Yeah, dammit, I got rear ended today at a stop light. I was on my way home from dropping a friend off at school in Walnut. It's not horrible, its not even that bad. He was at a complete stop behind me, and took his foot off the brake. He hit me hard enough to scare the bejesus out of me, and mess up my bumper pretty bad.

I got all of his information, of course. Poor guy is just a kid, probably not even 18 and obviously his first accident. He even asked me what we do!

Anyways, I reported it immediately to my insurance when I got home. Then he texts me asks if we could do it without involving the insurance, that he'd be willing to pay for a new bumper out of his pocket (more likely his parents pockets). Since I've already reported it to my insurance, is it possible to put a stop on the claim? And what do you guys recommend? I wouldn't mind having him just give me the cash, though it would be tempting to just pocket the money instead of getting the car fixed, since it isn't that bad. But I know that I would look at it and hate myself for not fixing it.

Are there any liability issues that I should worry about? And what do you think it'll cost to get repaired, assuming that there is no structural damage? I'll probably be going to my stealership to see what it'll cost through them, and to find out the price of the bumper and get some other quotes.

Let me know what you guys think. I have always let my insurance handle it, so I'm a bit clueless!

PS: The worst part? I had just cleaned the in and out of my Fit, and I was holding an energy drink when he hit me. Needless to say it got EVERYWHERE.

 

Sorry for the misfortune but I would suggest to give the boy a break and just let him pay for the damages instead of going through your insurance. Get an estimate I would say he got you at 5mph. That should not do any damages to the structures for our bumpers are design to absorb such impact but get it check anyways. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks. I'd certainly say that it was much less than 5mph, thankfully. I'll call my insurance tomorrow and see if I can put a stop on the claim.

 

i'd recommend you take off the bumper skin first to see if there's anything damaged in there. if all is good, i'd recommend you just put a stop to the insurance claim to give the kid a break. man...i remember how much it used to cost being a male driver under 25 years so i'd have definitely appreciated it back then if i was in that situation. plus you'll get karma points.

 

I'd follow the normal insurance route. I got in an accident once. A high school "friend" t-boned my truck...gave me the sad story asking if we could pay off the record...I said ok. Was like pulling fricken teeth to get the money. Excuses after excuses...calls getting un-answered....and I never got the money. The bum was in the wind!

 

I don't know how it works where you are but drivers here are able to pay fully for damages through the insurance company as an option. In other words, the person who caused the accident reimburses the insurance company for the repairs to avoid any penalties to their own insurance.

 

should not be a problem for him to actually pay out of pocket, have the repairs estimated at a body shop and have him cut you a check for the estimate, my friend has done this several times, there is no law saying his insurance HAS to pay, as long as he pays you it does not matter if it comes from his bank account or his insurance companies...

 

Sorry for the damaged bumper - I guess I've been around long enough to know that sometimes people promise things they have no intention of doing. If anyone hits me in the rear of my car - I am going to call 911 to have police come out and document who hit who. This gives you some protection and it is easier to get your car fixed when your insurance is dealing with his insurance. When you are doing it person to person things can get a little messy! It is nice to give the kid a break but just hope that he is able to take care of your car and get it back to normal.

Cat :x

 

Thanks for that advice guys. I of course would prefer to go through the insurance. It makes a bit nervous relying on someones word. But given the area I was in and the feeling I got from the kid, I sense that his parents have deep pockets and would make sure to take care of it.

Do you know if it's possible to go through the insurance at a later date if I'm fed up with not getting money to do a repair? I'm assuming that also won't be as easy.

 

You should ask your insurance company to be sure. The insurance company we use here handles the costs of repairs regardless of whether the person who caused the accident pays for it all or not. If that person wants to pay for the damages fully out of their own pocket, they do so through the insurance company.

 

Did you take pictures at the time of the accident? If you did that is good evidence. Take note of the time and date of the accident. Also to avoid hassle of getting your money from the kid, make a statement of agreement and state everything that have happened. Include in the statement that if they are not cooperative, you'll disregard the agreement and you'll just continue with the insurance process with or without notice and make them sign the statement.

 

Be SURE he actually has the money before you stop the claim. Sure would be a bitch for you to come out of this with nothing

 

Well if you take the cash instead of going through insurance, you could get a used JDM rear bumper and have it painted.