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accident with "stolen" van..what to do?!

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M

monkeyme

Guest
Tennessee. I hope someone can help with this. I have basic liability on my car. A couple of weeks ago a van hit my parked car (street parking), along with 4 other cars, and then left the van at the scene and fled the scene. It's taken two weeks to get the police report, figure out who the van belongs to, and now deal with the van owner's insurance company (same as mine as it turns out).

One problem is that the claims rep is telling me that the van owner is saying his van was stolen...now I question whether this was true cause I heard a rumor that his son was driving the van (but its just a rumor so I don't know). Whether its true or not, is the van owner responsible for damages to my car ($5800 estimate I just got)...and can I demand a) payment to fix my car or b) a rental car until it gets resolved? I have very little money right now and my car isn't safe to drive and the insurance company doesn't seem to be in any hurry to resolve this. HELP! What can I do?

Thanks,
d. glaze
 


I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
monkeyme said:



"Whether its true or not, is the van owner responsible for damages to my car ($5800 estimate I just got)...and can I demand a) payment to fix my car or b) a rental car until it gets resolved? I have very little money right now and my car isn't safe to drive and the insurance company doesn't seem to be in any hurry to resolve this. HELP! What can I do?"

================================

My response:

If the van was truly stolen; i.e., there's been a police report of the theft, confirmed by the owner's insurance company, then there's nothing you can do about it.

IAAL
 
M

monkeyme

Guest
So I guess my next question is what constitutes proof? The police report that I have from the night of the accident neither confirms nor denies theft, as the guy fled from the van...I don't know if they ever caught him. Would the van owner have had to file a police report prior to the accident stating that his van was stolen? I'm pretty sure he did not. BUT...finding out any information is like pulling teeth. Should I hire a lawyer or wait it out and see what the insurance company says?

thanks
 

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