A few years ago a client (Mike) came in and told me that his parked car was hit in our local shopping mall’s parking lot by another car.  I told him that he had elected to purchase only liablity on his vehicles.  He told me that wasn’t a problem because the other party had auto insurance on her car.  In fact, she (Linda) had coverage through our agency as well!

A few minutes later Linda came walking into the agency and Mike, Linda, and I sat down to sort things out.  She explained that she was driving down the lanes looking for a parking spot when a man hijacked her vehicle while it was moving.  The crook was unsuccessful in his attempt because the police were nearby and he couldn’t control the vehicle.   He ran when Linda’s car stopped because it hit Mike’s parked car.

Linda was understandably shook up.  She stayed and talked with the police (who attempted to locate the hijacker and lost him somewhere in the mall) for a few minutes and while she was being interviewed, Mike showed up at the accident scene and was upset at the damage his car had sustained.

I told Mike that the claim might not be paid, but that determining coverage was not an agent’s job.  We turned the claim into Linda’s auto insurance carrier and waited for a response.  They denied the claim because Linda had done nothing wrong and the crook was not a permissive user.  Bottom line, both Mike and Linda were both damaged by the crook’s actions.

Mike was upset.  He did nothing wrong and another car hit his vehicle.  He should not have to pay to get his car fixed.  Time, and multiple conversations allowed Mike’s brain to slowly absorb what had happened.  Once he understood it, he calmed down.  So if your car hits another vehicle, your insurance company is not always responsible.  You can protect yourself from Mike’s predicament by buying collision and “other than collision” coverage.  In most cases, you can buy this coverage even though your car is older.

To hear other interesting stories or to buy insurance on your car, call 806-798-7800 or you can submit your request on our website by clicking here https://hettlerinsurance.com/request-a-quote/  Here’s to safe driving!