car accident. vancouver. questions about what to do next.

[MilkyWind]

I got into an accident yesterday. I was backing out and hit a car.

My back bumper was cracked and dislodged a little bit and one of my tail lights were broken.

It was totally my fault.

The person was very nice. We exchange phone numbers / contact information. I didn't see any damage on his car, except for some scratched paint. I didn't even notice any dents, but there could be one.

He said it was probably ok and would contact me on monday when he gets back from visiting up north. I think he was very very sincere. He probably won't ask me for anything or perhaps maybe just some dollars for some car paint.

However, I am wondering, if I am 100% at fault, should I still report it to ICBC? I am a very insecure person and am always afraid of the saying, "you never know what a person may do in the future".

What I want to do is basically get ICBC to inspect my damage, before I repair the car so they have it on record. I will not settle through ICBC. I will pay for my car damages on its own (which will probably cost me $1500 agh). This is just in case the other person might appear again in the future about it.

I also, out of respect, do not want to trouble the other party in bringing in their car if I settle out of ICBC, as they are giving me the courtesy of just paying for scratch paint.

Is there a timeframe where one must report his or her damage before it expires or becomes not reportable/not claimable?

Thanks for your help. A very hard lesson learned for me.

[chenwaa123]

Report the claim to ICBC. They will provide you with details regarding the approx cost to fix your car...if you do it this way your repairs are guaranteed. ICBC will pay the cost minus your deductible. Then just pay the rest back to ICBC prior to renewing your insurance (if the claim has been posted to your record).

[KingC]

I got into an accident yesterday. I was backing out and hit a car.

My back bumper was cracked and dislodged a little bit and one of my tail lights were broken.

It was totally my fault.

The person was very nice. We exchange phone numbers / contact information. I didn't see any damage on his car, except for some scratched paint. I didn't even notice any dents, but there could be one.

He said it was probably ok and would contact me on monday when he gets back from visiting up north. I think he was very very sincere. He probably won't ask me for anything or perhaps maybe just some dollars for some car paint.

However, I am wondering, if I am 100% at fault, should I still report it to ICBC? I am a very insecure person and am always afraid of the saying, "you never know what a person may do in the future".

What I want to do is basically get ICBC to inspect my damage, before I repair the car so they have it on record. I will not settle through ICBC. I will pay for my car damages on its own (which will probably cost me $1500 agh). This is just in case the other person might appear again in the future about it.

I also, out of respect, do not want to trouble the other party in bringing in their car if I settle out of ICBC, as they are giving me the courtesy of just paying for scratch paint.

Is there a timeframe where one must report his or her damage before it expires or becomes not reportable/not claimable?

Thanks for your help. A very hard lesson learned for me.

I have a similar accident before while my 09 matrix hit other person during the snow days. $2500 gone doh:!:

If the other party report to ICBC, ICBC will contact you eventually (unless the other party did not get any of your Licence Plate/Insurance info that made ICBC no clue of who is it).

Report it up to ICBC by yourself is a good practice, but will leave a record on your car about the damge (If the other party didnt report and you guys fixed it by yourselves at body shops, then probably no accident record on your car).

However, I would encourage everyone to report to ICBC, as one can claim the accident as long as it happened within 1 year(or 2?). BUT, IF possible, DO NOT fix the vehicles using the ICBC way to pay for it. Say, ICBC estimate the damge as $1000, when you get to the auto body shop, it will jump to $2000+ for sure.

Since you are at fault, fix your own car at your own expense instead of going thru ICBC as it is always cheaper. Plus, if you pay cash, you can argue some $ down like GST+PST Free(shuuu...) at some body shops. However, go to ICBC approved body shops(but not fixing the car using ICBC insurance) and they will usually give you warranty and good repairs.

I believe they require inspection on each vehicles involved in the accident once reported unless other party told them absolutly no damage/injury during the claim(ICBC will call back to confirm). Inspection is fast, only takes 10-20mins while they will take some pictures and do the estimation.

Same, once reported, you guys will be both given a different claim #. Use that in the settlement documentation. PLEASE ensure every party sign and have a copy of the document once you have either payed cash/fixed other party's car so that the other party can't claim thru ICBC again (well, a prove to ICBC that you guys have settlement if the other party really did this sh*t).

Good luck and I hope you have met a nice person(the other party!).

The one i dealt with is a nasty greedy person and it took a great effort to get it done.

Maybe when you hear my story you will feel better. Snow days make every road single lane two ways traffic. I yielded the opposite vehicle by turning in front of other people's front parking which was snow packed above my car's height. Then I back out slowly (because the snow was blocking my vision not until 2/5 of my car get out from it) like what everyone did when park next to huge cars blocking your vision. Then some asian lady saw me, but didnt yield for me to back out and went straight to pass me. By the time I saw something behind my back windshield, sh*t happened (while my side vision is blocked by snow still). Thank you the world for the at fault practice and the bad culture of some drivers. >:(