I got side swiped - made the guy wait as I called the police to find out they don't come- so i got all his information and made him sign a statement that it was 100% his fault. I also took pictures.. I've heard too many stories changing whose fault it was and there was no way i was going to pay..

OP - you really need cash, make sure that check clears if, in fact, you do receive it. Don't give them another chance.

A moving truck once hit my parked car and wanted to settle outside of insurance company. I gave them 72 hours to pay, they didn't respond to my messages, so I filed. Turns out they were not properly insured, surprise surprise.

OP here ... Thanks, everyone, for all your continued input. It's revealing (or not?) that similar stories are cropping up here. It seems (saying this with hesitation) that a check is on the way, based on a second voice message from the guy. I'll report back here in a few days to update on what happened...

I agree that he's totally trying to avoid payment and is hoping that with time this whole thing will go away. Let your insurance know ASAP and contact his on Monday if you don't have a cleared check or cash from him.

We had something similar happen and we never got payment from from the guy. Turns out his insurance had been cancelled for non payment and he actually disappeared totally.

A second time another person hit us and wanted to pay cash. We got the estimate, he called the garage his credit card number, we had the repairs completed, he paid them directly and that was that. He was incredibly up front and great about the entire thing.

However as soon as the accident happened I called our insurance company and they were ready to step in as needed. It was clearly his fault (he backed into my car in a parking lot and the damage clearly proved his liability). But we never needed to pursue the claim. We called our insurance back and canceled the entire thing, no questions asked.

Wow. I just found this thread and this one hits us close to home (no pun intended!)

Two accidents - both not our fault - both in the last few weeks.

One, the lady said she'd pay us and it was her fault. We took her word for it and three days later our insurance co calls us and says she's claiming back and neck injuries. That witch hit US, she has to be kidding.

Two, the guy totally slams into us and admits it's his fault. He doesn't want to involve insurance and drives off without giving insurance info. (he was a rabbi, so we felt like maybe we could trust him.) We got an estimate and he actually sent us a check. We were shocked. But I wasn't about to trust anyone, rabbi, pope, God, because of what that first lady did.

Our insurance requires a report within 48 hours, and since we didn't report the first one, both companies denied fault and everyone has to pay their own damage. It's total BS since she hit us.

In the old days you used to call the cops and they'd take a report and the report would help with determining whose fault it was. Not anymore. they won't even come out.

Anonymous wrote:

I hit someone and they allowed me to pay out of pocket. I appreciated it greatly. So thank you OP!

Me, too, PP. BUT, I was incredibly responsive in my communications with the person I hit (fender-bender but she had a brand-new car and needed a new bumper to the tune of $800ish) - responded to her email with the repair estimate within 15 minutes and put my check in the mail to her within the hour. I can understand why the OP is sweating this now after having done the nice thing.

My husband clipped someone's fender in a commuter's lot a few weeks ago and dented it. He left a note and when the lady called, we said we'd never made a claim in 15 years, and would like the option to pay out of pocket, and she said that was fine. We still called our insurance and notified them, because we could have canceled the claim. It ended up costing $900, so we did use insurance after all. If this guy was honest, he would not be dragging his feet. Time to involve insurance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've unfortunately been hit in the past -- another vehicle, again not our fault -- and we successfully claimed against the other person, not involving our insurance. So, that is not correct. Our coverage was not cancelled.

You are lucky. If they become aware of the accident either through you or the other person, they can and will cancel.

I work for a huge well-known insurance company. I've never once seen this happen.

OP the statute of limitations for property damage is 1-2 years depending on the state. So legally you can wait if you want to. But if this guy hasn't paid yet I doubt he will. There's no downside to reporting the accident to your insurance if it was clearly not your fault.

regarding your deductible, if you go through your own insurance, they may waive your deductible if it is not your fault [which you said it wasn't] and your company is able to recover all damages from the other party's insurance. this is what happened to me, and after all was said and done, i received a check for my deductible.

one other experience i had... i was rear-ended and there was no damage to my vehicle but lots to the person who hit me, i did call my company to let them know what happened without filing anything formal. i just didn't want the other party blaming me somehow and filing. it's always worth letting them know.

I hit someone and they allowed me to pay out of pocket. I appreciated it greatly. So thank you OP!

Me, too, PP. BUT, I was incredibly responsive in my communications with the person I hit (fender-bender but she had a brand-new car and needed a new bumper to the tune of $800ish) - responded to her email with the repair estimate within 15 minutes and put my check in the mail to her within the hour. I can understand why the OP is sweating this now after having done the nice thing.

I hit someone and they allowed me to pay out of pocket. I appreciated it greatly. So thank you OP!

You can always call now to report it and say that the other driver prefers to pay out of pocket for it. I did that when I was hit by a work-van a few years ago. They wanted to pay for it themselves, so my insurance company just said to call them back if I had any issues or problems with them. Not a big deal.

Thanks so much, PP! I appreciate hearing from you ... I'll definitely be reporting it to his carrier if we get nothing by Monday. -OP

Insurance agent here. Here's what you should do:

1. If you're tired of waiting for the other guy to pay up, call his insurance carrier and report it. They'll have to take a statement from him so be prepared for it to drag on a little longer.
2. If his insurance coverage is cancelled, you can report it to your carrier. You'll have to pay your collision deductible.

The insurance contract says you are required to report a claim to them within a "reasonable amount of time". Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. Reporting an incident two or three weeks late isn't going to trigger a cancellation.

Two weeks is more than reasonable. I'd file.

OP here. Thanks for sharing, 17:19. It's too bad the guy got away with it, but I don't find that surprising ...
PP, I believe the expiration date is on the insurance card copy we have, but sure, it is possible say in meantime he discontinued.
Thanks again for this dialogue... I think we will take action soon.