Auto Insurance Claims: Auto accident & insurance company disputes., accident insurance company, insurance company claims

Question
I was in an accident recently & am having major issues w/the other driver's insurance! The accident occurred on a rainy morning, in which the other driver lost control of her car; spun out all over the freeway, but thankfully only hit one car. Unfortunately, my car was that one car! She slammed into my drivers side door, breaking the window, side mirror & denting in my door. My computer system in my car is also damaged, which may or may not make my car "totaled"; that information is still not 100% yet. But her insurance refuses to pay for a rental car for me while my car is in the autobody shop. The insurance company claims that the driver does not want to accept full responsibility, so therefore they have to wait for the statements from the police & witnesses. Besides paying for a rental car out of my own pocket & then getting reimbursed, is there any other way of getting the other insurance to speed up this process since their client is definitely the driver at fault & I'm being punished w/o a car!! Oh & to note, I also have some minor injuries, including scratches on my face & a sore upper back/neck. Do I need to get a lawyer for all of this??

Answer
Hi Randi,

In this type of situation the insurance company will not accept liability until they can verify all of the information. They will need to get statements from their insured as well as any witnessess and may aslo want to wait to get a copy of the police report. In most states an insurance company can take up to 30 days to complete their investigation.

Assuming liability is confirmed, they will owe you for a rental car or loss of use payment starting the day of the accident until your vehicle is repaired or declared a total loss. In the mean time you can either pay for the rental yourself or if you have collision coverage and rental coverage on your own policy, you can put the claim through your insurance company and they will seek reimbursement. However, you would have to pay your deductibel and wait for the reimbursement to get it back.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh