Another really good idea, put a disposible camera in your glove box. Spring
for one with the flash in case it is at night. Then you can immediatly
document the incident. the 10$ for the camera is well for the investment.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim Smith [SMTP:smitht@UNB.CA]
> Sent: Thursday, January 07, 1999 8:21 AM
> To:   vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject:      accidents/insurance
>
> Hi,
>
> Having been stung by a couple of accidents my policy is that I won't move
> my vehicle or allow the other vehicle to move until the police have seen
> everything, talked to both drivers and have made a report.   I don't care
> who this bothers, nothing gets altered until the cops ask me to. I've been
> T-boned by an uninsured driver, who just HAD to get to her dentists
> appointment, I offered her a quarter and pointed to the phone booth. You
> can still agree to allow a direct settlement instead of going through the
> insurance companies, letting the police write their report doesn't affect
> this option, even if they press charges.
>
> Coming to a 'gentleman's agreement' without the police report means the
> other driver can and will most likely blow you off. Remember that you are
> looking at least say $500 for a body shop to get involved, price a broken
> vanagon tail light to get an idea of the starting bid. If they don't want
> that on their policy they likely don't have it in the bank either. And
> even
> if you have name's and addresses of a couple of witnesses for your side
> they can still blow you off long enough that you have to get repairs done,
> then go after the money when you can no longer show their ins. co. the
> damages. Plus the police get ticked at being called into an accident
> afterwards. Witnesses may also orget or not want to bother after the fact.
> Get their names anyhow, even though the police are coming/there, and pass
> them on to your insurance co. too.
>
> Be careful just walking away from a minor fender bender when no damage
> beyond bumper to bumper contact has happened. I have had a guy later
> report
> a claim to his company that I had crunched the passengers side of his car,
> he had a body shop bill to prove the repairs.  I had to fight this one,
> his
> description of the accident included the details that it happened on a
> oneway street and he was turning right when I 'hit' him (we'd nicked
> bumpers due to slippery conditions) Took a while to get my insurance
> company to reject the claim, until they woke up to which side of the car
> the repairs were done on.
>
> bottom line, 'call da cops', and stay put.  If you block enough lanes
> someone will call the cops anyhow, while you make sure you don't get a
> 'drive-away'.
>
> HTH, Tim
>
> Finally I have had some fights regarding 'depreciated' value of my vanagon
> (it was 3mos new when T-boned, to the final tune of $3400Cdn)  Bottom line
> is unless the vehicle is a write-off I'll fight against ANY depreciation,
> I
> wouldn't be replacing these parts myself, why should I have to pony up any
> money because someone else makes me need replacements?  Insurance
> companies
> have a hard time with this, be ready to fight and DO NOT use their rec'd
> body shops for an estimate, stick with dealer or high end body shops that
> know European cars.  I have had an insurance co refuse to give me more
> than
> what 'their' shop estimated, then the shop turned around and jacked the
> amount during the job and was paid it.  Enough that I could have had it
> fixed at the dealer.