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Good to know but knowing my son he will never follow up. The notion of "lost value" is totally foreign to him, I am sure.
It cost us $250 and a couple months of irritation. The car sat unrepaired during the haggling process and incurred extra storage charges, which we successfully got the other insurer to pay as well. It's not a quick process, and if your only car is out of commission it may be too troublesome for some to bother with. In our case it was well worth the trouble: we ended up with superior repairs plus a check to cover the diminished value.
You're first party insurer, Geico, won't pay any of this because that's not how the policy works.
Because the other drive is at fault, the other insurer is the one you need to be seeking payment from.
You can deal with them yourself, not advisable, or you can get a Plaintiff's lawyer to do it for you. Be prepared to do some legwork, go to some doctor's appointments etc.
Plaintiff's lawyers are paid on a contingency. In my area pre-litigation is 25% litigation is 33%. Some charge expenses, some don't.
Don't call lawyers who advertise on TV, their job is to get work and farm it to new grads or underpaid paralegals. Find some local Bob & Joe, P.C. at Law type guys with good reputations.
OP whatever you do: don't use an ambulance chaser!
If you do decide to use an attorney.. word of mouth is best.
(One of your friends/relatives must know someone.)
Don't use any that solicit you online.. that's just unethical.
(Not that any attorney is looking to do the right thing for their client...lol.)
My insurance, State Farm, handled it all and I had no interaction whatsoever with the other parties company other than receiving a big check from them for the damages. My SF agent told me from the beginning not to speak to the other party or her insurance, and to jut let the SF lawyer and agent haggle for me.
You're first party insurer, Geico, won't pay any of this because that's not how the policy works..
Well, that's how it worked for us. The work started on the car immediately and Geico paid the body shop minus the deductible. The deal is that THEY will go after the other guy's insurance. A sign that they were successful was when my son got a check for his deductible a few months later.
Im still debating on what to do My husband has legal shield so we might use that. I am a honest person and I dont want to milk any one for injuries, but my back is still sore I just want my medical visits paid,only went to emergency room so far. Also I dont think they can fix that car but i dont know yet. Thanks everyone for posting info Ill let you know
Paying the deductible and letting your own insurance handle it is much easier. If you are not at fault, you should get it back. The other person's insurance has no incentive to help you.
Im still debating on what to do My husband has legal shield so we might use that. I am a honest person and I dont want to milk any one for injuries, but my back is still sore I just want my medical visits paid,only went to emergency room so far. Also I dont think they can fix that car but i dont know yet. Thanks everyone for posting info Ill let you know
Legal Shield might be good to get out of tickets and some advice, but if you need REAL legal help for this accident I don't think they'll be able to help you much. I would look into a lawyer that deals with accidents and insurance specifically.
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