Had a minor accident-seeking advice on settling without claiming on insurance

[ob1ob]

I was involved in a minor accident that was my fault. The damage isn’t severe, so the other driver seems ok with me paying for the repairs out of pocket. I’m currently waiting for an estimate. I wanted to be transparent about this and called my insurance agent and was told that it’s best to avoid a claim if possible. I’m sure they don’t want to pay out, and at the same time I would also like to avoid a premium increase. I read that the average increase is 64% after a claim. Any advice on how to proceed and minimize any potential issues? Should I ask for a copy of the estimate and/or repair bill, have some sort of signed agreement? How should I handle the payment? Pay the shop directly or to the car owner? Would Venmo or Zelle be ok or check only? Apologies for all of the questions, but I haven’t been in this situation before. Thanks.

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[null98115]

I'm helping my daughter through a similar situation and have found that many repair shops in Denver won't do an out of pocket repair. I've never run into that in Seattle. So, depending on where you are, that might be a barrier. You should ask for at least two estimates and ideally three. Finally, in a perfect world, the repair shop will allow you to pay them directly so you can put it on a card to have a paper trail.

 

[MM Mav]

My previous vehicle was hit in a parking lot, causing damage to the passenger rear bumper area. Thankfully the responsible driver left a note. In communicating with the at fault party, he asked to pay for damages out of pocket.

I got estimates from 3 shops, shared them with him, and he ultimately paid my chosen shop for the repairs out of pocket. He also covered the rental car costs.

Yes - get copies of the estimates. If at all possible, pay the shop directly. My shop wouldn't order parts until the responsible party paid the estimate cost.

 

[Automan21]

Should I ask for a copy of the estimate and/or repair bill, have some sort of signed agreement? How should I handle the payment? Pay the shop directly or to the car owner? Would Venmo or Zelle be ok or check only?

Yes get copies of estimate and bill, signed detailed notarized agreement with the other party, pay the shop directly with a check or some kind of traceable payment.

They might get funny and say they never agreed to the arrangement and hit you up in the future for payment or say it was a hit and run and then ur in problems.

 

[PapaRico]

I was involved in a minor accident that was my fault. The damage isn’t severe, so the other driver seems ok with me paying for the repairs out of pocket. I’m currently waiting for an estimate. I wanted to be transparent about this and called my insurance agent and was told that it’s best to avoid a claim if possible. I’m sure they don’t want to pay out, and at the same time I would also like to avoid a premium increase. I read that the average increase is 64% after a claim. Any advice on how to proceed and minimize any potential issues? Should I ask for a copy of the estimate and/or repair bill, have some sort of signed agreement? How should I handle the payment? Pay the shop directly or to the car owner? Would Venmo or Zelle be ok or check only? Apologies for all of the questions, but I haven’t been in this situation before. Thanks.

Don't forget about a medical release as well.

 

[ob1ob]

These are all great points. Needing a signed and notarized agreement, medical release, etc it seems like I should meet with an attorney to ensure that I’m protected from potential future liability. It’s sounding like just claiming it on insurance is the safest way to go.

 

[1929]

These are all great points. Needing a signed and notarized agreement, medical release, etc it seems like I should meet with an attorney to ensure that I’m protected from potential future liability. It’s sounding like just claiming it on insurance is the safest way to go.

Were you in accident with honest person or dishonest person?
My experience is most people who don't want to involve insurance or police are people that have circumstances where they don't have money, a license, insurance.
People that are honest become dishonest when they get greedy and try to take advantage of the situation.
Anything more than a scratch or dent = involve police if possible. Even if you and the other party agree to a non-insurance solution you want to have documentation of the facts of the incident.
If you are at fault and are paying out of pocket to the other party, obtain a release at same time of payment. Yes, I'd want a minimum of two estimates.

Any damage more than $500 I'd want to involve insurance. Any work that a shop does is going to be more than $500.

My advice, go thru insurance. If you damage your vehicle yourself, or your kids or spouse damage your vehicle yourself and you want to avoid a claim then by all means don't file a claim and pay out of pocket. In an accident with another party, this is why you pay insurance.

 

[ob1ob]

Were you in accident with honest person or dishonest person?
My experience is most people who don't want to involve insurance or police are people that have circumstances where they don't have money, a license, insurance.
People that are honest become dishonest when they get greedy and try to take advantage of the situation.
Anything more than a scratch or dent = involve police if possible. Even if you and the other party agree to a non-insurance solution you want to have documentation of the facts of the incident.
If you are at fault and are paying out of pocket to the other party, obtain a release at same time of payment. Yes, I'd want a minimum of two estimates.

Any damage more than $500 I'd want to involve insurance. Any work that a shop does is going to be more than $500.

My advice, go thru insurance. If you damage your vehicle yourself, or your kids or spouse damage your vehicle yourself and you want to avoid a claim then by all means don't file a claim and pay out of pocket. In an accident with another party, this is why you pay insurance.

These are all concerns that I have. He seems fine with my paying out of pocket now but who knows what could happen later. If he or his passenger later claim an injury, I could be facing a lawsuit. If he refuses to sign a release at the time of payment that may also leave me vulnerable. His front fender was dented and bumper cover cracked so there is no question that the repair will greatly exceed $500.

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