uninsuredinwash
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Washington
My husband was involved in an accident back in November, 2004. He was turning into a gas station and apparently did not see the oncoming car. that car hit him while on the shoulder of the road and rolled our S10 Blazer over on 3 sides. The other car was a Geo Tracker. My husband was cited with a Failure to Yield ticket. He was not insured at the time. We were going to fight the accident in court because the other car didn't even try to stop. No skid marks on the road. And he drove off after the officer cited my husband.
#1) The other insurance contacted us, but we were talking with a lawyer at the time and told him that our lawyer would contact him after court. We were told at court by The Judge that he was not there to decide who was at fault only to determine if my husband failed to yield. Ticket stood as originally cited.
#2) We received a notice from a collection company for $5800.00 in damages to the other car. I got on the internet to find out how the car was damaged and found it to be totalled through Carfax's Website. I couild only come up with a blue book of 4500.00 for that year of car and that was totally loaded with options. I called the collection company and requested documentation of how they came up with that figure and reasurred them that I was not paying for a car that wasn't worth that amount. 4 weeks later I received a new invoice that was 1020.00 dollars less that the original and some additional backup paperwork. Still no figure on that paperwork totaled the amount that they were now billing me for. I called again and told them that I still was unsure where they came up with the 4800.73 dollars they said I owed. They told me that the 4800.73 was the original amount less the 1020.00 dollars that they got from the salvage of the car. There was also documents attached from a CCC Valuscope company listing the Fair Market Value Determined by them of the car. It even has a little statement about how they came up with the value and the let them know if it is not satisfactory. (a note to the other insurance company I'm assuming)
#3) The customer service manager of the collection company could not give me any solid answers so he told me that he would call his client and call me back that afternoon with the answers I was asking for. No phone call came. so 5 days later I sent the following.
#4) I took the FMV of $3575.00 less the $1020.00 salvage amount from the car giving a subtotal of $2555.00 I added 8.8% Tacoma, WA sales tax to that figure giving me a total of $2,779.84. I sent them a letter explaining the details of my figure plus a check for that amount. Stating that by law I was paying FMV plus tax and our transaction should be complete.
#5) I have just received a new invoice with the balance of 2020.89 still open on this account. I called to get answers, but was put on hold. I held and held and held and finally hung up. They are not giving me satisfactory documentation of how, why and where they come up with the figure that they are trying to collect from me. How do I get this closed??
Is there more I need to do, or do I need to have a lawyer write a letter for me?? Sorry for such a lengthly detail. I'm at my witts end. PS. Our insurance had lapsed for 2 months while my husband was unemployed and I could not afford the premiums. We have since gotten car insurance again and are street legal.
My husband was involved in an accident back in November, 2004. He was turning into a gas station and apparently did not see the oncoming car. that car hit him while on the shoulder of the road and rolled our S10 Blazer over on 3 sides. The other car was a Geo Tracker. My husband was cited with a Failure to Yield ticket. He was not insured at the time. We were going to fight the accident in court because the other car didn't even try to stop. No skid marks on the road. And he drove off after the officer cited my husband.
#1) The other insurance contacted us, but we were talking with a lawyer at the time and told him that our lawyer would contact him after court. We were told at court by The Judge that he was not there to decide who was at fault only to determine if my husband failed to yield. Ticket stood as originally cited.
#2) We received a notice from a collection company for $5800.00 in damages to the other car. I got on the internet to find out how the car was damaged and found it to be totalled through Carfax's Website. I couild only come up with a blue book of 4500.00 for that year of car and that was totally loaded with options. I called the collection company and requested documentation of how they came up with that figure and reasurred them that I was not paying for a car that wasn't worth that amount. 4 weeks later I received a new invoice that was 1020.00 dollars less that the original and some additional backup paperwork. Still no figure on that paperwork totaled the amount that they were now billing me for. I called again and told them that I still was unsure where they came up with the 4800.73 dollars they said I owed. They told me that the 4800.73 was the original amount less the 1020.00 dollars that they got from the salvage of the car. There was also documents attached from a CCC Valuscope company listing the Fair Market Value Determined by them of the car. It even has a little statement about how they came up with the value and the let them know if it is not satisfactory. (a note to the other insurance company I'm assuming)
#3) The customer service manager of the collection company could not give me any solid answers so he told me that he would call his client and call me back that afternoon with the answers I was asking for. No phone call came. so 5 days later I sent the following.
#4) I took the FMV of $3575.00 less the $1020.00 salvage amount from the car giving a subtotal of $2555.00 I added 8.8% Tacoma, WA sales tax to that figure giving me a total of $2,779.84. I sent them a letter explaining the details of my figure plus a check for that amount. Stating that by law I was paying FMV plus tax and our transaction should be complete.
#5) I have just received a new invoice with the balance of 2020.89 still open on this account. I called to get answers, but was put on hold. I held and held and held and finally hung up. They are not giving me satisfactory documentation of how, why and where they come up with the figure that they are trying to collect from me. How do I get this closed??
Is there more I need to do, or do I need to have a lawyer write a letter for me?? Sorry for such a lengthly detail. I'm at my witts end. PS. Our insurance had lapsed for 2 months while my husband was unemployed and I could not afford the premiums. We have since gotten car insurance again and are street legal.