[CO] Co-worker hit me in the parking lot at work, what should I expect?

General Discussion
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21

Based on a 30 second google search I found this link.

https://driversed.com/dmv/colorado/vehicle-insurance-requirements.aspx

22

If you haven’t gotten a police report, get one ASAP. The only time I choose to forego a police report when someone hit me, I lived to regret it.

23

@NoLimit3492, did you look at the other car’s registration? That tells you who th owner is. If you are ever involved in another accident, ask to see the registration in addition to the other party’s drives license. Record the name and address from each if they are different. You should also record the driver’s license number and license tag.

24

So at any rate, bottom line is the OP had nothing except liability so not covered at all for any vehicle damage. The OP then would have to go after either both the vehicle owner and driver to collect any damage.

25

As posted above, after an accident ask to see

  • The driver’s drivers license, write down the name/address/license #/issuing state/expiration date
  • The driver’s insurance card, write down the info on that including expiration date
  • The car’s registration card, write down all the info on that, which includes
    the owner and owner’s address, vin, and license plate #, and expiration date. Make sure the license plate number matches the one on the car, front and back.
  • If possible take a photo of the other car, showing the license plate.

If the other driver refuses or otherwise won’t provide that info, don’t argue or fight about, but if possible phone the police for their help.

If the other insurance company isn’t cooperating, don’t argue w/them either. Just keep in contact with your own agent, informing him what’s going on. You’re paying for his service when you write the checks for the insurance payments, so now’s the time to make the agent earn their pay. If the other insurance company doesn’t pay, your own insurance company may instead. Ask your agent about whether that comes w/you policy. Sometimes it is called “uninsured motorist coverage”.

26

The OP indicated (above) he/she does not carry collision insurance. The OP likely isn’t carrying comprehensive coverage either. I’m not sure whether “uninsured motorist” coverage kicks in just because the other driver’s insurance company isn’t cooperating, but I doubt it does.

Once you drop your coverage to only what is required by law, the services your insurance company are willing to provide diminish significantly, and I don’t blame them for that. If the OP is not paying for comprehensive and collision coverage, the insurance company is under no obligation to provide the services that the OP opted out of in order to save money.

These are the reasons I usually carry full coverage until my vehicle depreciates to salvage value.

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27

Liability coverage pays for damages done to other vehicles or property. Collision coverage pays for damage done to your vehicle. Comprehensive covers things like theft or in some states - glass.

28

In cases where a collision in someone else’s fault, collision and comprehensive also cover services, like going after the other insurance company for payment, and that is the nature of the problem with George’s post. When you have comprehensive and collision, all you need to do is contact your insurance company and they take care of everything for you, like contacting the other party’s insurance company. When all you have are the coverages required by law, you end up having to deal with the other party’s insurance company, and you might end up needing to hire a lawyer to get them to pay.

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29

If you have collision then you can collect through your collision coverage. Your insurance company then tries to recoup coverage from the other party. Comprehensive coverage doesn’t come into play.

If all you have is liability coverage - your insurance company can and will help you in getting your money from the other insurance company.

If the other party doesn’t have insurance or not enough insurance and you don’t have collision then your only alternative is taking them to court and go after their assets.

30

Yeah this was all covered in previous posts. All the OP has is liability and no comprehensive, collision, unisured/underinsured, etc. Not likely to get a lot of help from the agent on just liability. Their only duty is to defend you in legal action, and pay up to the limits of the policy (which I suspect is also pretty low), if they lose. That’s all you pay for, that’s all you get.

Now I don’t know the facts but I do hope the agent emphatically advised the OP to carry a normal policy and not just liability. This would include instances of what problems this could create. If this was done and the OP still decided to just take the liability only, well, that’s what happens. Maybe just gonna have to pay for some new doors and then try to collect from the co-worker somehow. At least they are employed so wages can be attached.

31

I believe that only covers bodily injury claims, not property.

32

As others have said, in most states the police will not fill out an accident report if the incident occurs on private property.

33

I was hit in the parking lot by a kid about 1978 which was really the only moving incident I’ve had in the last 50 years. The police did come and gathered the information from both parties on that one. I think its up to the individual cities here.

34

If you’re not sure about your state, it never hurts to ask.