Expert: Bennie719 - 9/3/2008

Question
Hi,
I had hit a median in an underground parking due to bad lighting and my car took a sort of a leap and landed hard but luckily didn't hit anything, except the bottom part of the front bumper was scrapped. I let it go thinking that it was something I could live with and not worth filing a claim.
One month later I gave my car for servicing and found my front struts were leaking. I had had the car checked by a mechanic a few days before the mishap had happened and everything was fine then. It will cost me 800$ to replace the struts.
Should I file a claim? How will this impact my rates going further?
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Adam,
This would be considered a fault 'collision' accident against your record and your collision deductible would apply.

In most states, if total damages exceed $500 or $750, this would cause an increase in your insurance for at least 3 year period.
You need to male an off-the-record telephone to your personal Agent to learn the rules that apply for your company and your state.

Your decision to file or not can be better made with this information.

I Hope you find this to be helpful.

Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area