I was stopped at a red light and got rear-ended, which pushed me into the car in front of me. My car got the worst damage, with the trunk and front smashed in, while the others just had some bumper damage. The person who hit me admitted fault, and their insurance agreed to pay for the damage. But now they are saying they can’t pay me because of a ‘limit issue,’ and I have to wait until the other car (which barely got any damage) is repaired through their insurance before I can get mine fixed. It’s been almost two weeks, and my car is still sitting in the garage and isn’t drivable. I haven’t gotten any real updates from State Farm, who is handling the third car’s repairs, or from the at-fault driver’s insurance.
My question is, how can I move this forward without using my deductible (which I can’t afford)? Is there a time limit on how long they can make me wait? And why does the other car have to be repaired first when I had more damage? I also have State Farm, but is there anything they can do to help me without making me pay my deductible?
I’m in Illinois, and $20k is the minimum limit, which is almost double the value of my car. I don’t understand why this limit is an issue. Any advice is appreciated.
This is how it works in multi-car accidents when there are limits involved. They need to see the total cost of repairs for all cars before they can pay out. The money gets split between everyone involved. Even though you think your car isn’t worth enough to reach the limit, they have to account for everything like repairs, rentals, etc. Minor damage can sometimes cost a lot too. So you can wait or file with your own insurance and get them to deal with it. Or you could sue the driver directly, but you’d be hoping they have the money to pay you.
@ClaimantCameron The third car isn’t going first. They’re using their own insurance, but the original poster isn’t because they can’t afford their deductible.
@Terryann Got it, OP didn’t mention that. If they didn’t want to use their own insurance, does the at-fault insurance just give estimates and pay a partial amount below the limit?
@ClaimantCameron Yes, they will get an estimate. Once all the damage costs are in, the at-fault insurance splits up the payout. If the total damage is within the limit, each person gets their portion.
@Terryann OP, you’ll get your deductible back after the repairs (if the money is available). If not, you wouldn’t be getting your car fixed anyway. So I would just file the claim with your own insurance and let them sort it out later.
@Gina Are there any rules about how long they can make me wait? I saw something about 15 days in Illinois, but I wasn’t sure if that was for assigning blame or for actually getting the repairs started.
@Jermaine It takes as long as it takes. The insurance can’t pay until they know the total cost, and that’s set by state law. Time limits don’t really apply until they’ve finished their investigation and have a complete summary of costs.
@Jermaine I’m not in Illinois, but I’m pretty sure they aren’t legally obligated to process a multi-car accident like this within 15 days. With several cars involved, that’s just not possible.
@Jermaine That 15-day rule applies to when they have to pay after everything is sorted out. They can’t delay payment once they’ve figured out the total costs. But in your case, with multiple cars, they have to figure out everyone’s repairs first. This is why it’s good to have a deductible you can afford so you aren’t stuck waiting for others.
@Jackson California has $5k limits for commercial claims. That wouldn’t even cover a bumper on a new truck. States set these minimums, and insurance companies just follow the rules. Where are people seeing this $10k deductible? I thought that was the policy limit.
@BrokerBrandon The $10k deductible is for HIS car. It doesn’t affect the other cars involved if he’s at fault. I bet he’s got minimum liability limits too.