Auto Insurance Claims: help please, police chases, felony theft

Question
my vehicle was stolen on a sunday and i got a call 4 days later that they recovered it but it was in a high speed police chase and involved in a shooting and also an accident but probobly not enough to be a total loss ... the problem i have is they have just released the vehicle and i know the Diminshed value is going to be huge they have not found the driver of the vehicle but they have found the other suspects i have told my adjuster about the dv and he said he does not pay that but the vehickle was stolen and the driver is more that likely uninsured so what do i do i do not want this car back the history is bad and the value sucks now

Answer
Hi Mike,

You have a situation you really can't control here because the insurance company can do anything they opt to do as per your policy.

You will find no compassion and all they are looking at is the cost of repair to get you back on the road.

I am very much against high speed police chases because of what I have seen. We commonly repaired cars that were the subject of such chases and commonly those cars were in the wrong place at the wrong time hit by the stolen car.

What many do not realize is that when your car is stolen, the insurance company will send you a theft pack. This has a statement the insured would sign for non-permissive use. This means that the stolen car has no liability coverage. If the driver of a stolen car hits someone, that person has no recourse for liability unless they have uninsured motorist.

When cars are stolen, everyone loses. In your case, you may suffer from diminshed value.

For years in Wisconsin, a guy could steal 30 cars before being arrested. once arrested, he would spend a couple hours in jail and back on the street. You hear about grand theft auto. There was no such thing here. It was felony theft, however the thief 99% of the time ended up with a misdemeanor "Operation without owner's consent." Practically none had real jobs and to go after them civilly was a waste of time.

You did not state what type of vehicle it was, but after 1998, many vehicles came with factory installed anti theft systems. Most work marginally, but you did not state if you left the keys in the car.

This is why I state the simplest easiest way to prevent theft is to install a hidden starter disable. This way, even with keys, it makes the vehicle difficult to just drive off.

I am sorry this happened to you, but you are going to be at the insurance company's mercy. Don't have any hope that they will catch the driver or that anything will be done to him to help you financially.

I have absolutely no faith in the cops and the court system as it relates to stolen vehicles. I have been dealing in the repair of more than 10,000 theft recoveries in 17 years. I also serve as an expert witness when innocent insureds are accused of being party to the theft of their vehicles.

I found that a large percentage of my customers did not want their car back. They had no choice. The insurance company would pay for repair and it was up to the owner to sell the car after the vehicle was repaired if that's what they wanted to do.


Good Luck!

Rob