Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 9/29/2009

Question
my husband was involved in a accident last night. there was a car in the hov lane that was broke down so my husband and car number 5 was pulling out of the hov lane when car number one was speeding up swerved around car number 5 lost control of his vehicle and smashed into my car causing my husband to spin around and hit two more cars. the accident report states that my car and car 5 disregarded traffic devices and car 1 was fault evasive action. my car is not insured however it was not his fault it was car 1's who is responsible for the damages

Answer
Hi Rebecca,

Unfortunately, this is going to be a long drawn out process. Based on your explanation, it sound as if liability will be contested. Also with 5 cars involved in the accident, it is possible that the at-fault party does not have enough insurance coverage to pay for all of the damage.

There is no easy answer here. You will just have to give the insurance comapny your statement when you file the claim with the at-fault drivers insurance. However, it may take several weeks or even months before it is all resolved. It may also be deternmined that the person you think is at fault may not be 100% liable. You may have to repair or replace your vehicle on your own.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh