I just spoke with my adjuster at Intact, the car insurer. Wow, this one is going a lot more smoothly. She says that the appraiser will get back to me when he has a report and that I will probably hear from him before she does!
She did say that judging by the pictures, she’s expecting a report of total loss. She also said that there is absolutely no question of my being at fault for anything.
Once she gets the report of total loss, it takes about a week for the money to land in the bank account through direct deposit. So if they can have an answer by today, which she says is likely, I could have that money by the end of next week. If it looks like that will be the case, I will have the work started on the motorhome and be ready to pay it from the auto claim when the payment comes true. It’s stupid that I have to do it that way, but I know I am in for a long battle for with Aviva.
I really need a lawyer, but the ones I have spoken to are gun shy about taking an auto case without injuries (note to self: the next time someone rear ends me, go see a doctor for whiplash). I’ve gotten a lot of advice and I know I should be dealing with Aviva through a lawyer, but that’s easier said than done. There are jurisdiction issues, too. The lawyers I’ve spoken to are located in Ohio, where the guy who rear ended me is insured, and that seems to be the right location.
The tow bar claim is under review. I will be covered; the question is for how much and whether it will be paid separately or as part of the car evaluation. I have valued the tow system at about $4,000, including parts and installation. I have receipts for everything except the tow bar itself (the cost of which is verifiable online), but the work was done by a family friend who gave me a discount on labour and part costs, so those invoices do not accurately reflect what it is going to cost me to get set up again for towing. The adjuster said she is keeping that in mind.
The mechanic came by to show me an invoice for similar work to what Miranda needs on a 2004 Ford truck on an E450 chassis (just like Miranda). The amount is $3,000. Closer to $2,000, I could have just squeaked through the payment amount. But $3,000, plus a $250 towing bill is just not possible.
Not counting the welding costs, the bulk of this invoice is for parts that I replaced very recently. No one is going to get me to believe that these troubles are not related to the accident. That said, I have been researching automotive claim laws and it’s apparently up to me to prove that the accident caused the damage. What I can prove for certain is that Miranda was operating perfectly (no trouble with her until after the accident), all her maintenance was up to date, and she was not overloaded. We’ll see what Aviva says but I still maintain that it would be cheaper for the other company to pay to shut me up than to take this to court.