Dealing with Insurance Companies..
Just seeking suggestions and/or advice... This week my Immaculate Truck was attacked and severly damaged by a logging truck on the interstate. No injuries thank goodness. I have been in contact with ...
Forum Discussion
Huge amount of misinformation in this thread.....and I make that allegation as someone who used to litigate both sides of insurance cases.
That being said, to avoid pot-stirring, I'll just make a couple of simple suggestions to the OP:
1) Read your policy to see what it says. See what damages are covered; see what types of causes are covered (i.e. Damage caused by a typhoon might not be covered in Washington State) and see what exculpatory provisions are involved ("We will not provide coverage if it's the 1st Thursday after a full moon when the incident happens")
2) Contact the....brain fart....WA DMV (I think) and ask for their pamphlet on the duties of insurance companies towards their insureds. I haven't looked since at least 1998 but pretty sure that YOUR insurance company has an obligation to cover your damages regardless of fault.
3) As someone suggested above, you should be prepared to accept a reasonable offer of settlement, however and whenever you receive it.
Bottom line, were it me, I'd do the above, but take two additional steps: A) Send a notarized letter (w/delivery confirmation) to your insurance company and demand that they compensate you for your damages (You'll negotiate over the amount of damages, but letting them sit on the sideline is not acceptable if you've suffered a covered loss); B) contact a lawyer and ask them to get involved; I seem to recall WA state has a regulatory scheme wherein attorney fees are tacked on as a matter of law to any settlement reached between the damaged party and the at-fault's insured; your lawyer will probably write a nastygram to your carrier as well as the other guy's and get action from them both;
That being said, to avoid pot-stirring, I'll just make a couple of simple suggestions to the OP:
1) Read your policy to see what it says. See what damages are covered; see what types of causes are covered (i.e. Damage caused by a typhoon might not be covered in Washington State) and see what exculpatory provisions are involved ("We will not provide coverage if it's the 1st Thursday after a full moon when the incident happens")
2) Contact the....brain fart....WA DMV (I think) and ask for their pamphlet on the duties of insurance companies towards their insureds. I haven't looked since at least 1998 but pretty sure that YOUR insurance company has an obligation to cover your damages regardless of fault.
3) As someone suggested above, you should be prepared to accept a reasonable offer of settlement, however and whenever you receive it.
Bottom line, were it me, I'd do the above, but take two additional steps: A) Send a notarized letter (w/delivery confirmation) to your insurance company and demand that they compensate you for your damages (You'll negotiate over the amount of damages, but letting them sit on the sideline is not acceptable if you've suffered a covered loss); B) contact a lawyer and ask them to get involved; I seem to recall WA state has a regulatory scheme wherein attorney fees are tacked on as a matter of law to any settlement reached between the damaged party and the at-fault's insured; your lawyer will probably write a nastygram to your carrier as well as the other guy's and get action from them both;
