• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Damage Report Time Frame

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

babybat

Junior Member
So I was involved in a car accident in which I wasn't at fault. The guy not only hit my car but two other cars while all our cars were parked on Dec 30, 2017. I had to wait a while to obtain the police report and then filed a claim immediately afterwards. His insurance has declared my case as total loss. Unfortunately, I only have liability insurance coverage so I have to rely on this claim to get my compensation but they're taking forever. My own insurance company is not helping either.

It's been a couple months and yet his insurance continues to claim that they're still waiting for total damage reports. I am just wondering if any of you know how long this process will take? Or if there's anything I could do in this situation on my part, like contacting the other party's insurance for example to ask for estimation to speed up the process. I am getting frustrated waiting.
 
Last edited:


LdiJ

Senior Member
So I was involved in a car accident in which I wasn't at fault. The guy not only hit my car but two other cars while all our cars were parked on Dec 30, 2017. I had to wait a while to obtain the police report and then filed a claim immediately afterwards. His insurance has declared my case as total loss. Unfortunately, I only have liability insurance coverage so I have to rely on this claim to get my compensation but they're taking forever. My own insurance company is not helping either.

It's been a couple months and yet his insurance continues to claim that they're still waiting for total damage reports. I am just wondering if any of you know how long this process will take? Or if there's anything I could do in this situation on my part, like contacting the other party's insurance for example to ask for estimation to speed up the process. I am getting frustrated waiting.
You SHOULD be speaking to the insurance company of the party who is at fault. If you mean that you want to talk to the insurance company of any of the other victims, no, that would not be appropriate.
 

PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
So I was involved in a car accident in which I wasn't at fault. The guy not only hit my car but two other cars while all our cars were parked on Dec 30, 2017. I had to wait a while to obtain the police report and then filed a claim immediately afterwards. His insurance has declared my case as total loss. Unfortunately, I only have liability insurance coverage so I have to rely on this claim to get my compensation but they're taking forever. My own insurance company is not helping either.

It's been a couple months and yet his insurance continues to claim that they're still waiting for total damage reports. I am just wondering if any of you know how long this process will take? Or if there's anything I could do in this situation on my part, like contacting the other party's insurance for example to ask for estimation to speed up the process. I am getting frustrated waiting.
If you have provided all of the information for YOUR damages you should contact your state's (which you didn't name) department of insurance and file a complaint.
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
Unfortunately, I only have liability insurance coverage so I have to rely on this claim to get my compensation but they're taking forever. My own insurance company is not helping either.
It's odd that people write that when they only have liability insurance. Your own insurance company has no obligation to help you with a claim against another driver.

It's been a couple months and yet his insurance continues to claim that they're still waiting for total damage reports. I am just wondering if any of you know how long this process will take? Or if there's anything I could do in this situation on my part, like contacting the other party's insurance for example to ask for estimation to speed up the process. I am getting frustrated waiting.
You can call the adjuster for the at fault driver and ask for a status of the claims.

What's likely happening is that the at fault driver has only the state required minimum limits and those limits have to be pro-rated between the three damaged vehicles and nobody gets paid until all of that is determined.

If you are frustrated now, you may be even more frustrated when you don't get the full ACV of your car.

Here's how it works. If the property damage liability limit is 10,000 and three vehicles were damaged as follows:

A - 8000
B - 4000
C - 2000
Total damage 14,000

Each vehicle's percentage of the total damage:

A - 57%
B - 29%
C - 13%

Out of the 10,000 property damage liability limit each vehicle gets:

A - 5700
B - 2900
C - 1300

As for filing a complaint with the insurance department it is likely to go nowhere since I don't see that the insurance company is doing anything wrong.

It probably shouldn't take two months to determine the amount of damage to all of the vehicles but I can imagine a variety of reasons that it could take longer that two months.

Best bet is to call the at fault driver's adjuster and ask about it.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
If you have provided all of the information for YOUR damages you should contact your state's (which you didn't name) department of insurance and file a complaint.
On what grounds? There is nothing to complain about at this point, nor does the OP have anything to complain about anyway.
 

PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
He reported all the information to the at fault driver's insurance and has gone couple of months without a check.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
He reported all the information to the at fault driver's insurance and has gone couple of months without a check.
Again...on what grounds should the OP make a complaint? The other party's insurance has no contractual obligation to the OP. The OP's recourse is to sue the bad guy for his damages.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
While that is of course true I've found that a call to the Insurance Department much quicker and easier.
One last time: The other guy's insurance company has no obligation to the OP. The Insurance Department can't do anything and, quite possibly, won't even try.
 

PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
I was in a very similar situation in my home state and a call to the DI did wonders. It may not help the OP but it costs nothing to try and even if there is only a 1% chance that a complaint moves the insurance company along in paying the claim there is no reason not to try.

I understand that the insurance company and the OP do not have a contractual relationship. In my case the DI contacted the insurance company and notified them that a complaint was about to be filed and gave them the claim number. I received a call within 24 hours and the claim was paid about a week later.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I was in a very similar situation in my home state and a call to the DI did wonders. It may not help the OP but it costs nothing to try and even if there is only a 1% chance that a complaint moves the insurance company along in paying the claim there is no reason not to try.

I understand that the insurance company and the OP do not have a contractual relationship. In my case the DI contacted the insurance company and notified them that a complaint was about to be filed and gave them the claim number. I received a call within 24 hours and the claim was paid about a week later.
Fair enough.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
However, none of the claimants can be paid for this accident until all final damages for all the vehicles have been received. A complaint to the DOI can't make that happen any faster.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top