Car accident hurt my credit score?

[Revelate]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah, I know it was going to be hard to fight since I hit them from behind. Wish I installed a dash cam or something, probably look into it soon. I'm just trying to figure out if I should inform my insurance and have them deal with it or pay them myself since I don't want my premiums to increase. Also would it affect my credit score even if they don't take me to court for a judgement?

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No it doesn't affect your credit report *unless* it goes to collection or judgement for not paying it.

If his insurance company is sending you a bill for their expenses, your choice is either to have your insurance pay it (like you said, almost assuredly potential premium issue) or just pay in cash and if there was no police report, possible it won't ever be recorded and therefore never found by your insurance carrier or future ones.  If you never exchanged insurance information, then your insurance is out of the loop at the moment: if the other person's insurance company reports the accident to the state, you may get hit, or you may not.

I'd just pay it personally on the assumption I could comfortably afford the $900 in this case and never say boo to my insurance company.  End of the day you're going to be paying this somehow but as long as you pay it, won't affect your credit.

[Anonymous]

I'm not saying that it's not partly my fault. Let me add more information, that no one was following a safe distance since the traffic was so bad. We all probably left less than a car length between. But I understand that it is partially my fault.
I offered to settle outside of insurance and he backed out, not sure how you got that I backed out from the statement I made but I appreciate the judgmental statement that you made. I just asked for a quote and he decided to go thorough insurance instead.

[TheFate]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I'm not saying that it's not partly my fault. Let me add more information, that no one was following a safe distance since the traffic was so bad. We all probably left less than a car length between. But I understand that it is partially my fault.
I offered to settle outside of insurance and he backed out, not sure how you got that I backed out from the statement I made but I appreciate the judgmental statement that you made. I just asked for a quote and he decided to go thorough insurance instead.

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I'm sorry to say this but in the insurance world, you're 100% at fault. You need to have a 3-4 car distance regardless if others are or not. If you're driving behind a car on the street and a cat runs out in front of the car that's in front of you and slams the breaks and you hit them you will still be at fault. Thats just how they see it.

Unless your deductible is $250 I would just pay the $900 in full or make payment arrangments.

Next time always involve the police and get an incident report unless its very minor. Good luck

[jamie123]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I'm not saying that it's not partly my fault. Let me add more information, that no one was following a safe distance since the traffic was so bad. We all probably left less than a car length between. But I understand that it is partially my fault.
I offered to settle outside of insurance and he backed out, not sure how you got that I backed out from the statement I made but I appreciate the judgmental statement that you made. I just asked for a quote and he decided to go thorough insurance instead.

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Jot this down as a life lesson learned. (The hard way!)

If you hit somebody from the rear it is 100% your fault always. Two wrongs don't make a right. It doesn't matter what other drivers were doing, you hit the car in front of you.

If four cars are stopped at a red light and a fifth car slams into the last car in line shoving all the cars together and causing damage to each one, the only driver NOT at fault is the driver in the front of the line. Everybody else was not stopped a safe distance behind the car in front of them. Now, the insurance companies might fight to get the last driver to pay for everyone but the initial ruling will find all the drivers at fault except for the front vehicle.

Now, another life lesson that you skated by this time...

Always make a police report in case of an accident. I had a friend that drove a beater back and forth to work. Somebody rear ended him at a light and he told the other driver not to worry about it because his car wasn't worth much and it was still drivable. They didn't need to make out a police report he told the other driver.

Well...

The other driver drove right to the police station and told the police that while he was sitting at a light some other driver put his car in reverse and backed into him. He told them the other driver just drove off like nothing happened. Guess who the police pulled over the next day? Guess who they believed? Guess who was responsible for damages? Guess who was REALLY lucky to be not charged with hit and run?

[Revelate]

Locking this thread as having run it's course: beating a dead horse folks, FSR.