car accident question- please help! (UPDATE!!)

[kochh2]

We've been thru a lot in the last few days, as DH totalled my tracker, and thankfully walked away with *just* a broken arm.... a big ordeal, just glad it's behind us... anyway, here is my question: (questions): We have geico, if it matters.
1) WHen i filed the claim, they told me that if the seats were not in use at the time, they were not needing to be replaced... UM, ok, i know that is not true. but i need soemone to confirm that for me!!

2) We had a marathon (a beautiful one IMO... i hope i can recover the cover before it goes bye-bye)... and a graco snugride BASE only in the car at the time. No children were in the car, thank God! will insurance give us $$ to just buy new seats, whatever we want, or will they say heres X $ based on what was in your car? DD is only in snugride a little longer, i prefer to get 2 MA's instead of what was in there....

3) should i leave the seats in the car int he junkyard until the inspector comes to assess the damages?? That is the only way he will be able to tell there were 2 seats, i guess...but i so want to get the MA cover back.... any suggestions??

4) We also had a wonderful Maclaren stroller in the back that is now crushed... will insurance replace that too??? *praying they will****


please please please help!!

thanks!

[hez]

I just looked this up 'cause DH was rear-ended last week (his accident meets all the criteria of a 'minor' crash).

http://www.britaxusa.com/support/faqs.aspx

Q. What should I do with my child seat that has been involved in a crash?

A. Britax recommends that the use of a child seat be discontinued if it has been in a severe crash. We further advise of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) position that it is not necessary to replace a child seat after a minor crash. A minor crash is one that meets ALL of following criteria:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;
The vehicle door nearest the child restraint was undamaged;
There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;
The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND
There is no visible damage to the child seat.If your Britax child seat has been involved in a severe crash, it may be eligible for consideration for a new one of the same or similar design. See the Voluntary Crashed Restraint Exchange Program section of our website for more details.

[bubbaray]

Ask the ins. co for a letter of indemnity that they will basically "warrant" that the seats are safe to continue to be used. Keep going up the food chain at the ins. co. until you get someone who will pay for new seats. If the vehicle was totalled, you need new seats, regardless of whether they were occupied or not.

PS -- glad your DH is OK. Claim the stroller and see what they say.

ETA #2 -- usually they give you replacement value for the seats you had. You should be able to keep the cover of the trashed MA.

[kochh2]

If your Britax child seat has been involved in a severe crash, it may be eligible for consideration for a new one of the same or similar design. See the Voluntary Crashed Restraint Exchange Program section of our website for more details.

thanks for the info!! I checked thisout, and it's only for seats that were occupied at the time of the crash... which, thankfully, they were not!

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

It depends on the insurance company. I had an accident about a year ago. Long story, but no one was actually in the car at the time. DD's MA was in there though. I told the insurance agent (it was Fireman's Fund - not my insurance) and they told me to send them the straps and buy a new seat. I just needed to send a receipt and they cut me a check the next day. They never asked which seat it was or anything. The accident didn't technically fall into Britax's specifications, but they didn't even blink about replacing it.

Now, my SIL was in an accident and they wanted to actually see the seat. She had a Safeseat and the agent said she had to buy the same exact seat (same color even I think) and it couldn't be from online. She lived in a rural area and couldn't find one so she had to settle for a lesser Graco replacement.

Another SIL got rear-ended and replaced her Snugride with a Evenflo convertible.

It really depends on the insurance company. Most will replace the seats as soon as they hear they were in the car - they just don't want the liability. If they balk, do what PP said and get them to give you the letter. They will probably just replace the seats because no company would write that letter, you know?

Good luck and I am glad that everyone is okay. Hope DH heals quickly!

[kochh2]

PS -- glad your DH is OK. Claim the stroller and see what they say.

ETA #2 -- usually they give you replacement value for the seats you had. You should be able to keep the cover of the trashed MA.

so... how do you calim the stroller?? sorry, i'm new to this!! (thankfully!), and do they usually ask you what seats were there or will they just know by looking when they visit the car at the tow yard??

[kochh2]

bump... still need more advice!!

[bubbaray]

Well, my ins. wouldn't cover the stroller, but it probably depends on your ins. co. I'd have to go through my home ins. to cover vehicle contents. But, its worth a try to get it covered via car ins., particularly if you're not at fault and the other party's ins. is covering the accident....

HTH

[o_mom]

so... how do you calim the stroller?? sorry, i'm new to this!! (thankfully!), and do they usually ask you what seats were there or will they just know by looking when they visit the car at the tow yard??

Depending on the insurance company, the procedures vary. I think in a case where it is totalled, they will visit and make note of what seat is there. They MAY try and tell you that they only give depreciated value, but keep going up the chain and explain that you cannot buy a used seat so full replacement value is what you should get. Generally, you send the receipt and they reimburse you. Most agents haven't a clue about seats, so they may not understand why a MA is $300, etc. Some will require you to give the whole seat, others are fine if you keep the cover.

The stroller will most likely go toward your homeowners insurance and the deductible would be too high to be worth a claim. :(

[mikearge]

:yeahthat: Ditto on the PP. The stroller is definitely considered "contents" of the car which are specifically not covered by any auto insurance policy I've ever seen. As for the value of the seats, it depends on the terms of the policy you're claiming on. But I agree with the above, that you need to express to the adjuster that this is NOT something you can buy used due to the expiration dates and need to purchase a new one.

[MOM2u2]

We were just rear ended and according to the traffic safety... there are five question that if you pass all five the seats don't need to be replaced. The ones that I remember are 1) was the impact on the side of the car seat? (or side of the car) 2) Were there any injuries sustained in the accident? (your arm qualifies). When I talked to a car seat safety expert they informed me that the insurance company is required to replace the carseats, but won't offer, that you will have to bring it up. When I spoke to our adjuster (through State Farm) we were told to get something comprable. We had to purchase the seats and then submit the reciepts for reimbursement. We went to Babies R Us and the employee that assisted us told us that it wasn't insurance fraud to get two convertible seats vs a convertable and infant seat. We got a Marathon and a Chicco SureFit 30 (because of health issues, age, and how cold it is where we are right now) or we would have gone with two Marathon's. I don't know why you couldn't get the cover off your old seat, it isn't a structural componant. My understanding is that they will cut the straps so that the seat can't be used again. If you need another opion you could contact your local police or fire dept for any specific questions or verifications of requirement for replacement.
Because the seat was in the vehicle they still sustained the stress tha could cause the damage I believe. I'm glad that there were no serious injuries. Good luck.

[kochh2]

oooh, i am so sorry you had to go through that, but thank you soo much for your btdt advice, it is invaluable!

[kochh2]

Ok, so DH heard from insurance today that even though i faxed over print outs of what seats we need to replace ( a snugride and a marathon), We were todl that we can only get reimbursed for UP to $200 per seat. Um, not quite, Geico lizard. or gecko, whatever. WTF? It just so happens that the Britax is for a child who is 3 years old, and 40 lbs. Maybe they will be able to suggest another seat that goes up to 65 lbs and is under 200... NOT!! I am so callign them tomorrow, this is so ridiculous. The other seat, well, I planned on getting the fisherprice safe voyage deluxe for DD to replace the snugride, we have one already, and are happy with it, but UM... SO not giving up on getting the britax replaced. fully.

We also have to shell out the $ for them, fax in receipts, and then wait a month or more to have them paid for... such a pain. but, as we don't have a need for a second car right now while DH is out of work, we have some time, i guess.

So, please help with wording for when i speak with insurance!!!! i beg you!!!

[Emmas Mom]

Speak to a manager. That seriously annoys me to no end. I'm a Claims Analyst for an auto insurance company & have been doing this for over 11 years. I've worked for two companies (Mercury & Bristol West...owned by Farmers now). Over the years the rules & regulations have gotten more strict about replacing car seats. To the point now where we almost ALWAYS replace them, it's actually the law in California now. Full value, none of this "up to" stuff. It doesn't matter if it's not new when it comes to a carseat. As far as wording, first ask them to put their offer to you in writing. Get it all in writing. I would check with your state's Department of Insurance to see if they can help you on any laws regarding the replacement of car seats.

My DH was in an accident (only about $2,200 in damage to our car) & the person at fault had USAA. They replaced our car seat with no problems. We only had to submit a photo of the seat & the receipt for the new seat. Neither of our girls were in it either at the time of loss. It doesn't sound to me like GEICO is being reasonable.

[HIU8]

I have geico and was in a car accident about 18 months ago. DS was not in the car, but Geico told me to go buy a new comprable seat and send them the receipt. I had a Marathon and replaced with another one. I sent the receipt and was reimbursed for the full amount.

[kochh2]

wtf? i am so calling them.