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Hit by an uninsured motorist: My story

While shopping one day, I was parked in one of those narrow spots that you can barely open your door. I ran into the storefront, and within minutes I heard my car alarm going off. Luckily I was parked very close to the store.

I ran outside and saw that a van had backed out of his space, and mangled the passenger side of my Camaro. At the time my car insurance insured by 21st century. An old men in disheveled clothes was driving the van. I was nervous about getting my damages paid for, so I asked him for his info.

He told me he did not have insurance, but did produce a driver's license. I called 21st century insurance claims #, and told them the other driver was uninsured. They kept asking me questions about his identity, so I put him on the phone. I decided not to call police, because it would've just taken longer, and the gentleman already told me he did not have insurance. So I was relying on my insurance company.

The old man spoke to the rep at 21st century for several minutes. They took his information and then we both drove off. I took my Camaro to the body shop, and was shocked at the expense. $2700! About 30% of the price of the vehicle. And it took two weeks to fix. Glad I had chosen rental car coverage, but I only able to drive a junky Ford Focus at the time.

About a week into the repairs, I got a call from my insurance company. They said the drivers license info that the at fault driver gave them was bogus. They could not locate the other driver. I wonder why the old man had a fake drivers license. Was he wanted or driving with no license? I'm glad I let him him talk to the rep at the insurance carrier, or they may have thought my little story was bunk. Insurance carriers like to get the other drivers ID so they can recover their cost. Since the at fault driver is financially responsible for the damage he inflicted, my insurance company wanted to get their $2,700 back. since I elected pay for uninsured motorist, not my problem.

Realistically if someone has no insurance, and not even a real drivers license, they will be difficult to collect from. Up to 20% of the drivers out there don't have any coverage whatsoever. Uninsured motorist is money well spent. Just don't think of your odds of running into an uninsured motorist as 20%. Because uninsured motorist are usually driving around uninsured for a reason, DUI, legal judgments against them, and making bad financial decisions. Not exactly the low hanging fruit. and they usually don't have money to keep their cars and working mechanical order. Brakes, steering, suspension, tires, etc.

21st century insurance called me one last time after the repairs were done, and asked me if there is anything else I knew about the driver. Since the accident was the first and last time I ever saw him, I could not help my insurer locate him. To make a semi-long story short, the repairs were paid for and there was not deductible, I was happy. If I didn't take the step of having them talk to him, who knows if they would have believed me or?

But this incident is before I went into insurance. I never asked 21st century to reimburse me for the depreciated cost of my car, which since then had been in an accident.

If I could do it all over again, I would file a Diminished value claim. The car is not worth as much after an accident, since it's been damaged, even if the repairs are done with OEM parts. If they totaled my Camaro, I would definitely ask for replacement cost, regardless of depreciation.  

You should always check your policy to see if the insurance committee will pay you "cash value," "replacement value" or "agreed value."

also check your limits. You have a lot higher value car, even as it's paid off if you get liability only an uninsured motorist, and have low limits say 15,000 here in California, if your car is totaled the insurance company only at the senior check for the 15,000. Even if your car is worth $30,000, $50,000, you name it.

21st century said that they would not charge me deductible for the uninsured motorist since he 10 spoken to them and was clearly identified ( even if that ID was bogus later). If you get hit by an uninsured driver, some carriers will not pay if you do not get a plate. I think they do that to combat insurance fraud. check your policy to see what evidence you need, to collect on it the uninsured motorist portion.

21st Century insurance called me back and told me they never found the other driver. But they paid anyway. If I would not have elected uninsured motorist, I would have had to pay for the damages, since both his carrier and he turned invisible.

Written by Craig J. Casey

Financial Writer helping people with their insurance problems on the net since 1998.

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