Auto Insurance Claims: Dealing with insurance company, insurance premiums, side doors

Question
I think the insurance company of the person who hit my car is trying to get off easy. My car was hit on the driver's side while my pregnant wife drove through an intersection. My wife says she drove into the intersection when her light turned green, and then she got hit without knowing where the other car was coming from. Fortunately, she sustained no injury, but the car's two side doors were badly damaged. She then had someone call the police so they would make a report.

We reported the accident to both our insurance company and that of the other driver that same night. To date their insurance company claim that they haven't been able to reach their client or gotten the police report so they can't make a decision. They did offer a 30% settlement over their repair estimate, which we turned down.

I feel they are dragging their feet and trying to find a way to not cover the damages as I think they should. What I am to do?

Answer
Hi Alfredo,

The other insurance company can not pay the claim until they receive corroboration of your story. They need to either see the police report that indicates that their insured was at fault or they need to take a statement from their insured to verify your story. Even once they get this information they may try to place part of the blame on you.

The best thing to do is to make the claim through your own insurance company to get your car repaired. Then your insurance company will investigate and pursue the other insurance company for reimbursement. If it is determined that you were not at fault, the fact that your insurance company processed the claim will have no effect on your insurance premiums.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh