Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 5/7/2009

Question
I was hit on saturday by a guy insured by USAA. He hit me in the back and our stories match up so pretty much it is his fault. He has insurance but when the USAA claims rep called me she stated that his car was a new car and was not on his policy and they need to investigate his coverage before determining liability. I waited 2 days and finally decided to go through my insurance which involves me paying $500 deductible when the car is complete.

My question is, Do i have a right to how long USAA takes to complete this 'investigation' it has been 5 days already and if I had not gone through my insurance, i would still be waiting for a rental. Also, do i have to right to demand my deductible soon as they accept liabity?

Lastly if they decide that they cannot cover this guy because the car was not under his policy, what is my steps to make sure I get my deductible back?

Answer
Taye,

You are entitled to be paid for a rental car from the date of the accident until the repairs to your car are complete. If your company paid for the rental car ou can not be paid twice. If you did not have rental coverage on your policy, then USAA should reimburse you for the entire amount.

Once USAA establishes that they have coverage and they accept liability, you should ask them to forward your deductible.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh