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Old 11-17-2019, 08:44 AM   #1
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Lessons learned when totaling your toad in an accident.

2 weeks ago my 2014 Honda CRV was rear ended and pushed into another car while stopped at a red light. Luckily it was not being towed at the time and no one was hurt. however it did sustain enough damage to the rear and front to be deemed "totaled" by the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. My car was carried off by tow truck and the settlement process started. A rental car was issued and I could drive again but this was not a toad. Luckily I was at home and not traveling but this obviously
brought up the questions "what if I was" and all the things that go along with that with being in an unfamiliar place and having to stay where you are, for how long? rescheduling the rest of your trip and getting another toad and on an on.

10 days latter the official notification of being "totaled" came along with the settlement offer. An older vehicle is not worth much, even less when you have tow equipment on it. The base plate, lighting, and any other mods you have done to tow etc. are not factored in to your cars value. By the time this was all discovered by me the car was moved several hundred miles away to a salvage yard. So when they tell you to come remove your personal Items get everything you can.

LESSONS

You must get an endorsement on your policy to cover the tow equipment installed to be able to claim it.

Same with your RV If i were towing the CRv and got hit and it broke the tow bar too, it wouldn't be covered unless it was an endorsement as well.

Make a list of things you added so you know what to remove if possible Instead of thinking you will remember.

Things I forgot about or lost that needs to be replaced. Base plate (only good if I bought the same year and brand vehicle which I ended up doing) Lighting package, Emergency break away. Trickle charger, TPMS sensors on all 4 wheels.

Anyway just wanted to post this so if your towing or getting ready to, you can keep this info in mind.


Safe travels
Dave
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Old 11-17-2019, 09:07 AM   #2
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Great post and well worth reading. I was not aware of the need for an endorsement for added items. I'll have to look into that.

When my Fleetwood Discovery was destroyed by fire, I tried to get the insurance company to pay for the full tank of diesel fuel (90 gallons), two full tanks of propane (for propane generator and house needs) and the spare tire. No go. They said those fuel items were not considered. But they did pay for the BlueOx tow bar that was destroyed because it was attached to the rear of the motorhome and toad braking system that was added to the coach (air tubing and connectors) because they considered it "contents".

Anyway back to your original post. The loss of our toad would result in a large $1,000+ hit on towing items. I wonder if the other driver was at fault, would the other driver's insurance pay for the base plate even if you had an endorsement for them with your insurance?
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Old 11-17-2019, 09:19 AM   #3
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Reject their offer and threaten to involve an attorney (be prepared to follow through).

If it was someone else's fault and they have accepted responsibility, your insurance is irrelevant. You should receive compensation for ALL losses incurred plus, potentially, extra for inconvenience.
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Old 11-17-2019, 09:23 AM   #4
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Both posts great eye openers.
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Old 11-17-2019, 10:48 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by chawkins99 View Post
Reject their offer and threaten to involve an attorney (be prepared to follow through).

If it was someone else's fault and they have accepted responsibility, your insurance is irrelevant. You should receive compensation for ALL losses incurred plus, potentially, extra for inconvenience.
Our 2004 Jeep was rear ended while being towed in 2014. In the end it was repaired rather than totaled, but during the course of the claim process I was directed to get the value of the tow bar, base plates, drop hitch, and any other parts that were damaged.

YTe insurance company paid for everything no questions asked.
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Old 11-17-2019, 11:10 AM   #6
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I have not yet accepted their offer and yes it was the other parties fault. I have consulted with my company to learn about the endorsements and how it would be handled by them (GEICO) but they also said every insurance company does things different based on the state your located in. The company paying the claim is Elephant Ins. They are based out of Virginia and the charter they go by is way different than Geico. Elephant does not and will not cover sales tax on a loss claim where Geico does. I am on my 3rd valuation because they left out features my CRV had (Navigation and had valued the vehicle as average condition not above average as it was. Also the comps used had about 50k more miles than mine and most were sold about 6 months ago. They added back about @$1000 from the first offer but so far are still not covering the tow equipment. Due to a pending trip I already purchased a replacement toad and have the equipment on order to replace it. It's not as easy to find another CRV in as good of condition as the other one especially since it has to be a 14 or older..... So the fight continues.
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Old 11-17-2019, 11:15 AM   #7
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Thanks for the heads up...going to check with AAA to see what they cover.
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Old 11-17-2019, 11:42 AM   #8
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In most states, the offending party is responsible for all damage. An insurance company policy is not relevant except to the insured themselves.

A letter from a law firm to the at fault insured party and their insurance company often suffices. The state laws where the accident happened apply. From a practical point of view, collecting money from out of state locations can be an issue. Your ins co may pay you according to it's policy and try to collect all damages from the other. Mine will.

I am not a lawyer. If there is significant money involved it might be good to consult one in the state where the accident happened. Consulting with your insurance agent may provide necessary information and cost less. Be careful how you word your questions to the agent. They are not usually allowed to give legal advice.
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Old 11-17-2019, 12:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chawkins99 View Post
Reject their offer and threaten to involve an attorney (be prepared to follow through).

If it was someone else's fault and they have accepted responsibility, your insurance is irrelevant. You should receive compensation for ALL losses incurred plus, potentially, extra for inconvenience.

Correct - I believe the only limit you will come up against would be the liability limit the at-fault party has on their policy. Go above that limit and you have to recover from the person personally, which will be an adventure in itself...
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Old 11-17-2019, 02:44 PM   #10
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Dave,

I had a similar thing happen about 2 years ago. My toad was totaled in a non-towing wreck. And like you, we were home, not traveling. The other guy's fault, confirmed by an officer eye-witness. His insurance company made me an offer, which I rejected immediately. I hired a lawyer to act as my rep with them.

I did the same as you, went ahead and bought a new toad, and outfitted it with a baseplate and upgraded to an M&G brake system. The old baseplate was destroyed in the wreck and it was a different model car anyway.

The guy's insurance company upped their offer and I was satisfied with the amount they valued the car at, but they did not want to include costs for the baseplate. My attorney turned them down. Finally after about a year, they upped their offer to include the cost of the baseplate plus what it cost me to have it installed.

If you don't have to have the cash, my recommendation to you is to wait them out and continue to demand the full value, including the tow equipment you had installed on the toad. Patience paid off for me, it might for you.

Regards.

Chuck

PS - the only involvement with my insurance company was when I called them to tell them to remove the wrecked car from our policy (not even sure I told them it was totalled??) and to put the new toad on our policy.
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Old 11-17-2019, 04:23 PM   #11
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Dave,


Call your state insurance commissioners office. A friend was offered a settlement less than his loss, and this office was able to resolve the issue.
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Old 11-17-2019, 05:34 PM   #12
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I had the same issue when a driver turned left in front of me and totaled my HHR. It was clearly her fault. We both had the same insurance company. The insurance company was not going to pay for any towing equipment. After I protested they paid $750, about half. I did not push it any further since the gave me $1500 over retail on the HHR.
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Old 11-17-2019, 06:35 PM   #13
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Neither your insurance company or the at fault insurance company are your friends. Both will short change you if they can.

Reject the offer. Send a certified letter to the offending party saying they will be personally sued if their insurance company continues to play games.

You are entitled to be compensated for your loss based on putting you in the same position (vehicle and equipment) as before the loss. Period.

The party that hit your car is who you put the pressure on. Have an attorney send them a letter as your next step if foot dragging continues.
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Old 11-18-2019, 06:12 AM   #14
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My previous toad was burned up while at a repair shop. They said it was totaled and offered me a low ball amount. I countered with book retail price for the truck plus all the accessories on it including base plate, light wiring,etc. They rejected that. I told them ( the repair shop) that my next step was to get the local newspaper and tv stations involved. They quickly changed their mind and paid what I was requesting.
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