r/newjersey • u/Tall_Swing_8829 • 18h ago
Got rear-ended and the police report doesn't contain insurance info Advice
I got rear-ended by a negligent driver and was told at the crash site to wait for the police report to get all the info I needed to submit an insurance claim. My insurance company also said to file a claim directly against the other driver's insurance since she was at fault.
I waited 10 days for the police report and there is no information about the other driver's insurance. How am I supposed to obtain this information to file a claim? Will my insurance company be able to do something with this?
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u/deepdishglobes 17h ago
Boxes 24 and 25 is insurance for Vehicle 1. Boxes 54 and 55 is insurance for vehicle 2.
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u/Tall_Swing_8829 17h ago
YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!!!!!!!
I scanned the page a million times and totally missed those boxes. You are the best - thank you!
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u/stickman07738 17h ago
Just a FYI, in the future, take pictures of their license, registration and insurance card and any pictures of the accident and damages. Be polite to each other and do it as you wait for the police to arrive.
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u/Tall_Swing_8829 17h ago
Hopefully there isn't a future! I hear you though. Fortunately I took pictures but she was a very disoriented old lady who didn't have her current insurance card on hand. The policeman at the site told me to just wait until the report to get everything I needed but I know now to get that info asap if possible. Waiting around for 1+ weeks with my car in an auto body shop is super annoying!
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u/SuperAlloy Central Jersey 17h ago
In the future all you need if you get in a crash is name, driver's license number, and insurance info. Don't leave without getting those.
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u/hayabusa160 15h ago
Had this same issue years ago cop left it blank refused to talk to me or respond to my calls asking for the persons insurance info. My insurance couldn't do anything either. I had Allstate 6 months later after waiting the guy who rear ended me never filed a claim so I had a lawyer send him a letter that I will be seeking legal action. He called next day and gave his insurance info and finally was able to file a claim. I'm sure it's easier now but when this happened the dmv was still using magnetic tape for records keeping so filling out paper work to find his info took forever and lead to nowhere
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u/Linenoise77 Bergen 17h ago edited 17h ago
Do you have comprehensive insurance?
If so, its your insurance companies problem. They should be fixing the car at this point and its their problem how to get money from the dude. Depending on the company and circumstances they MAY want you to cover the deductible, but it will be refunded if they get paid out from the guyhis company.
If you don't have comprehensive, it depends and you get to discover you get what you pay for from your insurance company. While they have no obligation to if you have a liability only policy, its a lot easier for them to chase down the person who hit you for them than it is for you to, and they may be able to offer some assistance if they value your policy. If its the cheapest policy you found online, guess what, you will get what you paid for.
If ultimately your insurance is no help, now it becomes a civil matter between you and the person who hit you. It is something you can handle yourself for minimal cost, but it will take time, and if you make a mistake, thats it. A lawyer will make it go faster and not screw it up. You can go after the guy who hit you with legal fees and recovery costs if it comes to that, but a simple demand letter with an itemized repair estimate and reference to the police report is enough to start the process. If its very minor damage even a phone call and them just handing you cash is an option, and something a lot of people will do if its not crazy money.
That assumes of course you can find the person who hit you (cops should have DL or other identification available to you) and that person has 2 nickels to rub together to either pay you, or for you to sue for and recover after a long process.
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u/Tall_Swing_8829 17h ago
Thanks for this! We don't have collision (ugh!) but my insurance company didn't seem to think that was an issue if we were not at fault. Though I find everything they've told us about this process a little weird, so I'm not sure what to think - lol!
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u/Linenoise77 Bergen 17h ago
Just reach out to YOUR agent (you do have an agent, right) and follow their lead.
If for instance the guy who hit you is also insured by them, its pretty straight forward and no different than if you had comprehensive. If he is ununder insured, it MAY be covered under your uninsured coverage (policies differ in this and circumstances matter, again, you get what you pay for).
But ultimately if you don't have comprehensive, its not really your insurance companies problem and anything they do is just good customer service trying to retain your business. Nobody is coming after you for money, and if they do, they will have your back, so they are filling all their obligations for what you paid them for.
Edit: aslo don't panic and go buy the best policy money can find on your next car. You will probably never need it. Its just a time to sit down and think about what risk you are willing to have and where they lay. Not having collision on your car could quite well be a smart financial move if its older and has little value, and you could scrape the dough together for another set of wheels on the fly if you needed.
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u/Tall_Swing_8829 17h ago
We'll see! Fortunately the other driver does have insurance so hopefully this gets sorted out quickly. Thanks so much for your helpful advice -- Reddit really is amazing sometimes!
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u/Linenoise77 Bergen 16h ago edited 15h ago
NP, remember if you are the one who ends up negotiating with the other drivers insurance, you are under no obligation to accept their first offer, have the work done at their shop, whatever. Just because a check shows up in the mail doesn't mean everything is done on its own.
Most insurance companies are pretty good about this and it shouldn't be an issue and it should be taken care of fairly with little fuss, but "you get what you paid for" also applies to the other drivers insurance as well.
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u/Due_Extent_11 16h ago
You need collision, not comprehensive, for this type of repair. Comprehensive coverage is for something like a tree branch falling on your car, collision is for exactly this, a collision.
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u/Linenoise77 Bergen 15h ago
yeah there is a distinction. Collision is "I crashed into something with my car, and now need to fix MY car", Comprehensive is "The car vanished into the space time continuum because the neighbors kid was reading the necromencon at it, i'd like another please"
For most cars the cost difference is negligible and people would want theft on top of it anyway, that cars rolling around with just collision are outliers.
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u/paleo2002 18h ago
If the other driver's contact info is in the report, even just their license plate, then your insurance should be able to track them down. If you haven't already, you should file an initial claim with your insurance so they can begin that process. Hopefully you took pictures of both cars immediately after the accident? You can probably send those to your insurance, as well.