I recently found out one of my employees was involved in an accident with a company truck. He mentioned to another employee that he was given $800 personally for the accident but never reported it to the company. I ran a Carfax report, and nothing shows up about this accident. Is there a way to track this by using the truck’s VIN number?
You could try using ISO or Acurint if you have access. ISO can show open claims that are in progress, but Carfax and other services usually only get the info after the claim is closed. There might be more damage involved than just the vehicle, and that can slow down the claims process. If you don’t have access, try reaching out to the police department’s records division to see if they have any report tied to the accident. This route can take some time, but it might give you the full story. You could also request the unredacted report if possible.
It sounds like this could be a bodily injury claim, and sometimes people refer to it as ‘pain and suffering,’ which isn’t an actual thing. If there was any injury, the adjuster’s job is to settle based on what info they get. It might also be a case of fraud, so if you confirm anything, report it to the adjuster’s manager. If the employee was injured while working, workers’ compensation should handle it, and any other payout might be considered double-dipping.
@Dar
Can you message me?
@Dar
Just a heads-up—using ISO for personal reasons could be a conflict of interest. And as a business owner, you probably don’t have access to it anyway.
Hartley said:
@Dar
Just a heads-up—using ISO for personal reasons could be a conflict of interest. And as a business owner, you probably don’t have access to it anyway.
Good point. I didn’t think of that. In my state, some business owners are self-insured and have access, especially when workers’ comp could be involved.
@Dar
Interesting! I didn’t realize that was possible. Thanks for the info! 
If it wasn’t reported to an insurance company, the police, or a body shop, it’s unlikely to show up anywhere.
Hartley said:
If it wasn’t reported to an insurance company, the police, or a body shop, it’s unlikely to show up anywhere.
The other party’s insurance supposedly paid the employee $800, but the accident isn’t showing on Carfax.
@Wilder
How long ago was the accident? It can take a while for the report to show up. Adjusters sometimes wait until all the info is gathered before reporting. Carfax pulls from insurance companies, police reports, and other sources. (By the way, Carfax doesn’t check ISO.)
@Hartley
It happened about 6 months ago. I’m not upset about the accident, especially since it wasn’t his fault, but I am upset that the employee took money personally instead of reporting it properly. I think he’s trying to avoid drug testing. He told another employee that the insurance company offered him $800 for his troubles.
@Wilder
That doesn’t sound right. Insurance companies don’t usually just hand out money like that. Something seems off. If it was a legitimate claim, they should have reported the accident by now, including the vehicle’s VIN and details of everyone involved. It doesn’t sound like insurance was involved at all.
@Hartley
Yeah, this is turning into a mess. Either he’s bragging about money he didn’t actually get, or he’s lying about the whole thing. It’s weird because he’s admitting to the accident but doesn’t seem to have benefited from it at all.
It depends. If he got $800 from the other party directly to avoid a claim, there’s no way to track that. If it came from an insurance company that reports to ISO, you might find it using his information. If he didn’t give the insurance company the truck’s VIN, it won’t show up in Carfax. Carfax only shows vehicle damage claims if the VIN was provided. I don’t think you’ll be able to find anything.