It wasn't my fault. I was in a parking lot and stopped at a stop sign. Some genius decided to go around me on the right (driving into a vacant parking spot to do it) and when I made my turn, I swiped her car. She was screaming it was my fault, but thankfully there were witnesses and I also had a camera and after making sure there were no injuries, started taking pictures.
This is the second accident I've been in, but I worked in car rental for 12 years, so I do have some advice to give and this is something that is not widely known.
She was at fault and her insurance company took responsibility. While the damage to my vehicle appears minimal (mostly scratches) but thankfully she broke my electric step which I didn't have a lot of confidence in before the accident, and she tore my door, so I am getting a new door and step. The estimate from her insurance company is $3,000
When you are the claimant in an accident, you are entitled to rent an equal car of equal value. Which means I can rent a motor home for the time my vehicle is being repaired and her insurance company has to pay for it.
When I worked in car rental, I rented a Rolls Royce to a man $500 a day plus $1.00 a mile. His rental bill was more than twice his repair bill because he had my car for almost 2 months while he waited for parts for his.
Insurance companies rarely tell you about this and they will initially deny it (usually the insurance rep doesn't even know about it). The legal precedent is based on a guy who had a refrigerated truck and was hit. They tried to rent him a compact car while his truck was being repaired. He fought it (said he bought a refrigerated truck because that's what he needed for work) and he won.
Over the years, when I had customers in accidents and they had cars that were something other than sedans (SUVs, mini-vans, luxury cars, trucks) every time I presented the argument to the insurance company, I got my customer into a car that had the features of the one they owned and billed the insurance company full price.
If you own a motor home and you are the claimant in the accident (don't let it be a "no fault" accident if you can help it), you are entitled to rent a motor home for the entire time your vehicle cannot be used. In my case, my vehicle will only be "out of service" while it is in the repair shop, maybe a day or two, but the only rental expense I will have will be for the "insurance" if I choose to get it. I haven't made that decision yet, but no credit card will cover an RV and though the rental insurance is often (rightfully) viewed as a rip off, it isn't always and I don't know my insurance policy well enough yet to make that decision right now. Otherwise, gas and any excessive mileage are the only charges I should have . I don't yet know how many miles they will include in the daily rental (I've never rented an RV) but I will insist on at least 50-75 miles per day be paid for by the insurance company.
Equal car of equal value. That is real and, though I hope no one here ever needs to use it, if you have any questions or want more info, this is one area where I can give something back to this community.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in my accident. I took a lot of pictures at the scene and made sure I got pictures of her car in the vacant parking spot. Keep a camera handy and document the scene. In addition to having proof, I think the State Trooper was also more detailed because he saw me taking pictures.
This is the second accident I've been in, but I worked in car rental for 12 years, so I do have some advice to give and this is something that is not widely known.
She was at fault and her insurance company took responsibility. While the damage to my vehicle appears minimal (mostly scratches) but thankfully she broke my electric step which I didn't have a lot of confidence in before the accident, and she tore my door, so I am getting a new door and step. The estimate from her insurance company is $3,000
When you are the claimant in an accident, you are entitled to rent an equal car of equal value. Which means I can rent a motor home for the time my vehicle is being repaired and her insurance company has to pay for it.
When I worked in car rental, I rented a Rolls Royce to a man $500 a day plus $1.00 a mile. His rental bill was more than twice his repair bill because he had my car for almost 2 months while he waited for parts for his.
Insurance companies rarely tell you about this and they will initially deny it (usually the insurance rep doesn't even know about it). The legal precedent is based on a guy who had a refrigerated truck and was hit. They tried to rent him a compact car while his truck was being repaired. He fought it (said he bought a refrigerated truck because that's what he needed for work) and he won.
Over the years, when I had customers in accidents and they had cars that were something other than sedans (SUVs, mini-vans, luxury cars, trucks) every time I presented the argument to the insurance company, I got my customer into a car that had the features of the one they owned and billed the insurance company full price.
If you own a motor home and you are the claimant in the accident (don't let it be a "no fault" accident if you can help it), you are entitled to rent a motor home for the entire time your vehicle cannot be used. In my case, my vehicle will only be "out of service" while it is in the repair shop, maybe a day or two, but the only rental expense I will have will be for the "insurance" if I choose to get it. I haven't made that decision yet, but no credit card will cover an RV and though the rental insurance is often (rightfully) viewed as a rip off, it isn't always and I don't know my insurance policy well enough yet to make that decision right now. Otherwise, gas and any excessive mileage are the only charges I should have . I don't yet know how many miles they will include in the daily rental (I've never rented an RV) but I will insist on at least 50-75 miles per day be paid for by the insurance company.
Equal car of equal value. That is real and, though I hope no one here ever needs to use it, if you have any questions or want more info, this is one area where I can give something back to this community.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in my accident. I took a lot of pictures at the scene and made sure I got pictures of her car in the vacant parking spot. Keep a camera handy and document the scene. In addition to having proof, I think the State Trooper was also more detailed because he saw me taking pictures.