Hit a deer at 65 mph on I-90 last week and my insurance claim went sideways

I've always believed that comprehensive coverage is a waste of money for older cars. Then I hit a deer near Missoula on Monday night and my 2012 Civic's front end got crushed. My $500 deductible is now the least of my worries, turns out my policy only covers actual cash value which was about $4,200. The repair estimate came back at $5,800 so the adjuster is calling it a total loss. Has anyone else gotten burned by assuming their coverage was better than it actually was?

3 comments

3 Comments

miller.rowan13d ago

My buddy Dan had something similar happen with his old Tacoma out near Spokane. He didn't check his policy details for years and when a tree branch fell on it during a storm, he found out his coverage maxed out way below what he needed. The whole thing was a headache trying to figure out rental car stuff and payout timing. It's wild how easy it is to just let that stuff sit without looking at it again.

david_jones3813d ago

Did he ever figure out what exactly caused the coverage gap, like was it just the deductible or something bigger? I'm asking because @miller.rowan mentioned his buddy's policy just maxed out way below what he needed, and I'm wondering if it was a case of "I forgot to update my limits" or "the insurance company lowballed me from the start." I've been meaning to check my own policy for years but keep putting it off, lol. That rental car part sounds like a nightmare too, especially with how long insurance companies take to cut checks these days.

the_simon12d ago

87% of people have no idea what their actual policy limits are until they file a claim. That's not a guess, insurance industry data backs that up. Most folks just check the price every year and assume the coverage is good enough.