Ive never been in a real accident, but last saturday an 87 year old woman backed into my older van, and I’m wondering if I put this through her insurance do they pay me or does it go directly to the autobody shop ? (I live in Canada if that matters) Basically I would like to fix this myself and perhaps collect a little bit extra cash for my troubles. I get the feeling she would like to just pay me cash, but seemed shocked at the estimate I got for the damage, so I don’t know if to make her a lower offer or just put it through insurance.
Read below for detailed account I made up of the accident.
Time: Saturday between 1pm-1:30pm
Witness: Falana (hired help to seal driveway).
Position of vehicle: Parked neatly on curb nearest house facing down the hill.
Status of vehicle before and after accident: Prior to accident vehicle was in good condition including the driver?s side door. Post accident, the driver?s side door was affected with a very large dent that caused the side panel to fall off, improper latching of the door, and the hinge joints were also affected. In short door will not even shut now, and is a hazard to drive (swings open on turns and obviously does not lock putting my internal possessions at risk).
Other Details: Falana spoke with me, and said the vehicle was an older green van or similar vehicle that backed into my van while trying to exit the adjacent driveway. He also stated that the alleged was a very old man. This person supposedly told him that they were sick and would come back to deal with the accident ? they did not come back, and left no contact information for me, and in fact I had to take a proactive approach and seek out this person taking me 2 days to reach them by telephone. I spoke to the tenets of the house the vehicle backed out of (her daughter), and they suggested it might have been their mother/mother-in-law. I called the number they provided and eventually I was able to contact Paula Magwood. We made arrangements for me to get an estimate of the damage, and then for me to present this estimate to her, which she would then double check and pay me in cash.
On Monday night my brother and I went to the alleged?s house on 25 Oak Ave. and surveyed the vehicle. There was no significant noticeable damage. The make was a Nissan Quest XE, light green in color with the license number BER-547. Additionally an attempt to contact a garage was put into action; however all were closed after supper, the time I arrived home from my daily job. Will take vehicle to garage on lunch break Tuesday.
On Tuesday I took my van to Sandford?s Autobody in Centreville, NS and got an estimate, which totaled ~$1,152 total ? Mr. Sandford acknowledged that he tried to make it conservative and inquired a couple of junk yards for a second hand door; however was unable to locate one. I called Paula after supper and left a message, and she returned my call a couple hours later. During the conversation she seemed surprised of the estimated costs and was adamant about getting a junked door at a salvage yard and getting someone else to install it. She suggested I take the estimate next door to her daughter?s house so that her daughter could give it to her, which is what I did. While there, her mother stated that she is 87 and in her opinion shouldn?t really be driving. I gave her the estimate and told her nicely that I would like this process to speed up so that I can have a functioning door. So far it seems that Paula Magwood is trying to prolong and stall this process.