Storage Facility Fees on Auto Accidents

I was in an accident caused by a USAA member and my vehicle was a total loss. USAA adjustor told me they would cover no more than 40 days of storage and then proceeded to send me a letter saying they would not cover past 8 days.

Then when I called he would not return my call and it was because they assumed that the personal injury case I have was connected to the property.

Now that they have accepted the responsibility, they are saying that I have to cover the storage fees. I gave them all the information they requested within a week of the accident and they kept saying that they could not contact the insured who was fighting the ticket for an unsafe lane change.

I would like to know why I am responsible for their lack of initiative and why they think they have the right to move my vehicle to a non-storage facility an hour and a half from where the accident happened if they have not paid me for the vehicle or accepted responsibility.


Answer:


Hello ,

Well, 40 days of storage? For a total loss? This does not add up. Usually, a total loss is moved quickly to a storage free facility to avid this situation.

Unfortunately, most states require you to mitigate your damages, please see:

This means that if the insurance company ask you to mitigate those damages, then you had to ensure the vehicle was moved out of that facility or do something to avoid a larger loss. If however they told you (in writing) that they would cover this but did not, you may have an argument that this is their bill and not yours.

Contact the department of insurance of your state and ask them how to handle this


Good Luck,
Auto Insurance Claim Advice