My Friend Wrecked My Car, and They Have No Insurance!

No one jumps for joy when a friend asks to borrow their car. Many people will flat out refuse, but there are those who feel either obligated for some reason or just plain nice enough to let them take it down to the store for some snacks or whatnot. But then comes the call. The friend has wrecked your car. What’s worse, they don’t even own a car, so you’re pretty sure they don’t have insurance. Now what?

They May Be Covered on Your Insurance

Luckily for you, though they don’t exactly emblazon it in bold letters across the front of the liability card, most insurance policies cover anyone who temporarily drives the vehicle in addition to those drivers listed. Now, exactly what “temporarily” means is largely up to your particular state and insurance company to define, but odds are pretty good that your insurance will at least cover the damage to the other party’s car. If your car has a lien on it, the policy likely covers damages to it as well, though there will probably be a deductible. Hopefully the friend is good for that deductible, which can be up to $500 or more, depending on your policy.

But if They Are Not Covered

If the driver of your car is not covered by your insurance policy or, worse, you actually have insurance at all, then you are going to have a problem. Although a court of law can assign the blame to the driver of the vehicle, in many cases, the responsibility will default to its owner. As long as no one was injured in the wreck, it is unlikely that criminal charges will be pressed, though it is very likely that the owners of the other vehicle, be they a bank or the other driver, will attempt to sue you. Even if the owner of the vehicle does not sue, likely because they have comprehensive insurance that covers their own car, you can bet their insurance company will still come after you.

My Friend Wrecked My Car, and They Have No Insurance!

They May Be Covered on Your Insurance

But if They Are Not Covered

Related Posts:

Leave a Reply