At fault for a minor car accident here in Raleigh, police arrived, gave citation. Should we try to settle and avoid calling insurance? Or is the damage already done? The other vehicle is old and unlikely to be repaired anyway. thants!

6/5/2010 4:52:34 PM

If you have liability (which I'm sure you do), then take a note from your insurance company saying that they covered whatever damages that you had to claim to your court appearance. Most likely the secretary, or whatever that lady is that checks your id before you go before the judge, will look at the letter, dismiss your citation, and make you pay like $50 in court costs.
If you do not want any insurance points, then I believe you will have to get a lawyer and pay them to help you. I don't even think a few insurance points will raise your premium that much, but it's up to you.

6/5/2010 5:10:06 PM

offer to buy their car

6/5/2010 6:01:23 PM

I wouldn't offer much for it, though, because its been in a wreck.

6/5/2010 6:08:53 PM

I guess the question is, should we make an effort to pay the other driver directly and avoid going through insurance?

I suspect there is no point at this point, the insurance company is going to find out anyway and increase premiums. Does a claim have more impact on insurance, or the report of a citation?

6/5/2010 6:11:20 PM

Quote :

"police arrived"

yes insurance will find out quickly, and i believe a citation is more damaging than the claim itself

[Edited on June 5, 2010 at 6:27 PM. Reason : a]

6/5/2010 6:26:25 PM

Why are police religiously handing out citations whenever one is at fault for an accident. It used to be unless you were in gross negligence like running a red light, failing to yield, overly reckless; a cop would just take down your info and the insurance would settle it. Lately though I have heard on multiple occasions of cops giving citations for those at fault regardless if it involved a blatant disregard to traffic laws.

Being in an accident is bad enough but now cops enjoy putting salt in the wound, i guess the municipality is really strapped for cash. Does anyone remember that thread last fall about the motorcyclist who lost control speeding through a curve, hit a tree, and was paralyzed from the waist down. Some dickhead cop Sgt. Assclown came to the hospital and tried to make the doctor pass on the man's citation for speeding and reckless driving.

6/5/2010 6:32:50 PM

You know how every time you get a speeding ticket, your mailbox fills up with ads from lawyers who want your business? If they can immediately find out that you did something, you can be damn sure the insurance company does, too.

6/5/2010 6:45:44 PM

Quote :

"I guess the question is, should we make an effort to pay the other driver directly and avoid going through insurance? I suspect there is no point at this point, the insurance company is going to find out anyway and increase premiums. Does a claim have more impact on insurance, or the report of a citation?"

Depends, with Nationwide a single accident with a payout under $1500 won't affect your premiums.

6/5/2010 7:38:03 PM

they don't for other insurers either--state law...

6/6/2010 12:39:49 AM

There are no accidents. If you call the cops, you get arrested or fined. Maybe even shot. That's what they do.

I can't believe all the people that call the cops during a domestic dispute and then act surprised when he arrives and arrests everyone. That's his hammer. Every problem is a nail.

6/6/2010 12:51:33 AM

Quote :

"I don't even think a few insurance points will raise your premium that much, but it's up to you."

For a lot of drivers it isn't so much a case of them "increasing" your premium that adds a lot of cost. It is that they take away discounts that you were getting so you now have to pay the actual rate plus a little.

6/6/2010 9:26:40 AM

^ that's what we call a shell game.

6/6/2010 9:44:29 AM

Quote :

"Why are police religiously handing out citations whenever one is at fault for an accident. It used to be unless you were in gross negligence like running a red light, failing to yield, overly reckless; a cop would just take down your info and the insurance would settle it. Lately though I have heard on multiple occasions of cops giving citations for those at fault regardless if it involved a blatant disregard to traffic laws. Being in an accident is bad enough but now cops enjoy putting salt in the wound, i guess the municipality is really strapped for cash. "

Because when your operation of a motor vehicle causes property and/or personal damage to another, you have to ensure that there will be reimbursement. Insurance companies will determine fault, the police determine the proximate cause.

A citation lets the insurance company know that someone investigated the accident and an officer determined this person to have been the proximate cause of the wreck. This ensures that the the parties don't go file a claim and say "he/she did it" when they were the one who caused the collision.

Example, I was hit by an intoxicated driver who ran a red light. An investigation was completed but the other driver called up his insurance that night and claimed I was at fault; in turn his insurance company called up my employer's insurance company and demanded reimbursement. Once they got the report and citations, they were left red faced.

6/6/2010 4:45:46 PM

I have been at fault for two accidents during my life.

One i was taking a left at a stop sign (when i was like 17) but did not take into account this bitch was flying through a neighborhood (had to be at least going 40) so i ended up sideswiping her big SUV. Nevertheless I was at fault and a police officer wrote a report and my insurance paid for the damage. I did not get a ticket.

My second one ( I was 20) I was trying to get around a Wolf Line bus that was slowing down to stop on avent ferry, and tried to switch lanes without realized their was an accord in my blind spot. A cop took a report and my insurance paid. Once again I did not get a ticket.

6/6/2010 6:09:48 PM

Many factors would go into determining the need for a citation; personal injury, amount of damage (reportable?) was there an actual traffic violation, department policy, zero tolerance area etc? I can't comment on your scenario without looking at the DMV-349 (crash report).

Now if you ever get into a crash and NCSHP responds...thats a hard copy. They are pro-citation.

6/6/2010 6:44:16 PM

I had just graduated from college, got my first real job, I was lost going from one store to another to pick up merchandise, I pulled into a area to turn around and proceeded to turn into the road and the next thing I knew this guy was in front of my car, I knocked him down with the car, ambulance came, etc, etc....ended up he had a small cut on the back of his head, but those bleed like a mofo.....he also broke he tail bone....lucky for me, he didnt sue, didnt believe in it, he was an older man and was walking from the library. He even gave me the option of paying the bill myself or reporting it to the insurance to pay. They did a c-scan so it was a good amount of money though he was only at the hospital for like 4 hours or so. I calculated it out, with the increase in insurance premium, it was better for me to just report it then pay it out of pocket (the ambulance ride was something like between $500-$1,000 and was just down the road).

It was kinda weird what the cop told me, I received no citation and the reason he gave was because if the guy died I would get charged with something more serious....it was sorta scary there for a bit, the back of his head gushing blood and he was out of it, but I called that evening and he was already at home eatting dinner with his wife.

6/6/2010 10:00:56 PM

Sounds like the old dude was J-Walking

6/7/2010 3:14:09 PM