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Minor car accident with learner's permit NY
I got my NY learner's permit a week ago. I'm 16. I've been doing pretty good with driving so far. The other day I was driving down a main street with a licensed adult (my mother) in the car, I was going about 10mph. The person in front of me, like all of the other cars, stopped short, causing me to hit the car in front of me in the rear because I wasn't able to break fast enough. My mom's car got the most damage (only a slightly bent hood and cracked grille)..the car in front of me got minor scratches on the rear of her car. We went to go apologize to the lady, she wasn't too thrilled with us (understandable), but overall wasn't a very kind person..you could just tell. Overall, it was nothing big. I called the cops, and they came...no one was hurt at all. They told me not to worry because "she has no major damages". Of course being the emotional person that I am, I start crying because #1) this was my first car accident, that I caused!, #2) I didnt want to be sewed. #3) it was my mom's new car! :(. And #4)I don't want my mother's insurance rates to go too high; she has State Farm (never had an accident that "she" caused before). The cops were very nice and then we got the car towed away and it's being fixed currently. The insurance won't cover it because my mother doesn't have collission, so I feel bad enough about that! When we called State Farm they said not to worry about it right now because no claim was filed by the other party. Well, just my luck, the lady who I bumped into put in a claim. A very weird one actually. She claimed that when I hit her she hit the car in front of her. Now, I found this weird because on the Police Report it states word for word "ONLY two cars involved" and "the person who was hit had ONLY minor damages to the rear of her car". Nothing on the front of the car! There's no mention whatsoever of a third party. The cops who I talked to didn't even mention it, even the paramedics who showed up told me not to worry because there was no major damage and no one was hurt. So, what the heck?! When we told State Farm that there was no mention of this third car, the guy laughed and said "not surprised" I'm guessing he figures that she may be lying. When the whole accident occurred, she was the only one who was being talked to along with my mom and I. So, why is she doing this? If she's lying, won't she be caught for fraud? There were witnesses around, and the police even recorded on the police report what happend and that only two cars were involved. The lady has State Farm too. So, I guess my major questions are: Has this ever happend to anybody you know or yourself? What do you think about this? Will my mother's rates go up? Will I still be able to get my license in 6 months like New York law says I can, even though I got in a minor accident? And, does this lady have anything to even fight about? She can claim the scratches I guess if she really wanted to but her car has barely any damage at all! and she's claiming she has damage in the front (I was only going 10 mph, so she must have been really close to the car in front of her to get any damage at all..)..meanwhile no one mentioned it to us and, again, the police report even states there were only two cars involved and that she only had rear end damage! Keep in mind, if there really is this "third car", it must have left (so obviously they weren't worried about there damage, if any),or it doesn't exist. It would've been mentioned don't you think? Ughh. Please answer, Thankyou!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Cars?
I am a great deal older than most of the advisers on this site, so my advice will be somewhat different from what you may have received and may continue to receive from others.
You do not have anything to worry about. You will get your license, accidents happen, that’s why they are called accidents. The police report is your best witness, so while it is understandable, and commendable, that you are upset about this just let the Insurance Company handle this.
What is happening here has been going on for as long as there have been automobiles, Insurance Companies and teenage drivers. If the person you hit is claiming she hit the car in front of her the insurance company is going to want to know who that person is, why they did not include themselves in the police report and most importantly why she did not inform the police at the time of the accident. If the person you hit insists any damage to the front of her car is the result of the accident then they are going to rely on the accident report and any other information they can get from the officer(s) who responded. They will ask if the officer did a full walk around of the other car and if any other damage was noticed. Even though you both have the same insurance company the other driver still has to prove that any damage being claimed is the result of this accident. Insurance companies do not handed out money just because you make a claim.
As for your question about fraud; this is for the insurance company to worry about and prove, not something for you to worry about. The police report is going to be the major witness in the insurance companies investigation and evaluation of the claim as they the police are the unbiased witnesses and are also the trained on scene investigators for information gathering.
I would suggest one thing; Suggest to mom that she have collision added to her policy with a high deductible of say $500 to $1,000. The cost to do this is not much more or possibly the same as her insurance will be once you receive your license and are added to her policy. In the long run the cost of the collision insurance is negligible compared to the cost of repairing or replacing a brand new car.
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you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I wish all teenagers gave the consequences of driving as much thought as you do. If I were you, I would sit back and watch how my mother handles it so I could learn.
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Yes, it sounds very much like someone is attempting insurance fraud, and not doing a very good job it. either.
Do not worry, the insurance company will deal with it.
Not having collision is a way many people try and keep insurance rates low = sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
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