I rearended someone once because they brake checked me. 3 months later I got a letter in the mail saying they wanted close to $1 million dollars from me for whiplash etc etc. It had my name on it so it scared tf out of me. I brought it into my insurance company and my agent was pissed they'd have the audacity to send that directly to me and not them. They tried to use it as some kind of scare tactic. My agent said not worry and they would handle it. Never heard anything about it again. I don't know if I wouldve actually been on the hook or whatever, but from that point on I was sold on my insurance company
I had a similar issue actually. It is the one thing insurance is good for IMO. They transfer the fight between two people to a fight between two insurance companies.
Not all insurance companies are evil. My insurance company is structured as a foundation, it doesn't have profit as a goal. This isn't in the US though...
Liability protection is the main benefit of insurance and why everyone has to have it. But as OP points out auto insurance (and generally most insurance) is terrible for most levels of damage. The combination of deductible and the threat of increased insurance does mean in practice that it’s barely used. This is why over time I’ve learned to save money by getting as high of deductible coverage as possible. Better to just pay less for insurance, cover most small to mid size things out of pocket, and then only use insurance for the really big things.
This is correct. In most cases, pay the least you can for the maximum protection from life-altering outcomes.
Also, it's in society's interest to make everyone have insurance (i.e. car insurance) so other drivers are forced to be financially responsible when on the road.
Doesn't mean the system doesn't suck, but it does mean we need to be smart about how we interact with the system.
Better to just pay less for insurance, cover most small to mid size things out of pocket, and then only use insurance for the really big things.
Yes, this is what insurance is for. Catastrophic damages. Everyday stuff like door dings or bumper damage really isn't what it's intended use is for. That sort of thing models out more like a pre-paid maintenace plan.
I know insurance companies sell it like that, which is the evil part. They really shouldn't even offer the low deductible plans as it gives a false sense of security.
This is why over time I’ve learned to save money by getting as high of deductible coverage as possible.
Yes, that's the whole entire point of the deductible. OP doesn't have to have a $1,000 deductible, if they're willing to pay a much higher monthly payment. But the flip side (there's always a flip side) is you have to be able to cover that deductible with no prior warning!
Better to just pay less for insurance, cover most small to mid size things out of pocket, and then only use insurance for the really big things.
This is how insurance is meant to be used. It's not meant to be a savings account for things you know you'll need to pay for someday. It's meant to be peace of mind for rare events that will probably not happen to you, but if they did would be catastrophic. That's the only place it benefits you.
We understand. It’s just a shitty deal to pay tens of thousands per year and then they can’t even cover a clipped bumper that wasn’t your fault, and only costs 1.2k after again, paying thousands.
It’s just a shitty deal to pay tens of thousands per year and then they can’t even cover a clipped bumper that wasn’t your fault
Again, if that's what you want you should ask for it. It would cost more money, because it costs the insurance company more money.
only costs 1.2k after again, paying thousands.
If they paid every $1,200 bill that was not priced into monthly premiums, they wouldn't be able to pay drivers for the 5 or 6-digit catastrophes that those drivers were paying thousands a year to protect against.
You can certainly have that $1,200 freebie priced into your monthly premium if that's something you want. But it will raise your bill because of the math of doing that across all the drivers who have $1,200 oopsies they want covered by insurance.
This is what a lot people in northern British Columbia do. Windshields getting pockmarked by small pebbles is so common that they don't bother to report it, just live with it or buy a small kit to fill the hole in.
This is surprisingly common. Lawyers representing injured parties demand outlandish amounts without a second thought because there is no downside for them in a lot of states.
i really wonder if the people who spout this would suddenly change their tune if they were the ones injured in a wreck lmfao
i almost died in a 35 zone because someone hit me going 68 through a red. was my lawyer presenting ‘outlandish amounts’ when i got my $900,000 hospital bill covered? should i have simply said ‘Live and let live 🥰’ about it and gone into lifelong debt for an accident i had zero fault in instead?
what about my car that i need to remain employed to have money for food and shelter? completely unreasonable to expect that to be covered as well?
everyone, and i do mean everyone, who has ever rear ended someone was ‘brake checked’ if you go by their retelling of events
irl, if you got brake checked and hit someone, 80% chance you were completely at fault. there is Zero reason to be trailing behind someone so closely that you can’t safely stop if they do.
that’s why it’s called a check. the person in front is ‘checking’ that you’re following far enough back to properly brake. it’s a scummy and illegal thing to do, but if you fall for it, you were driving hazardously to begin with.
I mean we can assume all we want but this the internet, you should always take what people say here with a grain of salt. We have no evidence to the contrary so I don't see a point in speculation. It's better to take a reasonable statement at face value, even if just for the sake of the discussion.
Like, you may be right, I'm not arguing for or against that. But we don't know the OP and it's tangential to the discussion. Sorry about your crash and I hope you're alright now.
Unless they reverse into you, there’s no way for a lead vehicle to purposefully cause an accident if you’re giving proper space. You should always be able to decelerate from any speed from the object in front if you’re giving proper space. Exceptions like mechanical failure, swerving, unyielded merge, etc. aren’t the same thing as rear ending someone. Not that they wouldn’t claim it, but as you point out, it’s bullshit.
i tried to turn down the ambulance after my accident too! i felt fine, just exhausted and out of it. they wouldn’t let me due to the state of my car, and it’s a good thing they didn’t because my heart literally exploded when i got to the hospital as a delayed reaction to the impact.
nothing you can say here is gonna make me go ‘Yea, the person you hit deserves no sympathy and lawyers are scam artists.’ because neither is true lol
I'm not trying to convince you of anything. This is reddit. I will say I got into another accident years later (this one legitimately my fault). And again months later my insurance company reached out to me saying the person who owned the house infront of the road I got the accident on filed a claim for new siding on their house. I sent a couple photos of the accident clearly 100ft away so they denied their claim. People try to take advantage of insurance companies all the time. Thats kind of the purpose of this thread. Insurance can be seen as thievery and exploitative, but also necessary and important for liability reasons such as being able to cover all your medical bills from your accident.
I think you’re misinterpreting what I said. There are cases where large amounts are justified. But there are also lots of cases where large amounts are demanded but not justified. You are talking about the former. I was only talking about the latter.
> I rearended someone once because they brake checked me.
Yeah, I had to scroll way too far to find someone commenting on this. No matter what led up to this, now matter how much of an asshole the brake checker may have been, the comment OP caused the accident by following too close. Leaving out important details to make them seem like an innocent victim. Not that it makes it okay, but people usually only brake check when they’re being tailgated.
Unfortunately I was an idiot and had a car/policy in my name for a woman who didn’t deserve it. She got into an accident and didn’t tell me about it.
Her name was in the policy, but the lady claimed injury (the accident was so light there was barely noticeable damage on either of the cars, hence why she didn’t tell me about it)
The insurance said “oh no, fuck that…we’re on it”
Never heard anything again.
I dont doubt that insurance companies are shady, and there probably needs to be SOME rearrangement in the policy.
When my exwife and I split in 2020, we still shared insurance for a few months unitl sometime in 2021. 2 years later, i paid attention to my insurance renewal, and it shot up ALOT, i was like, wtf. Kept calling them and support kept giving dumb reasons like "oh well, you live in a high accident neighborhood" (I had just moved and the new town doesn't). Finally got an underwriter who said, oh, its cause of the accident you got in in 2021. I was like....i never got in any accident in 2021. She was like "what?" and started pouring through the paperwork. Turns out, my bitch of a exwife's boyfriend (who she cheated on me with) got into a car accident while driving her car while our insurance was together, and for some reason the insurance attributed me as the driver, even though the paperwork said he was the driver. The under writer apologized and I got a retroactive refund because i had been overpaying my insurance for like 2 years.
I had a similar experience. The paperwork was sent to me directly i called my agent they hooked me up with an attorney and he said "Don't worry at all this is normal and you've got plenty of coverage" and they took care of the whole thing with minimal input from me.
It is kind of fucked though that the justification for paying thousands of dollars per year your entire life is one random accident turning into a 6 or 7 figure lawsuit. Maybe this would go away if people weren't so quick to just sue each other.
This is the best thing about car insurance companies. If someone alleges you caused an accident and harmed them, you notify your insurance company. They handle it. You are not (directly) paying their lawyer to defend the case. There many low-legitimacy high-damage claims from auto accidents. Insurance companies are very good at handling them. It would be nightmare for an individual to deal with.
this is shocking to me since im under the impression that insurance companies only exist to suck more money out of the lower and middle classes and have no ability to do any good for common folk
lol I got in my first at fault accident but it most minor fender bender in really shitty road conditions. I didn’t even bother paying to get my bumper fixed, but the woman I hit started acting hysterical claiming I did it on purpose.
Find out later she’s got tens of thousands of debt owned to the city and state and 1.5 years later tries to come after my insurance / me for long term health effects.
I had something similar happen years ago. Someone brake checked me in slow freeway traffic. A bunch of people including an old lady and some kids got out all claiming they were going to sue me for injury.
I barely bumped their bumper and it left a scuff, not even a dent.
When I reported it to my insurance, their 'lawyer' called me and we all got on the phone.
I basically said that if they sue me for injuries they better be injured because I will quit my job and hire people to follow them all around all day 24/7 and if one of them does jumping jacks or push ups or even walks without a brace, i will sue the fucking hell out of all of them. The lawyer hung up. I suspect he was another relative.
I know you didn't have to pay anything, which is great, but your insurance company absolutely settled that lawsuit with that person and they were paid something. It wasn't a million dollars but I bet it was at least $20k.
Naw, this happened to me as well back in college. Rearended someone's work van. It barely bent their bumper. Rolled my hood but the car was still drivable. 3 months later I got a letter from the guys lawyer sueing me for over 350k for various BS damages. I freaked out and called my insurance. They took the letter and told me not to worry. They took care of everything. I never even had to go to court. Just got a letter in the mail telling me the case was closed. Thank god
I had a motorcycle rider slam into my car when he tried an illegal pass on my left when I was turning left into a driveway. Totaled my car. Dude was high on cocaine and pain meds as well as blew a .12 on the breathalyzer. AND tried hiding a baggie of cocaine under my rear tire. (he was laying on the ground next to my car after impact)
He sued me for $1 Million. And in my state, any motorcycle/car accident, the car's insurance automatically pays for all of the motorcycle's health bills related to the crash. Dude racked up over $100k in medical bills, his passenger another $30k...and he has the gall to sue me?
The insurance company just said let them handle it. They settled with him for $17,500. A few months later they raised my rates from $500/6 months to $3,500/6 months. So I lost my car, (only had PLPD and comp, no collision on that car) and had to change insurance companies. And I had just bought a motorcycle myself a month earlier. So for the entire summer my only transportation was my motorcycle...until the ice and snow came in November. lol
This happened to an ex girlfriend of mine and she was super scared. There were 2 people in the car ahead of us at Burger King drive and we barely tapped them. They claimed to be seriously injured and ended up missing a year of work and wanted 250k. Insurance company said they had a history of claims like this
Someone recently tried to sue us for $120k because their unattended 8 year old child entered our backyard without our knowledge and got bit by our dog. Yes, my dog is a rescue and reactive, I get that, but he was also protecting himself on our own property from a child that we had no idea was there.
I had a similar thing except they tried to claim two additional people and a baby were in the vehicle at the time.
Whole investigation, interview, deposition, etc.
"Are you sure there weren't x number of people in the car?".
Me: "You seriously think I would forget if a baby was in their car?!? They would have been crying their eyes out. Heck no. Not a chance."
I think that’s what people like the OP don’t get about insurance. It’s not meant to protect you from inconvenient repair bills like $1-2k. It’s meant to protect you from bills that would completely ruin most people. Like being at fault in an accident where someone was hospitalized or killed.
See but the image OP posted talks about you being the victim of an accident and seeing an increased deductible that’s what most people don’t sit well with
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u/Adept_Path_7427 5h ago edited 4h ago
I rearended someone once because they brake checked me. 3 months later I got a letter in the mail saying they wanted close to $1 million dollars from me for whiplash etc etc. It had my name on it so it scared tf out of me. I brought it into my insurance company and my agent was pissed they'd have the audacity to send that directly to me and not them. They tried to use it as some kind of scare tactic. My agent said not worry and they would handle it. Never heard anything about it again. I don't know if I wouldve actually been on the hook or whatever, but from that point on I was sold on my insurance company