Car Accident Scammers?

Question

This lady stopped short at a green light, so my daughter hit her car from behind. The woman said she thought that someone was going to hit her from the side so she stopped. She did not want it to go through the insurance companies, but she wanted me to pay for her (minute looking, but expensive) damages to her car. She also lives in NJ but has NY license plates on all 3 of the cars in her driveway. Does this sound like a scammer? I don't really know what to do since I haven't had any accidents. I am afraid that my insurance will go up if I submit the claim, since the car is insured in my name. I think the lady should contribute some money also. She stopped short at a green light and there was definitely more damage to my daughter's car. Please tell me what I am legally liable for. Any advice would be appreciated greatly. Thank you.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter where the lady stopped, if your daughter rear-ended her, your daughter is at fault for following too closely. There's no way to determine what the lady thought she saw. You contact YOUR insurance company and let THEM deal with her. She won't be able to scam them. The lady doesn't have the right to tell you not to go through insurance. So what if your insurance goes up, your daughter needs to pay attention when she drives!

Answer 2

Your daughter was following too close to stop when someone put on their brakes.  She is responsible for the accident.  Slight looking damage is frequently much more expensive to repair than it looks possible.  Will the victom provide you with more than one estimate?  

Answer 3

Did you get a police report? Are there any witnesses?

   Its strange that the victim doesn't want to go threw the insurance company?It sounds like the woman has done this before,and there may be a record of it,don't worry about your insurance rate,insist on using your insurance company.If its a scam,she won't want to proceed.