I had a Car Accident

This spring I had a car accident.  It was at an intersection in town; I pulled out from a stop sign into a van.  I still have no idea where the car came from.  I did not see it; was the sun in my eyes? Was the house on the corner blocking my view?  I am still confused.  I try to be a careful driver.  I volunteer with organizations to assist people in need not to make life more difficult.  I was upset!

The ambulance came, the police came, my co-workers came and my husband came to the scene.  The other driver’s family came as well.  Since I was so upset, I had an asthma attack and had to use my rescue inhaler.   We exchanged information and I signed off on refusing transportation to the hospital. I spoke with the other family, asked to make sure she was okay and to seek medical treatment just in case.  I tell that to all my clients involved in an accident.   Then we went our separate ways.

My car was fixed toot sweet.  However, I needed a rental car.  Sure, my husband and I can drive to work together; we would have to make our schedules coincide with each other but our after work activities mean we need two separate cars.  Since I am in the insurance industry, I have rental reimbursement on my automobile insurance policy with Westfield Insurance.  It is roughly $15.00 every six months for coverage per car.  It is well worth the money. 

 

How it works:  Your car is towed or in the shop from a car accident, you arrange for a rental car through the adjuster, you call the rental car company and they bring you a car within the limits of your coverage: example $20.00 a day up to a specified limit on your policy.  I asked for a non-smoking car.  Even though there is no smoking equipment in cars, people still smoke in cars.  They brought me a car that someone had smoked in; I had them take the car back and bring me another one.  Once my car was fixed, I called the car rental company; they came and took the car back.  However, if my car were totaled, I would have 5 days from the settlement of my claim to return the car rental.  If not returned, the payment beyond the five days is my bill. 

 

If you have only one car, rental reimbursement needs to be on your policy.  Catching rides from friends gets old when you want to go somewhere by yourself.  If you and your partner/spouse have separate cars think of how sharing would work.  He has a night out with the boys and you want to go to the gym or have to work late.  Yes, many people share cars however, if you are not accustomed to sharing it can create some unpleasant situations.   Rental reimbursement is the best bang for the buck.