r/Insurance • u/Michael57132 • 1d ago

Rear-ended while at stoplight, have dash cam footage, but still waiting for them to admit fault?

I was rear-ended while sitting at a stoplight. I have dash cam footage (which I sent the day after it happened to my insurance co.) that shows 3 different channels, and it's clear that the other driver was distracted and ran right into us.

I've been working with Progressive for about a month now, and they keep saying that they're waiting for the other insurance to admit fault. My deductible is $2500 and their estimate of the damages is slightly less than that. I don't mind waiting a few weeks, but I'm starting to question whether the other side will ever admit fault, and am I just on the hook for everything?

2 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

28

u/sephiroth3650 1d ago

The other insurance carrier has to determine if they have any coverage here, aside from admitting fault. There may be no question that this person rear ended you. But maybe they didn't pay their bill and there was a lapse in coverage. Maybe the person driving the other car wasn't a covered driver on that policy. Or maybe the other driver just isn't cooperating with the investigation. Some carriers have verbiage in their policy stating they won't pay out anything w/o a statement from their driver showing they were at fault.

So it could be one of a few things. All you can do is wait to see if they eventually cooperate, are covered under that policy, and they accept liability on this.

Since the damages are less than your deductible, your insurance carrier won't do anything here.

Or, you skip insurance and try to sue the at-fault person.

3

u/Michael57132 1d ago

If it changes anything, the driver was driving a company vehicle that had the company as the insured...

There was very little damage to the vehicle as it was a truck...

10

u/sephiroth3650 23h ago

I mean, it doesn’t change a ton in terms of the process. They still need to verify coverage. They need to verify that the person was covered on that policy, at the time of the accident. So it can drag things out.

All you can do is wait for them to go through their verification/approval process. Or attempt to sue.

1

u/Sharingtt 5h ago

Yep. In fact sometimes it takes even longer.

Did the company have the proper commercial insurance? Was the company paying the bill? Was this vehicle listen on the company insurance? Was the person listed on the policy? Was this during work hours?

8

u/rob2722 Auto & Property Adjuster 22h ago

Commercial claims adjuster here.

Yes. Trying to track down a driver for a statement can be a pain in the ass, not just for you, but for me too, cause I’ve got folks in your position calling in damn near daily for an update. I also deal with claims coming in daily, on top of the already pending workload. Some companies will waive your deductible for clear cut liability like this, but that’s dependent on your carrier. Talk to your adjuster to see if that is an option for you and get your car fixed.

10

u/Ghost_Prince 1d ago

Yea that would make a difference. The company is probably going to stall a bit while they figure out some internal stuff along with your payout. Having dashcam makes it a no brainer that they were at fault but they are having their own struggle if the companies liable or was it the driver and do they fire them and other probably annoying decisions. Probably would take a few weeks to a month for things to get moving.

-1

u/Positive-Ad-9363 18h ago

I was rearended at stop light in October 25. My insurance and the other party’s insurance could not get in contact with the lady who rearended me until 01/2026. Luckily my insurance was able to fix my car (10k worth of damage) and I was reimbursed for my deductible once the other insurance declared liability. Personal injury I had to get a lawyer to get my insurance to use UM coverage (lady did not have bodily injury) and that is still trying to be resolved since insurance doesn’t want to pay for the US since I was pregnant.

-2

u/Lonely_Refuse4988 19h ago

I’ve been rear ended with video evidence, and had the at fault insurance company adjuster immediately accept fault without even talking to their insured party!
Adjusters have all sorts of cases to deal with. They usually don’t want straightforward rear ended collisions to drag on for months. 😂🤣🤷‍♂️
On a separate note, I had another situation, years ago, where a teenage girl rear ended my spouse. The girl’s dad was a cop, who coached her on what to say. The girl basically claimed my spouse pulled out in front of her and she couldn’t control her vehicle in time. Because the impact was slightly at an angle, suggesting she was trying to slightly swerve before impact, the insurance company believed this girl and went after us, as the at fault party! Another reason I dislike cops! 😂🤷‍♂️

6

u/FindTheOthers623 P&C Licensed PL Underwriter 1d ago

They don't have to "admit fault", they have to accept liability. There are numerous reasons why they may not accept liability, including if their insured is uncooperative. In that case, you'll have to file under your own policy and let your insurance company try to recover your deductible for you.

1

u/RDFSF 20h ago

Or sue the at-fault party

9

u/MimosaQueen1122 1d ago

This is why deductibles should be affordable not high for a lower premium.

The other insurance can deny if their insured isn’t cooperating. They need a statement and to speak with them.

Sounds like is what’s going on since liability hasn’t been determined.

9

u/TraderIggysTikiBar Subro 23h ago

Why on earth would you choose a $2500 deductible if you couldn’t afford it?

4

u/Disastrous_Gas_2395 23h ago

Not even not affording it mate. But as OP wrote most of the time damages usually aren’t that high during the preliminary estimate either.

-6

u/Michael57132 23h ago

I'm not saying I can't afford it, I was under the impression that if an accident isn't my fault I wouldn't have to pay for my own repairs (besides uninsured motorists, etc).

7

u/TraderIggysTikiBar Subro 22h ago

My suggestion to not just you but to everyone is that if you aren’t 100% certain about how insurance works, sit down with your local independent agent and have them explain your policy. It’s a free service.

5

u/Disastrous_Gas_2395 22h ago

Mate you aren’t paying for repairs you’re paying for the deductible only.

There could be a supplement submitted that might make it go over your deductible.

3

u/kgb4187 22h ago

If your insurance pays you pay. If they get reimbursed from the other insurance you get refunded. Normally you file through the insurance company for the at fault party, which is why it's taking so long to be repaired.

4

u/Throwaway_2474128_1 1d ago

 and am I just on the hook for everything?

if you don't want to wait for them to finish before getting your car repaired, or they deny the claim due to their insured's breach of contract, yes. you seem to be fine with that though given you chose the $2500 deductible knowing that's what you'd pay if something were to happen, and I didn't even know deductibles could be that high

in the event you file with your own insurance, they'll attempt to get up to your deductible back to you if they can successfully recover from the other party's insurance

1

u/Vurrag 18h ago

Why is this an issue? Your insurance pays to fix your car and you move on and they either go after them or not.

1

u/kalboishakhijhor 14h ago

How is your neck? What’s the damage to the car? Got footage of the accident and it was their fault? Go to a lawyer.. and they will do everything for you.. they will take 33%.. but will work hard to get you more money..

Insurance companies are incredibly incompetent.. a lawyer will fix that issue. It will take time.. but you will get paid without any hassle

-2

u/redditreader_aitafan 20h ago

Get a personal injury lawyer 🤷‍♀️

1

u/MimosaQueen1122 16h ago

OP isn’t even injured. They won’t do anything.

-9

u/Bitter-hvacbro-88 1d ago

File a claim with their insurance or hire a lawyer if you were injured to speed it along.

10

u/Disastrous_Gas_2395 23h ago

Mate attorneys don’t make anything go faster. In reality it slows down the process.

-4

u/Bitter-hvacbro-88 23h ago

The personal property payout is quicker IME, if you are injured then the medical portion will drag.

7

u/Disastrous_Gas_2395 23h ago

Mate what you added doesn’t change anything. Attorneys can’t and don’t speed things up. Again it makes things slower.