Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 3/2/2009

Question
My car was parked and a neighbor missed judged backing up and really damaged my drivers side door breaking the window and making a huge dent.  She has offered to pay for the repair which will be substantial I don't like the idea of her paying me as things happen and I don't trust her word.  She states she has insurance and I have made a police report what are my next steps.   I have her Insurance name  and policy number but the document she provided is expired January 2009. Please assist thanking you in advance...

Answer
Hi George,

First, you need to go to a body shop and get an estimate for the repairs. Ask the shop how many days it will take to repair your vehicle. Then contact the woman and tell her the total cost of the repairs and also tell her she will owe you for a rental car while yours is being repaired. You can call Enterprise rent a car to check the dailey rate of a vehicle of similar size as yours and multiply by the number of days the shop said it would take to repair.

If the lady balks at the price or is unable to come up with all of the money at once, simply tell her you have no choice but to call her insurance company and file a claim with them. If it turns out that her insurance is expired, ask her for her new insurance information. If she refuses, tell her you will call the police to force her to provide the insurance info.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh