Ing Accident Insurance Claim: Fill & Download for Free

I had a small tipper truck in front of me in the roadworks section of a freeway (it was getting 2 more lanes added). He wasn’t happy following the car in front that was abiding by the reduced speed limit. He went out onto the shoulder - made up of dirt, road base, and chewed up asphalt - in a vain attempt to either overtake or intimidate. I was a fair distance back, to ensure I wouldn’t end up tangled in the potential accident he was likely to cause. As he drove along the shoulder, he picked up a baseball sized rock between the dual rear tyres, and promptly launched it out the back at about a 30 degree angle. I hopelessly watched it’s trajectory - straight onto the bonnet, then into the windscreen. The chip of paint on the bonnet was the size of a postage stamp, and the screen had several cracks radiating out from the impact point. I zoomed up close to get the company name off the truck, as well as the number plate. I called them the next morning, and the boss gave me the “too bad, so sad” talk. I explained that his driver was performing an illegal move, and was diving in an aggressive and intimidating manner. Still got the same apathy from him.So I rang my insurance company. I was happy just to get the screen replaced, and I’d paint the chip myself, but once they found out I had the numberplate, and the details of the company, they asked me for a statement. I duly did so, as a signed stat-dec (not sure of the equivalent in the USA). They waived my excess, and processed it as a no-fault claim, so I didn’t lose my annual discount. And the best part - they insisted on not only replacing the screen, but fixing the bonnet, and the marks on the roof (which I hadn’t noticed) caused by the rock. The claims processor told me they’d be hitting up the tip truck company’s insurance to cover it. I would have loved to hear that boss’ reaction when his insurer called……A relative worked for a local council, as head of “nature maintenance” - in other words, he ran the schedule of when and where the grass cutting crews would be working. They mowed the parks, as well as roadside verges, median strips and other public land in the neighbourhood. Every now & then he’d get a call from an irate citizen. “Your F-ing tractor threw out a rock and smashed my windscreen.” He’d ask them for the location, time and date, and if it all lined up, council would pay for a replacement screen, no questions asked. Their legal department advised it was cheaper just to pay the screen and not take it to court or insurance.But the downside to this was the fraud. It seemed every person who got a “free screen” would tell their friends how easy it was, and they’d all ring up. The numbers were getting out of hand - it seemed either someone was “salting” the parks with rocks, or there were a lot of people looking to get a free windscreen who had heard about how easy it was.Hence cross-checking the schedule was critical. At one point 2 out of 3 calls were nowhere near the mowing team at the date & time they claimed. He wised up to the potential fraud after he realised the same person called several times in a week, trying to get lucky. So they changed the policy to ask for all details first - including name, address, phone, car registration, make, model etc, and only then did they ask the time & place. If it was clearly a fraud claim, they passed the details onto legal, who had a form letter they mailed out to every blatant fraud attempt. That soon slowed down the rate of calls.But unless you can prove it was someone’s negligence, and get the money from them, you’ll have to cover it. Not sure about your policy, but my insurer gives you free windscreen coverage when you’re on the maximum no-claim bonus. It’s capped at 1 screen per year. Even with 6 cars insured, I’ve only ever had to claim this once.

why did the insurance company refuse to pay? Did you policy lapse? If yes, you’re SOL. Hire an attorney to defend you or otherwise deal with the lawsuit yourself.Did they refuse to pay because you weren’t at fault? If yes, then tell your insurance company and they will get counsel for you.

report it to your insurance company in case the other person changes their mind. Your insurance is to protect you, not the other person. If they never make a claim, then nobody cares. Most likely the other person didn’t have auto insurance and didn’t want the police to get involved and write them a ticket.