Reader question:
Say I’m driving along and I stop at a stop sign, there’s no one around, so I start going again, and somebody roars out of nowhere and hits me. Do I have to pay my car insurance deductible if this happens, since I was the one who got hit?
Anthony.
Very creative, Anthony.
Usually you won’t have to, though I won’t promise you one hundred percent, because there are a few companies out there that would make you pay if a meteor came out of the sky and smashed your car into pieces. That’s just how they are. Most car insurance companies aren’t like this, though. They’ll get the money for the accident from the driver who was at fault, and this situation, that isn’t you. If this is how your company is, you won’t have to pay your premium deductible.
Still, though, even though this situation may seem pretty clear cut, the other driver, wrong as he may be, might not agree. Most of the time, both drivers have a very clear idea that it was the other guy who was at fault, and because of this your insurance company will probably investigate the accident. So, then, it will depend on who your insurance company says is at fault, and if they decide that you had something to do with it, like maybe you didn’t have your lights on that night or didn’t come to a full stop at that sign, then you could end up paying out your deductible and higher premium rates.
So, in most cases, you’ll be fine if you were not at all at fault for the accident, but you should still keep in mind that if the insurance company decides that you were, you will either have to pay your deductible out or fight it.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.