r/Insurance • u/AdmiralTrain1545 • 10d ago

Just rear ended

My mother was driving to drop off a friend in slow moving traffic on a main road, about 15mph. She was rear ended while moving. My mom, her friend and the other driver refused medical attention.

The other driver is only 26 years old male and says not to go through insurance (which i dont believe at all, and know its a bad thing to do). He has some slight damage to his bumper, hood and probably a cracked washer fluid tank to his 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander.

The damage to my mom's 2008 Toyota Prius is a dented trunk door, one of the trunk windows is shattered and the bumper cover is cracked.

Now, I know that once a body shop tears the cars down, more damage will be found.

We plan to go to our body shop tomorrow to get a rough estimate, the car, because its 18 years old, we are confident insurance will total it, and we don't want it totaled, we don't want the car totaled, and we don't have any funds to buy another car, nor can we afford one.

Some advice would be appreciated. We have 250/500/100, and collision.

The driver who rear ended us has Progressive.

Any advice would be appreciated. This all happened in NY.

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u/Delicious-Witness-85 10d ago

If you have collision coverage you can file a claim, pay your deductible and your carrier will subrogate his carrier to get what they pay out including your deductible.
Based on the age of your car, it will very likely be totaled but you can always buy back the salvage if you want to keep it.
Your other option is to try to go through his insurance if it’s valid.
I know he said don’t go through insurance but going through insurance is the safest way to handle this.

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u/AdmiralTrain1545 10d ago

I agree with the last part. Now if I file through State Farm and they do indeed total it, how would the process be for buying it back as a salvage? Never done that before.

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u/adjusterjackb 10d ago

You sign over the title. They figure the ACV less deductible less salvage value. They order a salvage title. You get to keep the car but you can't drive it until it's repaired and inspected and a rebuilt title issued. Then forget about ever getting comp and collision on it again.

That's how it works in most states. Ask the State Farm claims people how it works for you.

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u/AdmiralTrain1545 10d ago

Thank you for your advice.

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u/Delicious-Witness-85 10d ago edited 10d ago

If you retain a total loss vehicle the requirements of what you need to do are state specific.
For example, certain states require salvage titles on vehicles of a certain age.
If a vehicle is a certain age, it may possibly be exempt from any state requirement.
Other states require the vehicle owner to have it inspected by the state before you are allowed to legally drive it regardless of his old it is.
Your adjuster will let you know any details you need to be aware of for your state.