Hit by a school bus

[bunyip]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Texas

Friday afternoon I was hit by a school bus. There were no injuries. The bus driver admitted fault and was ticketed by the police. Saturday morning I woke up a little sore but I knew it was not whiplash. My wife convinced me to take a sick day. She took the car around the corner to get an estimate on the damage and the guy said it was totalled. It is a 1996 Toyota with 218,000 miles. Both passenger doors need replacing among other things. I went to work Sunday and was scheduled to be at work Monday at 2pm. At 8am Monday I begin making calls to the school district to find out about what they were going to do to fix my car. Schools are closed for the holidays. I was able to contact their HR person at home. She got their insurance on it and I waited until 5pm and still no adjuster came to see the car. Tuesday begain with early morning calls. I took the car to another shop and they said the car is worth $3500 and the damages are $2966....totalled. Tuesday still no one came out to see the car. This morning, Wednesday, adjustor shows up and says it can be fixed for $1700. They want to write a check to the body shop of my choice. I am under the assumption the car cannot be fixed for that price. I am not getting paid for being off Monday waiting for an adjustor. Who pays for my lost wages. Their insurance said I can have a rental car for a week but as of today, there are no cars available from the rental car agency. I have never been involved in an accident or anything like this in my 49 years. I would like some advice or where to begin my fight. Thank you.

 

[luvbskts]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Texas

Friday afternoon I was hit by a school bus. There were no injuries. The bus driver admitted fault and was ticketed by the police. Saturday morning I woke up a little sore but I knew it was not whiplash. My wife convinced me to take a sick day. She took the car around the corner to get an estimate on the damage and the guy said it was totalled. It is a 1996 Toyota with 218,000 miles. Both passenger doors need replacing among other things. I went to work Sunday and was scheduled to be at work Monday at 2pm. At 8am Monday I begin making calls to the school district to find out about what they were going to do to fix my car. Schools are closed for the holidays. I was able to contact their HR person at home. She got their insurance on it and I waited until 5pm and still no adjuster came to see the car. Tuesday begain with early morning calls. I took the car to another shop and they said the car is worth $3500 and the damages are $2966....totalled. Tuesday still no one came out to see the car. This morning, Wednesday, adjustor shows up and says it can be fixed for $1700. They want to write a check to the body shop of my choice. I am under the assumption the car cannot be fixed for that price. I am not getting paid for being off Monday waiting for an adjustor. Who pays for my lost wages. Their insurance said I can have a rental car for a week but as of today, there are no cars available from the rental car agency. I have never been involved in an accident or anything like this in my 49 years. I would like some advice or where to begin my fight. Thank you.

I'm a little confused. You called the HR at home? Most school corporations administration offices are open year round, including Christmas Break. You should've contacted the head of transportation or talked to the administrator's secretary.
Did you give the adjuster a written estimate? It seems odd that they wouldn't look at that. Did you ask about your missed work? Did you received medical attention?

 

[JETX]

I am not getting paid for being off Monday waiting for an adjustor. Who pays for my lost wages.

No one. You need to make other arrangements to get to work.

I would like some advice or where to begin my fight.

You begin your fight by contacting YOUR insurance agent and getting their help in resolving this.
Also, you're going to have to make a decision on that $1700 offer. Have their agent refer you to a specific bodyshop... that will accept THEIR estimate.
Then, get your car in the shop and start getting it fixed. Either get a rental car as they have offered.... or see if they will pay you cash in lieu of a rental car and make your own private transportation arrangement.

 

[bunyip]

I called the HR person for the school district at home as the number given for the insurance for the bus was her office number. A recording said they were closed for the Christmas holidays and gave her home number as an emergency number. The assistant head of their transportation dept. was at the scene of the accident and gave me that number.

The estimate I had gotten for the car was given to their ins adjuster but he said they could do better and I had to use theirs if they were going to accept liability for the accident.

I asked about missed work and they said they were only liable for $35 a day and I make $21 an hour.....I missed 8.5 hours.

I did not receive medical attention.

My insurance company says it is out of their hands since I only have liability on the car.

As of today, Thursday, 6 days after the accident, I finally got a call from their rental car agency saying they still had no car but had a truck for $10 more that what the school district would pay. When I got to the place, it was suddenly a Volvo for $11 more.

At this point, I am considering filing in small claims court.

Any new advice????

 

[shell007]

I called the HR person for the school district at home as the number given for the insurance for the bus was her office number. A recording said they were closed for the Christmas holidays and gave her home number as an emergency number. The assistant head of their transportation dept. was at the scene of the accident and gave me that number.

The estimate I had gotten for the car was given to their ins adjuster but he said they could do better and I had to use theirs if they were going to accept liability for the accident.

I asked about missed work and they said they were only liable for $35 a day and I make $21 an hour.....I missed 8.5 hours.

I did not receive medical attention.

My insurance company says it is out of their hands since I only have liability on the car.

As of today, Thursday, 6 days after the accident, I finally got a call from their rental car agency saying they still had no car but had a truck for $10 more that what the school district would pay. When I got to the place, it was suddenly a Volvo for $11 more.
At this point, I am considering filing in small claims court.

Any new advice????

On the lighter side of this...at least your driving around in style.

 

[InsuranceLadyAZ]

On the lighter side of this...at least your driving around in style.

Well, I'm sure that was helpful to the OP. If there is a bodyshop that will fix your vehicle, then go there and get the thing fixed. Regarding the rental car situation, did you ask your contact at the school district if they would be willing to pay the extra so you could have some form of transportation? You certainly can file a claim in small claims court, but before you do that, I'd recommend trying to work things out, especially since you're stuck without a vehicle right now.

 

[shell007]

Well, I'm sure that was helpful to the OP. If there is a bodyshop that will fix your vehicle, then go there and get the thing fixed. Regarding the rental car situation, did you ask your contact at the school district if they would be willing to pay the extra so you could have some form of transportation? You certainly can file a claim in small claims court, but before you do that, I'd recommend trying to work things out, especially since you're stuck without a vehicle right now.

JetX had already answered the question, and I had nothing more to add other then maybe a little chuckel for the OP who is in a bad situation!

Why is it everyone else can add their two-cents to threads whether useful or not to the OP, and everytime that I do the same...someone has to call me on it! Geez!!!!

Get off of me already!!!!!

 

[JETX]

Get off of me already!!!!!

Sounds like the end to a bad date!!

 

[HomeGuru]

Sounds like the end to a bad date!!

**A: or the usual marriage.

 

[shell007]

Good one!!!

I completely set myself up for that one!!!

 

[InsuranceLadyAZ]

JetX had already answered the question, and I had nothing more to add other then maybe a little chuckel for the OP who is in a bad situation!

Why is it everyone else can add their two-cents to threads whether useful or not to the OP, and everytime that I do the same...someone has to call me on it! Geez!!!!

Get off of me already!!!!!

I wasn't aware I was on you (you should be so lucky). My point, by your own admission, is valid. You get jumped on a lot because you rarely offer any original advice, you just add a little comment at the end of the thread which, again as you admit, is not helpful.

 

[shell007]

InsuranceLadyAZ:

I wasn't aware I was on you (you should be so lucky).

Pleeeeaaaase!!!

My point, by your own admission, is valid. You get jumped on a lot because you rarely offer any original advice, you just add a little comment at the end of the thread which, again as you admit, is not helpful.

Obviously you can't get out of the "accident and injury law" section or you would see that I have offered plenty of advice, but most of that is medical, which I'm sure you have NO clue about.

In addition: You and MandyD are the only two people that continually "jump on me".

As I did with mandyD...I will now add YOU to my ignore list as well!! Feel free to do the same!!

I'm sorry you are an angry insurance Lady! Best of luck to you!

Happy Holiday's to you and your family!!

 

[InsuranceLadyAZ]

InsuranceLadyAZ:


Pleeeeaaaase!!!



Obviously you can't get out of the "accident and injury law" section or you would see that I have offered plenty of advice, but most of that is medical, which I'm sure you have NO clue about.

I won't even go into what you have no clue about. It would take me well into 2006.