Simply Explaining Insurance #91- "You hit me". "No, I didn't"

Parking lot accidents are zero fun. I had a client go through an experience recently that was excactly that. Zero fun.

My client claimed to have barely touched the other’s vehicle. There wasn’t even a mark on her car. The person she hit, claimed that she struck him so hard that it caused his car to leak oil, and it was not drivable.

These are tough situations where I recommend getting claims involved. My client was willing to try and settle this without insurance which I applauded. If it was indeed a scratch and both parties agreed on the damage, handling it on their own is absolutely ok.

When there is such a gaping chasm between one story and another, file a claim. Claims adjustors are trained to be able to tell how much damage was done in an accident and can tell if prior damage is present. If the kid had a leaky engine before the fender bender, the insurance wouldn’t cover that. We would buff out the scratch and that would be that.

It’s best to call your agent and in cases like this, file a claim.