Underage driver wrecked my car! Insurance?

G

Georgia 4Runner

New member
First off, I am a true idiot. I am 18 years old and was teaching a 15 year old how to drive a bit better and she ended up wrecking my 1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4wd. Its all my fault for letting her drive, but it was on private property and she did not drive on public roads.



Here's what happened: She was driving down a dirt road at around 25 mph and hit washboard surfaces and ruts. The back end flung out, sending us into heavy brush, ending with the truck deflecting off a tree. No airbags were set off, but the bumper, right headlight and corner, grille, hood, RF Fender, Pass. Door skin and mirror, entire back door, and the RR fender skin. All side glass is ruined, along with the wheels. I am not sure about any frame damage. There is a bit of minor damage under the hood like broken intake and fuse box, but the real problem is that the back axle hit the tree, possibly bending it. The truck ran fine and I limped it the half-mile to civilization. The 4Runner is now at Capitol Toyota, State Farm's choice. The claim was made by my dad not knowing she was underage, but State Farm now knows and the adjuster hasn't called me.



My insurance has a $1000 deductible for collision. I have not recieved an estimate, but am thinking maybe $8000 all told?



Here are the pics:

Photobucket



Will State Farm cover it? If not, will her father's insurance cover it? Will his homeowners? Sorry I don't have all the details.



Thanks! :rolleyes:
 
I dont like your chances, but you may get away with it due to the incident happening on private property. Good luck, might end up being an expensive error of judgement unfortunately.....
 
First consideration: is it at a quality shop? State Farm should guarantee the repair for the life of your ownership. Go to the claim canter, have them show you the processes that they follow. Hey, they are nice people, who do this everyday.



Stay away from your father; he is entitled to slap you silly at any moment...



Good Luck!?



Jim
 
Hi Georgia 4Runner,



From a 4Runner owner to another 4Runner owner. I'm sorry about your 4Runner but I'm glad you both were okay. That's the main thing. Cars/Trucks/SUVs can be replaced but not a human life.



I wish you the best and take care.



With Aloha,

Ranney :)
 
^^ What Ranney said.



I hope everything works out well for you, this is indeed a difficult situation.
 
Sorry to hear that. I glad you were both ok. Its hard to say what the insurance company will do. If they do cover it I think its going to hurt your rate hard.



James
 
Welcome to Insurance 101



Georgia:

I worked as an insurance adjuster for ten years. Insurance is not federally mandated - meaning every state has it's own insurance laws - but - from what you've said, your collision coverage would pay for the damage to the truck. I'd give State Farm a call - get the claim number to the incident and the adjusters name if you don't already have it. Then ask them if Capitol Toyota is one of their guaranteed repair shops. I'm sure it is if they chose it. If it is, they will most likley guarantee the shops work for as long as you own the vehicle - as Jimmy said. You'll have to suck up the deductible at this point. No way around that - unless her parents are partiularly generous with thier check book!



After State Farm resolves your claim, they will more than likely Subrogate (go after) her parents home owners insurance for reimbusement of what they paid out on your truck. They may also look to recover your deductible for you. So, you might get it back in the long run. Ask your State Farm adj if this is something that they do in your state.



Her parents auto ins wouldn't cover it because since she's underage, she's an unlisted driver on her parents auto policy. Even if she was listed, auto insurance follows the vehicle not the driver - in most states - so your insurance would be primary (pay first).



It sucks - no doubt about it. But in the long run, no one was hurt - that's the main thing.



Good Luck!!



Class Dismissed.



Dan
 
Wow!

I am very impressed with this forum to say the least. Thanks for the replies! Her dad lives in Memphis and I am from Atlanta, so luckily I'm not in reaching distance.



I am so glad that there were no injuries. There was another girl who was sitting in the passenger-side back seat where the tree did the most damage, but luckily the frame held its shape and she is fine. (I think that my year was the first for the side-impact bars in the doors).



I was also wondering if the truck was going to be totalled. It is worth about $11,200 in Excellent condition and $10,800 in Good, per KBB. I just dont want the bill from Capitol Toyota, cause Lord knows how expensive these stealerships are!

More replies are welcome and much appreciated!
 
She also wanted me to ask whether she would not be able to get her license until she is 18, per Tennessee law. There was no police report and we arent sure if State Farm needs one, but we did not know whether State Farm would report her to the police. Any ideas? Thanks -Denton



:bow
 
I wouldn't be a good person if I first said:



That was a stupid decision, but I'm sure you are aware of that.



Second:



That does not look like $8,000 in damages. My car is in much worse shape and it is estimated at $4800.



It will be repaired with OEM parts, or recycled parts where they apply. No they well not replace it with brand new parts. I tried to get them to but they assured me the parts they replace it with will be just as good as new.



third:



State farm has a list of repair shops on their website. You have a right to go to wherever you want to get it repaired, unless you signed that the toyota dealer will be esitmating and making the repairs. Otherwise, you get a check less your deductible for the estimate and can go anywhere you want. However, they have to follow the estimate as close as possible. So the only real difference would be the quality of the paint job, etc.



fourth:



It doesn't look bad enough to total out.
 
State Farm called my dad today to inform him that the adjuster looked at it and declared it totalled. I don't know where the 4Runner will go from here; I hope that I don't see it again to have to sell it for parts because insurance wouldn't cover my claim!



The problem is that State Farm has a meeting with my dad tommorrow morning on whether they will cover me or not. I am really nervous about this one. Dad told me to stay out of it, but I'm not too sure.
 
Your dad will need floor stands, or you'll have to go bye bye. state farm is notorious for dropping young people after a clame.
 
I kind of figured it was going to be totalled after I looked at those pics. My buddy did the same thing to his Blazer except what he hit was a wall and the damage looked about the same and they totalled his.



If you are 18...why is your Dad taking care of this? I am assuming you are still under his policy?



Hope everything works out for you. Keep us updated.
 
Well, I got the call from State Farm. As yall have read, it was declared totalled yesterday but whether or not they would cover the cost was up in the air.



The gray area on my policy saved my ***! They admitted that as long as she is licensed (she had a permit) and I gave her consent to drive (I did) and it was on private property ( It was) that it would be paid for. They agreed to completely refund my money on the 4Runner, which I paid $10,800 two weeks ago. In short, I get a check for $9800 with the deductible taken out. The girl who wrecked the Runner has agreed to pay for the deductible, and I am stuck with the increased payments until who knows when.



In short, since the insurance payments are going to be so high, I will not only be 4Runnerless for a while but not have a car at all. I'm thinking that the payments are going to be around $500 a month for insurance, and thats just too high to justify for the 3000 miles I would put on it until August, since I don't drive in the summer.



I'm just pissed because that 4Runner was such an awesome deal and in great condition with everything but the e-locker. Oh well, at least no one is hurt!
 
accidents here in CA stay on the record for 3 years...depending on how they file the claim - as an at fault or not at fault accident will determine how much your rates change. But as an unmarried <25yo male, prepare for a very light wallet for the next few years
 
I think in some states insurance records are kept for 5 years. How long have you been driving, have you had any other tickets or accidents? Your rates will surely go up, but they might still be (almost) bearable depending on your history. Sorry about your car, I know it sucks. But we all do stupid things when we are young. Back when I was around 17 I put my 89 Mustang GT into a ditch pretty hard. I was with a girl and was showing off on some dirt back roads. But at least I was driving which helped with the insurance claim. The car got fixed (about $4000 in 1990), rates went up but not as much as we thought. Im just curious whats an 18 year old guy is doing with 2- 15 year old girls? ;) Best be carefull with that situation bro, or insurance will be the least of your worries. :eek:
 
Insurance companies use a system called CLUE (www.choicepoint.com) to track claims. It will be listed on there forever, but how far of a look back is up to the company (most are 3 years). Not sure what laws on learners permits are, but I wouldn't bring them up to State Farm. Usually, most learner permits are only valid in the state the were issued and the licensed driver usually has to be over 25 years old. At this point, I'd keep my mouth shut, take the money and go buy a decent OLDER used car and get a new insurance policy on your own. Tell your dad to specifically exclude you from driving his vehicle and then don't drive his cars. If you're still on his policy, he'll pay an increase too on EACH vehicle on the policy. If you're isolated and excluded, chances are less likely he'll see an increase also.
 
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