I had an accident in a car not owned by me?

Question

I hit someone from behind and he hit the car in front of him. He had light damage to his rear bumper and buckling of his hood. I do not own the car and it apparently is not registered to my husband who is the one who provided it for me to drive. He works for a local municipality which keeps towed, unretrieved cars, and auctions them. He has informed me that although he told me his mother added it to her insurance policy(we used to live with her), such is not the case. I live in Missouri. What am I facing?

Answer 1

I am assuming you got a ticket for driving an unregistered vehicle... however, you may still be eligible to claim it under your insurance policy as most insurers allow coverage for vehicles that are newly acquired (usually 14-30 days) and have not yet been added to your policy.  Good luck, I hope this helps!

Answer 2

your going to have to pay a shitload of money it sucks im sorry ,, and btw i live in Missouri as well :)

Answer 3

In general (and subject to change based on the language of the autopolicies involved)

- insurance follows the car.  If the car is owned by your mother in law-- when did she purchase it?  Most policies give you 14-30 days to add a newly purchased car to your policy. So if the vehicle is a recent purchase (and she can produce bill of sale to prove it) there may be coverage under her automobile policy.

--if the car does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance, then the drivers policy can come in on an excess basis.  That means - if the car is not provided for your regulare use (such as you borrowed it from your mother in law) and her policy does not cover the accident (or does not have high enough liability limits) then the auto policy you and your husband have will come in next.

If the vehicle is not provided for your regulare use, it may qualify as a non-owned auto  under your policy and your collision coverage and liability coverage would come into play.

Your best bet is to turn in a claim with your mother in laws policy (as the owner of the vehicle) and your own policy.  Both companies will have to do a coverage investigation and these can take time. So go ahead and get the ball rolling.

If neither of the policies provides coverage -- then the other cars would get confirmation of that from your (& your mother in laws) insurance company (another reason to turn in the claims now).

The the other drivers would be able to file under their Uninsured Motorist Coverage. Their insurance companies would then come back against you for re-payment. Usually they are willing to set up an interest free payment plan with you or negotiate a lump sum payment that is less then what they had to pay their policy holders.

Hope - I did not confuse you too much. This question has the potential to be quite complex.  You may want to speak to your insurance agent about the situation. (since your agent is familier with the languate in your policy).

** not legal advice **

Answer 4

The answers vary by person.It would be a good idea to hear several of them and see the differences.Here is a good one.http://carinsurance.expertsupport.info/a...