NWMR - WWYD fender bender

mrsnala · June 2014

On Saturday, I was in a fender bender, I was stopped and someone hit me from behind. There really isn't any visible damage to my car/bumper, but the woman did give me her information. I am just wondering if I should submitted it to insurance or not. I just hate going through the hassle, but it was her fault. WWWMD?

Amelia4 · June 2014

I'd see if you can get a mechanic to look at it to see if there is any damage you can't see. If there is not damage, and if you don't have any medical issues in the next few days, I'd be inclined to not report it. On the other hand, better safe than sorry.

ss265 · June 2014

Was there a car seat in the car? At the very least, you might want to ask her to replace the car seat. Almost all manufacturers ask you to replace them if they have been in an accident.

mrsnala · June 2014

Yes there was a car seat in the car, that was my biggest thought when it happened. Luckily my son was not with me.

mrsnala · June 2014

Thanks Ladies! I called my agent and they agreed to call it in, so I just called the other persons insurance and opened a claim.

jennyelf · June 2014

Defintely have it checked out. I was rear-ended last year and it looked like just surface scratches. When they took off the bumper, they found it was completely crushed and that there was some other bending and warping on the car exterior that wasn't immediately obvious. $2K damages later, car is fixed. Annoying, but worth it.

[Deleted User] · June 2014

K3am said:

I'm in the opposite camps of most folks.. I've been the offender in a couple of accidents and both times, the other car has always been cool about it - to the point of not taking my info since there doesn't appear to be any damage. So when I'm in the same situation, I do the same.

With the frequency I seem to get rear ended, eventually, someone's going to be buying me a new bumper and fixing the damage anyways. No kidding - 3 bumpers in two years. The lady at the shop always tell me that their rule of thumb - under $2500 of damages is really just superficial stuff and likely wouldn't effect the frame of your car in a larger accident.

In regards to replacing the car seat, you probably don't need to. NHTSA revised their guidelines about when a seat needs to be replaced, and usually insurance won't cover, if it meets the following:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;
There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
There is no visible damage to the safety seat

I have to disagree with this. I work hard to have a nice car. I repair even the superficial things.

Bumpers help fray the severity of an accident. A compromised bumper is compromised safety.

I worked in insurance. Get your car checked. Get a new car seat.

Katie829 · June 2014

MarlaSinger& said:

K3am said:

I'm in the opposite camps of most folks.. I've been the offender in a couple of accidents and both times, the other car has always been cool about it - to the point of not taking my info since there doesn't appear to be any damage. So when I'm in the same situation, I do the same.

With the frequency I seem to get rear ended, eventually, someone's going to be buying me a new bumper and fixing the damage anyways. No kidding - 3 bumpers in two years. The lady at the shop always tell me that their rule of thumb - under $2500 of damages is really just superficial stuff and likely wouldn't effect the frame of your car in a larger accident.

In regards to replacing the car seat, you probably don't need to. NHTSA revised their guidelines about when a seat needs to be replaced, and usually insurance won't cover, if it meets the following:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;
There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
There is no visible damage to the safety seat

I have to disagree with this. I work hard to have a nice car. I repair even the superficial things.

Bumpers help fray the severity of an accident. A compromised bumper is compromised safety.

I worked in insurance. Get your car
checked. Get a new car seat.

I will also disagree with you. Often times if you don't get a repair fixed and another accident occurs insurance can deny the claim because of a past accident.
Secondly the car seat manufacturers trump the NHTSA. For instance Graco is a replace after any/all accidents including fender benders per their manual. Whereas Britax follows the NHTSA guidelines. In the event of accident and the car seat fails due not replacing after an accident-- god forbid something terrible doesn't happen to the child because the car seat manufacturer would not be liable.

[Deleted User] · June 2014

You hit me, your insurance fixes my car. That isn't running out and getting damage repaired because someone is footing the bill.

And visible damage means jack. Damage can be hidden. You don't know until someone looks at it.

I have zero cares if you want to fix your own car. But don't annoyed when you hit me and I have my car repaired.

ASmallWonder · June 2014

There are images of car seats that look perfect after being removed from totaled vehicles. The latch straps or belt path took force far in excess of the speed either car was traveling in.

ss265 · June 2014

K3am said:

I'm in the opposite camps of most folks.. I've been the offender in a couple of accidents and both times, the other car has always been cool about it - to the point of not taking my info since there doesn't appear to be any damage. So when I'm in the same situation, I do the same.

With the frequency I seem to get rear ended, eventually, someone's going to be buying me a new bumper and fixing the damage anyways. No kidding - 3 bumpers in two years. The lady at the shop always tell me that their rule of thumb - under $2500 of damages is really just superficial stuff and likely wouldn't effect the frame of your car in a larger accident.

In regards to replacing the car seat, you probably don't need to. NHTSA revised their guidelines about when a seat needs to be replaced, and usually insurance won't cover, if it meets the following:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;

The vehicle door nearest the safety seat was undamaged;

There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;

The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND

There is no visible damage to the safety seat

@K3am, I see where you are coming from in regards to replacing the car seat. And I totally agree that car seat manufacturers are totally covering their asses when they tell you to replace your car seat in any accident. But why take the risk when it comes to the safety of your child? DH and I have been in three fender benders over the last 6 months and every single time, the insurance company paid to replace the car seat because the manufacturer specified that the seat needed to be replaced, even in a fender bender.

ASmallWonder · June 2014

K3am said:

I'm not talking about a car seat that was in a totaled vehicle, or even one that was in a moderate accident. I fully support replacing a car seat when the driver feels they were in an accident that could have damaged the seat. I am talking about a fender bender where minimal if any damage occurred, and leaving it up to the driver's judgment, assuming it meets specifications outlined by the NHTSA.

My point was that a dangerous seat isn't always apparent. If a seat you would definitely replace looks perfect, why couldn't any other perfect looking seat be damaged in ways you can't see. We just can't know at what point an impact "matters" kwim?

MammaBear81 · June 2014

K3am said:

Feel free to disagree with me. If I can't see the damage on my car, I'm not going to bother with it.

As far as car seat replacement, a lot of it's just CYA. And I didn't say you shouldn't replace it, but you may not need to and insurance may not cover it.

ETA: If the accident wasn't bad enough to cause any visible damage, there's a chance that as far as the car seat is concerned was equivalent of just going over a big bump or hitting a curb. I wasn't in the car so I couldn't say, but I'm sure the OP would have a sense for that.

I'm also curious if people are also running out and taking their cars to the body shop with no visible damage when they were the ones at fault or only if there's someone else's insurance footing the bill.

CYA or not, I'm sure you don't want to find out that you should have replaced your seat after you have a larger accident and it fails. Getting "bumped" by a 1/2 ton vehicle is not the same as hitting a pot hole or speed bump, shocks absorb those they do not absorb a vehicle hitting your bumper. Britax follow NHTSA, other companies are replace after any accident. OP you are more than welcome call the car seat manufacturer and see if they constitute this as a "accident" or not, only they can make that call.

In addition IF they try to tell you the accident wasn't bad enough OR that your child wasn't in the seat that is completely false. If they would replace after a larger accident or if the child was in there they need to replace your seat. Send them a copy of the manual, and a letter from the manufacturer and take it to a supervisor if you have to.

Some companies consider it "personal property" so in any case it wouldn't be covered, unless they tell you that, they have to cover it.

MammaBear81 · June 2014

K3am said:

ChickenOnSunday said:
Maybe your rates wouldn't go up if drove more cautiously.

Seriously? Lucky you to have never been in accident. It must be nice to be perfect.

It's been almost 10 years since I've been in at fault accident. And guess what? Insurance rates still go up. Across the board, not just for me, but for the population as a whole.

Far from "perfect" over here, but yes, rates will go up every year, why? Because COL goes up, cost of running a business go up etc. I'd never expect my insurance to go down or stay the same, but if you are seeing significant jumps each year, maybe you should look at a different carrier? It's like wishing your taxes would decrease.... not going to happen.

NWMR - WWYD fender bender

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