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Auto Insurance Claims/No information abt other party

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Expert: webfoot - 9/7/2008


Question
Hello webfoot
I met with an accident over the past labor day long weekend while driving on I-80 west in PA. The right lane was closed due to an accident ahead and I was trying to get into the left lane. Even though i had the left turn signal on for a few seconds before I merged into the left lane, I misjudged the distance of the truck that was just behind and collided with it. The truck caused 2 huge dents on the left quarter panel and rear left bumper. The truck's front bumper on the right  got damaged. I am a foreigner and this was my first accident in this country , so I wasnt very familiar with the procedures involved after an accident. Both the truck driver and I immediately called the police, but per the PA law , the police wont write up a report for minor accidents where there is no injury and the vehicles are in movable condition. Both the truck driver and I agreed it was my mistake .He took down my information, but I didnt note any of his info , not even the license plate number. My thinking at the time was since it was my mistake, he would be the one who needs all my info. After reaching home and reading up on the internet, I realised how wrong I was.
Anyways - my question is this - I was using the car for a business purpose , so collision damage and liability was covered under the corporate policy. Will the missing police report and the information abt the truck driver cause a problem with the insurance coverage ? There were 2 witnesses - one was my colleague who was travelling in the same car and the other was the truck drivers co passenger. Thanks very much in advance.

Answer
Well, if a missing police report were to cause such issues, then every fender bender in that state would have the same issues.

If you have no info for the other party then there is nothing to be done other than to report the accident and get your company car repaired.  If the other party decides to present a claim for their damage within your state's statute of limitations, your honest statement will preempt any police report.  

Good luck!

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webfoot

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Auto damage, liability, insurance fraud. I am a full time auto insurance adjuster with experience in collision, theft, liability and fraud investigation. I am also an ASE Master Auto Tech and I-Car Collision Platinum certified. My experience includes 15 years in the auto repair industry, a B.S. in Criminal Justice, Law enforcement and auto insurance. ****** NO "PRIVATE" QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED. I HAVE FOUND THAT NEARLY ALL PRIVATE QUESTIONS COME FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSIDERING OR ATTEMPTING TO COMMIT FELONY INSURANCE FRAUD AND I'M NOT HERE TO HELP YOU! ****** I AM HERE TO ANSWER AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR, CLAIMS PROCESS AND SOME SIMPLE LIABILITY QUESTIONS. I CANNOT ADDRESS COMPLEX LIABILITY SCENARIOS WITHOUT HAVING ALL OF THE INFO FROM BOTH SIDES IN FRONT OF ME. QUESTIONS ABOUT PREMIUMS OR HOW INSURANCE IS RATED SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO YOUR PERSONAL INSURANCE AGENT WHO KNOWS A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT YOUR HISTORY THAN I DO. I'VE NEVER SOLD INSURANCE AND DO NOT KNOW IF YOUR INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE RATES WILL GO UP IF YOU MAKE A CLAIM. THOUGH I'VE HANDLED SOME VERY MINOR SOFT TISSUE INJURY SETTLEMENTS, I PREFER NOT TO ANSWER INJURY RELATED QUESTIONS. I'M NO INJURY EXPERT AND I'LL LIKELY SAY SOMETHING TO HURT SOMEONE'S FEELINGS AS I BELIEVE THAT MANY SOFT TISSUE PAIN AND SUFFERING CLAIMS ARE OVER DRAMATIZED. UNLIKE MANY OTHERS, I AM ON THIS FORUM AS A VOLUNTEER WITH NO PRODUCTS OR SERVICES TO SELL AND PROMISE AN UPFRONT ANSWER BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE IN BOTH SIDES OF THE INDUSTRY. IF YOU PROVIDE ME WITH A HONEST VERSION OF EVENTS, I PROMISE A CANDID AND HONEST ANSWER IN RETURN. I CANNOT ADDRESS ALL CLAIM SCENERIOS DUE TO DIFFERING STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, BUT WILL DO MY BEST. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AN HONEST ANSWER MAY BE ONE THAT YOU DON'T LIKE SO IF THAT IS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM, PLEASE DON'T ASK THE QUESTION. LASTLY, I DO NOT ACCEPT RATINGS AS I DON'T DO THIS FOR RATINGS AND WISH TO SPEAK FREELY.

Experience

20 years in automotive industry, Currently in insurance claims, worked actively as technician and shop owner until about 10 years ago. Current ASE Master Auto Tech and I-Car Platinum Collision Certifications, B.S. Criminal Justice and 10 year auto insurance/extended warranty background

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