Hi Guys. I'm back here whining again!

My car just got rear ended in a chain of collision. Car_1 started the chain hitting Car_2. Car_2 hit Car_3 (which is me). Car_3 (me) brushed Car_4. Car_2 left the scene. I managed to take pictures of all the cars' license plates, though. From what I understand, Car_4 will have to claim Car_3's insurance (me) and Car_3 (me) will have to claim Car_2's insurance (left the scene) and Car_2 will have to claim Car_1's insurance, right? I only got the last guy's (Car_1) insurance info. AM I SCREWED?

I'm thinking of calling the last guy (Car_1) insurance anyway but I want to know what to do next if they told me they're not responsible for my damage.

I got nothing but bad lucks with this damn Fit. I've been driving for 15 years without anyone hitting me or me hitting anyone, parking lot or on the streets. First I was out $600 for some jerk hitting my rear wheel well at work's parking lot. Now I'm looking at another $500 (deductible) for this repair. I got insurance with Wawanesa and their website says that deductible has to be paid upfront. They will try their best to talk with other insurance companies involved to get my deductible returned by whoever is responsible AS A COURTESY (reads "not Wawanesa's job"). So I'm pretty sure I'll never gonna see my $500 deductible again.

Does it look like I need to call a lawyer? There's no injuries involved so the police won't do a report.

 

Call your insurance company and let them figure it out. Don't call the other drivers' companies. You don't need a lawyer unless car #4 decides to sue you, and even then your insurance company should handle it.

Don't think you're screwed; your collision/comprehensive insurance should cover you even in the event they can't track down driver #2 (he may be screwed for leaving the scene without sharing his information). Car#1 may owe you a percentage of your repairs. Is CA a no-fault state? May not matter. Your insurance company should pay to get your car fixed and then go after #1 and #2 for reimbursement if it's not no-fault.

Sorry for your hassle. Nice pics.

edit: CA is not no-fault. Each car will pay for a percentage of the damage forward of them. They have formulas for figuring it out. I'm sure your insurance company will be very interested in the pictures, especially of car #2.

 

yah, the insurance company is there to figure this out. it's a reverse chain of claim where it all goes back to the dumbarse that hit the first car. your dedictible should also be reimbursed.

 

I am sorry bro - it sucks no matter what.

 

Thanks all for replying! When I said "screwed" I meant I had to call my own insurance. I'm pretty sure my own insurance will do minimum work to recoup the cost from Car_1 (reads "my $500 deductible is on me") and will just write off Car_2 as a hit and run. They will recover their cost by jacking up my premium. Was there anybody here involved in a chain accident and was successful in making Car_1 insurance policy pays for all the damages? Or calling my own insurance is the ONLY CHOICE LEFT FOR ME NOW... I got some more pics of the rear bumper and the front bumper damages

 

not sure which insurance you're using but most major insurance will help you out.

when i or anyone in the family gets into a fender bender the first person i contact besides police is my insurance guy to let him know whats going on. he will get the info, talk to the other party's insurance to file a claim. in your case i would've gotten everyone's insurance info from idiot car#1 to the car you got pushed into.

meanwhile i would call the claims adjuster and take my car to either a claims center or bodyshop to get the car looked at and fixed. i dont like waiting around. i want my car fixed right away. i would pay the deductible for the repair initially, but when the claim is all worked out, their insurance just send me a check made out to me to reimburse my deductible.

i guess this is where it really counts when you have a good or cheezy insurance co.

 

Agreed. We've had Progressive and they've been really good with us when the altima was damaged and also for things like glass repair. Make sure you are comfortable with the shop doing the repairs and work with the shop owner to "hash out" what you are expecting out of the repairs. Let him know you want to be on the same page as him and do the same with your insurance company. Tell them you don't want any surprises (for any of them) so communication to you is Key. This will show that you are not only interested in making sure the job is done right, but also that you are also willing to work WITH them to help make it that way. If you have photos of the license plates of all cars, give them to the Insurance Adjuster and they'll get in contact with the other vehicles insurance companies, especially the one that left the scene. Was there any police involved? If not, I highly suggest for any accident other than a minor scrape, to call them. If they were involved, they'll have all the info as well. If this just happened today, you can always call the police and let them know of the situation. Be sure to let them know that you realize that you should have called then and that was an error on your part but you wanted to get something on the books (if it is possible). you have photos and the name of at least one other person involved so there are witnesses.

My $.02

~SB

 

I got Wawanesa and since the rate is so cheap, I suspect they won't do a thing but those they're legally required to do. And they're not legally required to get my deductible back. It's like the Walmart of insurance. The reason I bought it because I have never got into any kind of accident ever before for 15 years. The police came but didn't make a report as there were no visible signs of injury on anybody. I don't know why they even bother to show up. I guess it's more than 50% chance that I'll be stuck with the $500 deductible. If I want to go after Car_1, I'll probably have to get a lawyer. But looking at the shape of Car_1, the guy probably doesn't have any money either, so chances are no lawyer's gonna want to take my case. Man! I wish Car_1 was a Mercedes or something high-end!!!! Then it's JACKPOT!!!

 

Sorry about your accident, that sucks.

This is interesting because:

My friend was in a 4-car-chain-accident today too, but he was "car 4." And in his accident, "car 2" also dipped. I came here thinking you guys were involved in the same accident, but looking at your photos I can tell you guys were at different locations - plus his car's not even in the photo.

I know accidents happen every day, but like this? That's at least a little strange, right?

 

I refuse to follow the the car in front of me so close that the guy on his cell phone behind me is going to have plenty of warning that I'm having to slow down... That is if he or she isn't so spaced out in conversation that my brake lights don't register as a warning that I am slowing down.. I save a considerable amount of money by having a $1000 deductible and driving defensively.... I saw accidents like this one many times a week when I lived in Dallas..

 

We were stopping at the red light (in front of Car_4, not shown in the picture). Car_2 (white van) said that Car_1 was trying to beat the red light in the back of us (Patton & Valley View, I'm Car_3) but couldn't stop in time because as you can see, there's not enough room to stop in time if one tried to speed up to make the red light.

 

Hey DD, so is your friend going to call Car_1's insurance company to make a claim against him or is he going to call his own and let his company sort out the details? From what I read sofar, that's how most replies told me to do. But I dread calling my own company as I'm pretty sure I'll be stuck with the deductible.

 

I was in almost the same exact situation 18 years ago (that makes me sound old, doesn't it?). I was car 3. The difference was that car 4 took off (didn't see any damage) and I did get car 2's info. I had - and still have - State Farm. I paid nothing and they went after car 2's insurance company. It's not until you actually need the insurance company that it becomes clear how a good company really does make all the difference in the world. See what your agent says and at least you did get the license number of car 2. Good luck.

 

Thanks DrZ. I think in my case the guy on Car_2 might have no insurance and might not even have a driver license at all (and might even be in this country illegally?) So that's why I think I'm screwed as it looks like Wawanesa will right off my case as a hit and run and usually in that kind of cases, I am the only one they have left to recover their loses. And they will do that by jacking up my premium. Any way, I will file a claim with Wawanesa today. If they jack up my premium, I will report it here so people know and will change my insurance company. I guess that's the only thing I can do.

 

Well said. Most chain collisions can be avoided if drivers just allowed more space between themselves.

 

Sorry I don't know how my friend handled his accident since he got home last night, but I will let you know when I find out.

However, from my own experience, Car 1 will be the responsible party for everyone's damages if he/she caused each car to hit the next, like dominoes. As long as each driver felt only one impact from the rear, it shows the they were rear-ended because of the force from Car 1's initial impact. It'd be a different story if people start claiming that Cars 2 or 3 crashed on their own, before Car 1 hit anything.

I'm no professional, but I think the best thing for you to do is to simply put in a claim with Car 2's insurance since that's the car that hit you, and let them know that there were other vehicles involved. Give them all the info you have and your testimony, and let them sort that mess out.

Hopefully everyone tells the truth because when people start flipping their stories about who hit who first, it becomes a real pain in the ass. I had an accident in high school like this, and one liar was all it took to drag the whole thing out. I wish you luck!

 

When I went through this, I was told it was only Car 2, not Car 1. It was, in theory, Car 2's responsibility to stop far enough away from me so that if rear-ended, Car 2 would not be pushed into Car 3.

Since I tapped Car 4, in theory I would thus be liable for any damage on that vehicle. But that person got out, saw no damage, and then took off.

 

In my 3-car accident, I was the middle car and the car that hit me had to pay for everyone's damages.

It was never a question how much space I left in front of me when I came to a stop. Which I think makes sense. You don't cause an accident by coming to a complete stop behind somebody, no matter how close you stop behind them. Whoever plows into you guys and causes a collision should be held responsible. At least that's how it worked in my case.

And for the record, I was not even stopped close to the car in front of me - I had like 6 feet between us. The driver that hit me never even touched his brakes. That's why I say BS if someone tries to hold you responsible just for leaving little bumper room. If someone hits you hard enough, it won't matter how much bumper room you left.

 

Then you should be able to file a claim, deductible free, under a underinsured/uninsured motorist...

 

I agree with you, btw. I thought it was a little silly the way it worked out in my case; I really felt bad for the guy who hit me.