GMandJM wrote:
Did the insurance company send out an estimator or are they just going by photos or by what the trucking company is saying?
You might want to consider seeking out your own estimator.
Make sure you contact the trucking companies insurance company in writing. Get the case number and the name of the person handling the claim.
Insurance companies that handle commercial fleets don't want to upset their customers by raising rates. That's what would happen if the driver is considered to be at fault and the damage is in excess of their deductible.
Years ago I was hit by a dump truck speeding up an icy entrance ramp. Traffic had stopped for another accident when the truck came barreling up the ramp. He slid across 2 lanes of traffic and hit my truck in the right front corner. When all the action stopped he jumped out of the cab, lit a cigarette, and asked how fast I was going when I hit him.
Fortunately for me the police had taken pictures of the dump truck sideways across the lanes of traffic with the left front wheel stuck in the fender of my truck.
By the time I contacted his insurance company (approximately an hour later) they had already "interviewed" the truck driver and decided the accident was my fault. The only reason they even considered paying my claim was the fact that I submitted copies of the pictures taken by the police, and I had contacted the state insurance commissioners office asking for an investigation into the incident.
I made sure the insurance commissioner was aware that the decision process made by the insurance company didn't include a police report, an interview of all parties involved, or any photos taken by the police.
When all was said and done the insurance company paid for the cost of repairing my truck, including my deductible, and a rental car while my truck was in the shop.
