Springbreak Story / Insurance Question

S0nik · #1 (**permalink**) 04-21-2003, 11:21 AM

Well I just got back today at 1.00am from my trip to Tybee Island, GA. What a blast - the car ride down was the best hehe - i finally hit the governor - 140 and felt the gas cut off - what an amazing feeling the drive through GA was nice, once we hit the border, my friend who was leading at the time decided he was tired of not being there so we drove 100-110 all the way from the border of GA to where we were staying - it was lots of fun. Made some fun highway friends who hung around to leech off my radar detector.

The ride home, however, was not so fun was trying to take it easier than the ride down, but i was on I-285 (the loop that goes around atlanta) and hit a piece of a tire while changing lanes. It tore off my entire front bumper as well as the duct work underneath so yay i had to drive without a front bumper all the way back to dayton, OH. how fun.

i filed a police report for insurance purposes, but didn't realize that i should have said the tire came off a moving vehicle and hit me rather than me running over it as a stationary object. If i would have said it came off a vehicle, my deductable would have been $100, but since it was stationary, the deductable will probably be $1000. I went and got the estimate, and they said $1300 ... and i'm not going to risk having my rates go up to cover 300 bucks. can anyone think of a way around it - i haven't looked at the official police report yet, but in my mind it should have been the same as a tire coming off a car and hitting me since i was changing lanes and didn't see it until it was too late - i mean i got over and it was just there - there was no avoiding it. What do you guys think? can you think of any loopholes for me?

outkast · #2 (**permalink**) 04-21-2003, 12:38 PM

fix it yourself. If you go to a shop and they order all new stuff then it is going to cost out the ass. Also, tell the shop it is coming out of YOUR pocket and most of the time they will lower the cost. Find the bumper online off the forums and that is the best way i can tell you. Sorry about the accident though!

S0nik · #3 (**permalink**) 04-21-2003, 12:56 PM

I talked to my local insurance agent and they pretty much just told me to try to file it as me hitting a moving object - that it would probably go through since the report was filed out of state.

i would have tried to fix it myself, but it was a lot more than just the front bumper ... lots of miscellaneous underbody plastics and wires ripped off, etc ... stuff i'm not too comfortable working with ... if it were just the wheel wells and the bumper, i woulda had it painted and i would just snapped it on myself, but i just kinda figured i'd take it to the stealership and have everything in prime condition ... thx for the suggestion on telling them its comin out of my pocket though - didn't think about that trick.

Xbanx · #4 (**permalink**) 04-21-2003, 01:36 PM

Ha that sux I-285 is notorious for tire tread, I myself have hit a tire(s) on I-285.
one at tad over 90mph did some nice damage to my hood and ruined over $200 lighting equipment to my car.

I live just north of Atlanta.
But yeah bum deal man sorry to hear that happend to your car, your best bet is to fix it yourself. Because if you let insurance fix it your insurance will most likely go up. The increase should be anymore than $5-$10/month