Drunk guy hit me last thursday night...

and i just got a check from his insurance for $1400. Am I wrong for not fixing the ride and pocketing the money?:evilgrin:

for the minor damage.

They settled up on the car quick, but a settlement on the medical bills didn't come until December 2010. Even though they totaled my car, it's probably out there running around somewhere on the road with a salvage title.

Both on the car payout and the medical bills, I too was surprised what they paid--pleasantly surprised.

The attorney was not a wallflower--very much a pit bull. She painted a grim picture of the insurance industry that encouraged me to settle rather than fight it in court. She was very willing to go to court, but the ones she goes to court over are the ones where the insurance company won't even pay enough to cover the medical bills.

She said it is getting worse.

"my" estimator seemed very happy to find damage and write up the check.

bent. cost of repairs? 1700.

with this old horse!

If a dented car doesn't bother you (certainly doesn't faze me) and the damage is all cosmetic then enjoy your windfall.

parking lot. Crunched my front fender a little, and scratched up the passenger side quarter panel. His insurance company paid the body shop estimate of $2300. I did a little straightening on my own, gave the body shop $50 for doing the estimate, even though they didn't ask for it, and am still driving the vehicle, two years later. It's barely worth what I got for it, and I'll drive it until the next big repair is needed, then donate it to some charity.

You're being paid for the damage the drunk caused. What you do with that payment is up to you.

over 100,000 miles. plenty of dents dings. the more the merrier! :)

Wear that Mazda down to the axles.

pics would help this thread!

After that it's just badges of honor. :)

;)

:hi:

What you do with the money is your business, if you've got things other than the ride that need money more then go for it.

drives like a charm. gonna put 100,000 more miles on it. Going on a road trip in May, Texas, then out west. 1400 will come in handy.:D

The money can be your compensation for driving around with a dent, if you wish.

If having a nest egg or spending the money on something else would help you more than fixing or replacing the car, it's definitely the right thing to do.

:headbang:
rocktivity

going on a road trip in May. will come in handy

any more. Just give you the money.

In recent years when I've been in an accident, the insurance company has given me a choice of two or three body shops to take the car to, and they then pay the body shop directly. In accidents where the car has been totalled, they've given me the check only after I sign over title to the car to them.

actually told them my uncle knew a guy, which is true, but after getting the check...oh that feeling of sweet sweet money!

truck is drivable and i couldn't care what it looks like. :D

The insurance company has fulfilled their legal, contractual obligation to make you "whole" again (in the legal sense), assuming that $1400 is a valid, reasonable compensation for the damage done to your car. Nowhere in that contract does it say you have to get the dents pulled out, paint fixed, etc. You have absolutely every legal (and moral) right to do with that money as you please.

Now, all of that having been said, if you have busted headlights or taillights or a busted windshield or something, I would say that it would be wise to at least get these in working order and to do so with this money. But if you just have a dented door and fender and you're OK with driving the car like that (and it's not a hazard to others on the street to do so), then knock yourself out with the money. Have fun!

The car looked pretty much fine so I just kept the money instead of taking it to the shop. Turned out to be a big mistake. The damage was far more extensive than previously thought. Had I taken it to the shop the mechanics would have seen the additional damage and the insurance company of the person who hit me would have sent the additional funds. I only found out later about the previous unseen damage because I got hit by someone else and when I took the car to be repaired that persons insurance refused to cover the previous damage (they knew because they found rust on the areas previously damaged). This ended up costing me quite a lot because it was too late for me to go back and make the additional claim from the first insurance company because I'd just kept the check and hadn't taken it to the shop within the time limit.

i really can't believe they payed that much for the damage. i think the estimator liked me.

As long as the car is safe to drive, why not?

just posting for fun. Did you see the little devil in the OP?:evilgrin:

We called in the "insurance company" :rofl: after a hail storm here in Indiana. Just about everyone in the neighborhood had enough roof damage to qualify for replacement; except for the two of us that had State Farm.

Anyway, this adjuster came out and looked around. We got a consolation prize of about $1,200. for screen damage (actually, the holes were caused by cats), a dent in a downspout that we couldn't even see, and the cost of having the 15 year old air conditioner "re-combed".

We bought a computer instead.

Been there, done it myself.

I had a cool old station wagon I was fixing up when some nut smashed into the side of me, and tried to blame it on me. Fortunately, the powers that be agreed that the old '69 Dodge wagon didn't have all the new fangled equipment, and it couldn't move sideways so I couldn't have caused the accident. :crazy:

I decided to pocket the cash, give the car to my sister who really needed transportation, and I bought a killer '72 International TravelAll instead.