Got into accident, pay or file claim?

I live in Massachusetts and have a 7-year perfect driving record. What happened yesterday was after a really long and tiring day at work.

I have accidentally hit another car while pulling out of a gas station yesterday as he was pulling in (the way it happened, it will be 100% my fault), and the damage seems minor (a scratch on his bumper and a bent fender that's touching his rear bumper), my car got damaged more but I'm still expecting under $1000 in repairs to my own car since I can cut a few corners for my own repairs. The other driver doesn't mind if I pay for it myself rather than filing a claim with my insurance. Problem is, he has already filed a claim with his, so I'm guessing it doesn't buy me anything to deal with this myself since my insurance will still get contacted by his. From reading Massachusetts laws, however, it sounds like I will only get surcharge points if a claim against the insurance is greater than $500. If I pay for the damage to his car myself, even if he made a claim, his claim will be for $0, is that correct?

I should also mention that I currently have $1000 deductible and if this accident comes through will probably get boned by a few thousand dollars over next few years, as well as paying the first $1000 for my car myself. It sounds like it's in my interest to eat up the cost if it's under $2000, unless I'm already getting the surcharge points due to the claim he filed.

Answer to Got into accident, pay or file claim?

Hello there, I am so sorry for the delay. I was out working on updating our design and finally we are able to resume back to normal… (well, maybe, still a lot of work to do).

Well, typically you want the protection of your insurance company so the non at fault party can try to claim injuries or ridiculous stuff. It does happen, so that is important.

The problem about the insurance points is that his insurance will likely report the amount of damage to the DMV. Usually this is done without regard for deductibles. It is possible that they will require this. You can talk to them directly (his insurance company) and see how much the damage is and pay out of pocket. Do know however, insurance companies seem to be pretty inflexible about damages / repair estimates. You may want to have your insurance on that.

One last thing: you have been paying for insurance all this time. At the end of the day, you are paying for a service month in and out. You should be able to use your policy when you need it. Typically, your insurance premium will not increase by a lot because of one claim (if there is an increase, it could be a low as $1.00 per policy period). This is not always the case, however.

If your carrier is going to do this, then look for quotes and shop around for a new carrier that does appreciate your business. This is true even if you have a ding on your otherwise perfect driving record.

Good Luck
Auto accident claims