Has anyone on here hit a rock or other object in the road that took out a chunk of the engine cradle/crossmember and reported to insurance?

There is some construction behind my work that require big trucks to haul dirt and rocks all day. Well I finally hit one of the rocks that they dropped and it took out a chunk of the engine cradle. I spoke to the Chevy dealer and they told me its not a big deal but before I file a claim with the construction company, I want to make sure their insurance does not label my car as having "frame damage".

Has anyone gone through this?

 

no, but if you report that to your insurance company keep in mind it will be filed as an at fault collision claim and could affect your insurance premiums.
good thing it didnt hit your oil pan!
i would contact the city and inform them the construction company is litering the roadway with debris.
i am sure someone will hold them accountable.

 

It is not an at fault collission unless he hit another vehicle. Collision is ony when you hit a vehicle. If he filed it under his insurance it would be a comprehensive claim, but the OP mentioned filing it against the construction company as it is their responsibility to secure their loads and they would be responsible for the damages people incure.

Wether or not it is listed as frame damage is up to their insurance company and if they list the accident against the vehicles VIN in the CLUE reporting system.

 

Not I, in fact first I've heard of such a thing.

Might want to checkout the *possibility* the construction company doing the work will reimberse you for the repair since they essentially caused it. People files claims with cities/states for bent wheels etc caused by pot holes et L, all the time. And, they get paid.

 

So if he hit a tree, it would not be a collision?

 

It is not a comprehensive claim. I recently had undercarriage damage from a large dip in the road, which I filed a claim with the state over, and my insurance. The damage was almost $2800, cracking the aluminum frame and radiator shroud. My insurance paid as a collision claim, and is subrogating to the state. I am not deemed at fault, but at this point am out $500, unless my insurance can recover it from the state of Tennessee.
Whether it is or isn't a comprehensive claim is entirely up to the wording in your policy, defining each type of claim.
A collision is just that, two objects, I.e. your car, and anything else, coming together in a violent manner and resulting in damage.
Good luck.

 

It may not go anywhere but if debris from the construction project (illegally or inadvertently dumped on the road) 'caused' the damage I'd file a claim directly with the construction company. Try to document it as best you can.

Like it or not the repair will be part of the car's service history. If it works its way into a Carfax or other report it is what it is. I'm sure you wouldn't try to hide the damage/repair from a prospective purchaser. If you were buying a car you'd want full disclosure.


You don't have to hit another vehicle to have an at-fault collision or be considered at-fault in a claim.

 

In OK it is not a collission claim when it is an object in the roadway, hitting a tree on the side of the road is not in the roadway. A dip in the road is something entirely and either way you would have a deductible to pay until the state reimburses your insurance carrier.

I hit a table in the roadway years ago, was filed under my comprehensive portion of my polify with Farmers. I was not at fault even though insurance companies will try to blame you unless youfight them on it.

 

Yep, recently a truck going the other way on a 2 lane road dropped something that flew into my commuter car and messed up the front a bit.

The key question asked by my body shop and adjuster was: "Was the item on the ground and you hit it, or did it fall off the truck into your car?".

After I answered, the adjuster told me that if it fell out of a truck and was in the road and I hit it, it would have been a mark on my collision policy and my rates "may" be impacted. Since it wasn't, it was a Comp. claim.

 

Just to be clear, I am trying to have the construction company file the claim, not my personal insurance.

The police were out here today making the company scrape the streets as they were getting unbelievably dirty from mud. I'm waiting to hear back from the construction company now but from what I'm hearing, the engine cradle is considered a removable part so therefore will not be branded as "frame damage".

Thanks for the comments and I will keep you updated.

 

USAA in California treats it as collision if the object is stationary in the road. If it is moving when you hit it, it is comprehensive. Of course, that does not apply to vehicle to vehicle collisions.

 

NOT TRUE. using that logic above, if I lose control of my car and hit a light pole I'm not at fault b/c I didn't hit a vehicle.

Collsion is pretty much hitting any object not falling or flying through the air, except for an animal. Hitting something lying in the road is most definately a collision claim and could be considered at at-fault occurrance by an insurance company in many circumstances.

Best to try to collect direct from the party responsible for the debris in the road.

 

do you have an insurance license? i didn't think so!
do you know how i know you don't have one? because you are WRONG!!!

example a rock falls off the cliff onto the roof of your car it's comprehensive,
the same rock falls into the road directly in front of your vehicle and you hit it, it's collision!
it doesn't have anything to do with what you hit ,it makes no difference if it's another car, a pedestrian, a rock or a tree. your still at fault for the same reason it's your fault when you slide on Ice and hit a curb.
it's very simple there is always an at fault component to every accident.

the only exception is collision with an animal or bird those claims are comprehensive because often animals will actually run into your vehicle!

you cannot blame fault on a rock, tree, a 2x4 in the road or a pothole.
another poster talked about a dip in the road, he technically didn't hit an object, one could argue he might have been going too fast, but thats not clearly defined and since the city is responsible for maintaining roads with tax payers money it's their fault for poorly designed road surface or drainage so his company acted correctly.

since pedestrians have the right of way in most cases it's your fault if you hit one unless like an animal they run into your path and get hit.

when you drive in snow you cannot blame snow or ice because it was YOUR decision to drive in inclimate weather, as such if you strike a curb or another car because you slid on ice your at fault for failure to maintain control of our vehicle and likely driving too fast for conditions. unless your in the middle of a chain of cars and stopped at the time of the collision you would be at fault.

regarding insurance premiums it's pretty simple, if you drove a motor vehicle and hit something that resulted in dame to your vehicle you are considered a higher risk than someone who has never hit anything. therefore because your a higher risk with claims it makes sense to charge more for that additional risk driver.

by the way CLUE has nothing to do with damage to any vehicle, yes they keep the info but they could care less about the vehicle, they keep this information on YOU the insured so all companies know if your a higher risk or not, therefore they can charge you a premium that is appropriate for your driving history.
and just so you know CLUE stands for:
Comprehensive Underwriting Loss and Exchange report
has nothing to do with property damage or how much damage was done to the car, but it will list the amounts paid of the claim because it shows insurance companies wether we are talking about a fender bender or a total loss of a vehicle.
this information is quite helpful in determining the correct premium based on how you drive along with your motor vehicle history.

 

PERFECT! i could have made my post shorter and to the point but i felt a few examples would be in order.

 

Trees fault. It should never have taken root there ........................

 

Ask the dealer if they report to Carfax or Auto Check. Tell them you do not want this reported to them. If they are a reporting dealer either don't list what work is being done on the work order or leave one digit out of the vin. Trust me it isn't worth the hassle you will go through if it shows on your car history report.

 

That is odd, the definition of crash is met anytime your vehicle is in motion and strikes anything... anything.

As well, you are responsible/accountable for operating a vehicle safely and maintaining a safe distance and being aware of the road ahead (ie, table or rock, fell from first vehicle much less already standing there). This is not to say you are responsible for the crash but would be considered contributing. FL is a no fault state so that may play into it.

Good luck to OP.

 

just to clarify.. all NO FAULT means is if you are in a no fault state, your state has PIP personal insurance policy that covers everyone in the accident regardless of fault speaking of medical coverage only.
each persons policy usually has and it varies by state a minimum of 30,000 worth of medical. in a case like this regardless of fault each persons policy covers their own medical. it has absolutely nothing to do with property damage.

in an at fault state like colorado, whoever is deemed more than 50% at fault for the accident is responsible to pay the other party's medical, pain and suffering.
we used to be a no fault state but they changed about 9 years ago because too many people were abusing the coverage. under the old law if a doctor said a hot tub was medically beneficial for your back injury verses medically necessary, you could get a new hot tub and have your insurance pay for it.

consequently insurance rates were at an all time high!

now we have the option of buying supplemental medical coverage but most choose not to purchase it.

 

I ran intoa deer with my C6. The first question the insurance agent asked was "was it moving before you hit it.". Comprehensive if it was, collision if it wasn't. Could've sworn I saw it kicking...

 

bump