This post distills the information I learnt while dealing with a car accident and auto insurance in the US.
At accident site
- Car got rear ended at a busy exit from the freeway. Both of us immediately pulled over to the shoulder. Checked on family immediately and got them out on to the shoulder.
- Called 911, promptly got someone within 30 seconds. First she checked if any of us needed medical attention. Then she tried to locate us by asking me for landmarks I could see. I made a mistake here in stating the wrong highway number and since she could not figure out where I was, she got angry. Finally, she said a highway patrol car would come by to check us out. Overall the woman was rude and stressed on the phone and the call was unpleasant for me.
- Both of us checked out the damage to our vehicles and took photos of both cars. We took photos of each other’s auto insurance card printouts and driving license.
- One of my rear tires was damaged and so I could not drive home without getting roadside assistance. I used the Geico phone app to record the accident and get a tow truck to help us. The tow truck option in the app would go to a call and it took more than 30 minutes to get a person to answer us! The person on the phone was explaining that there would be a $500 fee, while we noticed the other party’s tow truck had already arrived. The other party’s tow truck guy graciously inspected our damage, offered to change our tire with our spare and told us that it is best to drive home with this. We slowly drove home with the spare tire.
After the accident
- Once home, I filed a claim online on the Geico website. Details needed included: number of vehicles in collision, all passenger details, other party’s insurance, license, car details. Details of my car damage were also needed, I had to point out the sections of the car that were damaged on the online car graphic. Geico’s preliminary online analysis determined that I was not at fault since I was rear ended.
- It scheduled an appointment at the nearest Geico Auto Repair Xpress shop for estimates and the actual repairs. I removed all stuff from the car, left it at the shop for inspection.
- A couple of days later Geico informed me that they considered the car a total loss and would pay out the current value of the car. I had to go to same repair shop to sign off on this. The shop would retain and destroy all child seats in the car - this is the law in the US. Geico paid out the value promptly within a couple of days.
- For rental car, I had to go to Geico’s partner Enterprise and took out a rental car for a few weeks while I decided on what car to get next. Since I did not have rental car on my insurance coverage, I paid the rental fee - this was a special discounted fee since I was a Geico customer taking rental while my car was unavailable.
- I got letters from the other party’s insurance provider and had to take a few calls from various departments in Geico as they processed the claim over the next few months. This is a slow process.
Lessons learned
- Hearing the other person on a 911 call is incredibly difficult when standing beside a freeway roaring with vehicles. Either try to use phone apps or text (for non-911 calls) or keep a pair of earphones in the car for just this purpose.
- Make sure to inspect the other party’s license and auto insurance card thoroughly. Make sure the person on the license is the person standing in front of us. Ensure that the name on the license is the same name on the auto insurance card, the vehicle make listed matches and the insurance is valid (and not expired). In my case, due to the shock of the accident, I did not check the other party’s auto insurance card correctly - later I would realize that it was an expired card for a different car and a different driver!
- In the 911 call, make sure to ask for the cops, even if the accident is minor. It is best to have them inspect the accident, have a look at the other party’s credentials and make a report of the accident and provide that to you. (The police report can be useful when filing a claim with your auto insurance provider.)
- Get the rental car added to your insurance coverage. Having a free rental car until your car gets fixed or you buy a new car is totally worth it.
