On April 28, I was cruising down a country road in Indiana when a bus ran a stop sign. The best I could do was slow down to 40mph before I hit him. As you can imagine, my 2001 Camry has seen better days. The police called a tow truck and I was taken to the lot. I filed a claim with the other insurance company (ACE American Insurance Company), and they said they would have a claim number for me within a week through Sedgwick. From what I've read on this sub, that is not particularly good news. My insurance was liability only, so I am not able to get them involved and am dealing with it myself. The police report stated that the other driver "failed to yield the right of way and entered the intersection in front of V2", so it seems like fault should be cut and dry.
I've been waiting to hear from Sedgwick for the last two weeks, but no luck. After talking to five representatives, I was finally able to get my claim number but still don't know who my adjuster is. I have another phone and email to try in the morning when they reopen, but I've gotten pushed from one office to the next.
My problem – I've only dealt with private insurance companies before and didn't realize it could drag out this long. My car is still in the lot, racking up fees. I bought it a couple years ago for $1100, so I'm sure it's not far from exceeding the running value, let alone with the front end missing now and totaled I'm sure. Do I try to get it towed to my apartment to stop the fees? My concern is that not only will the car be auctioned by the tow company, but they may come after me personally for additional fees. I am in Indiana. Please help me understand what steps I should take. Thanks!
Car in Lot after Accident – What to Do?
byu/AgedShengPu inInsurance
Posted by AgedShengPu
3 Comments
Has anyone with the other insurance company mentioned that you need to get your vehicle out of the tow yard? Or that you need to mitigate your damages? Commercial claims can take months. Can you share some additional information from the police report – did the officer transcribe statements from you and the other driver? Was an actual citation issued to other driver?
My first thought is to tell you to email Sedgwick to clarify whether you should get your vehicle out – but if you have the spare change, go ahead and get it out and have it towed to your residence, keep the receipt, and get reimbursed for it later. Don’t let their untimeliness (sp?) land you a big bill down the road.
Yes, it needs to get out of the tow yard. But you should definitely try to escalate things with the insurance first thing in the morning. They need to know that your car is in the tow yard, and they may cover the fees. It’s not a guarantee, they might not have to, it depends on the situation, but you won’t know until you can talk to someone. Ask for supervisor, stay on hold until you can get one etc. don’t wait longer than tomorrow, though.
Ultimately, they don’t really owe you anything until there is a court judgment, so it’s up to you to mitigate your own damages until you can get them on the same page. They may still agree to pay for it, but until they do, you should behave as if they won’t.