At-fault Driver's Insurance Co. Won't Pay

A friend of mine was involved in a car accident. He was rear-ended.

The other driver's insurance company will not pay. The representative
from the other guy's insurance company said, "My client claims you pulled
in front of him and braked hard, causing the accident." This is complete
nonsense, but that's what the insurance company is saying.

At the accident, my friend called the cops, got all the required information,
even took pictures of the damage to his car (after he got back to his house).
The accident was completely a result of the other driver not paying attention.

Can my friend do anything? Or is he screwed? The other car, a big pickup,
got him pretty good. The car's trunk won't close and there's a big opening
into the interior of the car where the trunk is bent up.

Has anyone ever encountered this situation and gotten the insurance company
to pay up? The damage is nearly $3000 and the state is Maryland. Any thoughts
on how to handle this would be appreciated.

- AJ

(One) writes:

> A friend of mine was involved in a car accident. He was rear-ended.
>
> The other driver's insurance company will not pay. The
> representative from the other guy's insurance company said, "My
> client claims you pulled in front of him and braked hard, causing
> the accident." This is complete nonsense, but that's what the
> insurance company is saying.
>
> At the accident, my friend called the cops, got all the required
> information, even took pictures of the damage to his car (after he
> got back to his house). The accident was completely a result of the
> other driver not paying attention.
>
> Can my friend do anything? Or is he screwed? The other car, a big
> pickup, got him pretty good. The car's trunk won't close and there's
> a big opening into the interior of the car where the trunk is bent
> up.
>
> Has anyone ever encountered this situation and gotten the insurance
> company to pay up? The damage is nearly $3000 and the state is
> Maryland. Any thoughts on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Assuming that Maryland is not a no-fault state, your insurance company
would take the other driver to court, where his insurance company
would defend him.

--
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not
represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.