the cop said makes me at fault, although he didn't write that in the report. Will my insurance company find out about the accident? I had a DUI 1.5 years ago that they still don't know about, but if they get this report I'm sure they'll check the rest of my record.

2 - She is 26 years old, clean record otherwise. Do you think she'll get dropped from her insurance (State Farm) since she just got it 2 weeks ago?

I have a michigan license, michigan insurance, she has illinois license and insurance, and the accident happened in illinois.

My mom drives a 01 CL-S w/Navi, and I'm posting here cause you guys respond so fast.

Thanks for any info.. I'll be checking the thread periodicly throughout the night.

kensteele

Sounds like this is a question for MI or IL residents. She wasn't driving, I doubt she'll get dropped.

civic4982

well glad to hear everybody came out fine... not to worry about your g/fs insurance... she wasn't the driver so it won't be her fault... her insurance will probably deny responsibility for the accident b/c you were not covered on her insurance... that means you personally have to take the loss on the other man's car and either his insurance will come after you for it or he will sue you himself for the damages... her car being repaired is a similar issue and most likely either your auto insurance company will have to cover it or you will have to take a personal loss and cover all damages... you've gotten yourself into a big mess here but maybe to help you out you should contact a lawyer or your insurance company to find out more... laws vary from state to state as well as from insurer to insurer... lemme give you a website that's good to look ...

http://www.insure.com/auto/liabilityorder.html

civic4982

actually I am wrong on some points there... read the page I attached for more accurate information... I'm sorry for giving you the wrong info...

gjr2001

It's hard to say. Insurance is screwed up to say the least, the only thing you have to worry about is if they find the DUI on your record. You could possibly bullshit your way out of the accident by saying you were not at fault. I guess you will find out when the time comes to renew your policy. But in the meantime go to the license bureau and get a copy of your driving record to make sure exactly what is on there. BTW- your girlfriend will not lose her insurance.

civic4982

so from further reading I did notice that her insurance company will have to pay everything and she will have to pay the deductible... since she's only covered for liability then only the other person's damages will be covered... it doesn't say if you would be responsible for her car or not but if you don't fix her car with your own money then if she takes you to civil court you will surely lose (and lose a g/f for something that you were wrong in anyways) ... so looks like the best thing for you to do here is the following

1) buy lots and lots of flowers for your g/f...
2) buy flowers for the poor old guy who's car you destroyed...
3) pay the deductible for her car...
4) pray that by the grace of God she does not lose her auto insurance b/c of your mistake...
5) buy her a new car or reimburse her for the value of her car...
6) buy more flowers for your g/f...

good luck to ya...
o yeah and the legal and right thing to do would be to call your OWN insurance company and let them know that you got into a wreck with her car... you're supposed to inform them of any accidents you get into (apart of your agreement with your insurance company)

civic4982

gjr, are you sure? b/c according to the research I just did it seems that her insurance will be the one who has to pay... and therefore since it hurts her insurance company they may drop her coverage...

"Your friend drives your car and causes a little damage.

If you loan your car to a friend, she causes an accident, and both of you have auto insurance, your insurance is going to pay first and you'll have to pay your deductible. The reason? Your auto policy insures your vehicle plus "you, any relative, and anyone else using your car if the use is (or reasonably believed to be) with your permission."

2Sxy4YoMama

You only have liability, so you can not make a claim on your insurance and that make here insurances pay for it. Your only real solution is to settle it without the insurance and pay out of pocket, but that might get kinda hefty. Also, if no one is given a ticket, then there is not a party at fault unless there was witnesses.

Talnus

Well her insurance is going to pay for the other guy's car. I'm going to have to pay for the damages to her car though. It is getting an estimate now. They are looking for used parts to keep the cost down, and I told them I want the body work to be done as cheaply as possible (bending instead of replacing, etc)

So.... hopefully her car isn't going to be super expensive to fix. She's not pissed, just feeling a bit overwhelmed that she lost her car for awhile. She's using mine in the meantime. Her insurance company said mine wouldn't find out about the accident unless they checked my MVR, and even if they do that since the accident was in IL the MI MVR might not show it.

Not nearly as bad a situation as I had thought it would be. Her insurance is not going to be dropped and her rates won't change because I was driving. Also - they need to see that I have a car with insurance, otherwise they would have to add me to her policy which would drive the price up.

Thanks for all your help,

Chris

kensteele

That's ashamed that you have to pay for your own insurance premiums, you live in a no-fault state which is practically shielding your from almost all blame, and you can't even utilize it.

You were driving, just like driving a rental car from Hertz. You get in an accident, your insurance company should pay for you. Your insurance company probably would have paid for the Accord to be fixed, less your deductible probably; happily (i.e. definition of no-fault).

You need to understand your own insurance better. Sounds like Michigan has a great deal regarding their "no fault" laws. Good luck.

Talnus

Sooo.....

The car is totaled. Front frame damage, radiator and AC compressor and headlights are destroyed.. maybe more. The frame damage is really what got me. So I'm putting the car on ebay tonight. I took a bunch of pics on my digi this afternoon, and I'm just gonna tell them what the mechanic told me about the problems above. Any ideas what I might get? The body shop offered me $250. I'm hoping to get a little more on ebay.

I found a really nice 91 Celica GT Convertible in the paper. Talked the guy down from $4400 to $3600. 107k miles, all maintenance records. He bought from a local lady, first owner, a year ago for his daughter. His daughter is just awful driving a standard tranny, so he got her an accord. Hopefully she didn't do _too_ much damage when she was driving it. The body and interior is in real nice shape, and the car runs like it's new. It's got the camry v4 engine, so I'm thinking it's gonna last for a long time too.

My g/f has long blond hair, and she looks so hot in the car. She's gonna get so much attention in the summertime with the top down.. I'm starting to kick myself a little for that

Oh yea - since she wasn't driving her premiums don't get affected at all. The Celica is only $10 more every 6 months for the same coverage. She's getting collision on Monday for $180 extra every 6 months with a $250 deductable. We learned our lesson.

Thanks again for all your help and comments.

Chris