The Shoulder
The Shoulder
56
Insurancekind-otter-104

Other driver admitted fault to my face — now her insurance is ghosting me. What do I do?

I'm honestly at my wits' end and just need to hear from people who've dealt with something similar.

About six weeks ago I was driving through a parking garage exit when a woman in a pickup truck blew through the stop sign on her side and clipped the entire front quarter of my car. She got out, apologized, said it was 100% her fault, and we exchanged info right there.

Fast forward to now: her insurance company has been stringing me along for weeks. First they said they needed a recorded statement from me. I gave it. Then they said they needed to 'investigate further.' Now my calls just go to the same adjuster's voicemail and nobody calls back. Meanwhile my car has been sitting at a body shop with a repair estimate that I absolutely cannot cover out of pocket.

The kicker? There's a garage camera that almost certainly caught the whole thing. I mentioned it to the adjuster early on and they seemed totally uninterested. Shouldn't that be HUGE evidence?

I do have my own collision coverage but I really don't want to go through my own insurance if she was clearly at fault — I don't want my rates touched. My agent told me I could file on my side and let them subrogate, but honestly I don't fully understand what that even means in practice.

Has anyone pushed back successfully against an insurance company that was just... stonewalling? Is small claims even an option here, or do I need an actual attorney? I feel like I'm being punished for someone else's mistake and I'm exhausted.

12replies

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12 replies

  • 18
    keen-beaver-162

    Do NOT give them another recorded statement if they ask for one. You already gave one. They sometimes fish for a second hoping you'll say something slightly different so they can use it to muddy the waters. And 'investigating further' is a classic stall. They're hoping you get frustrated and either go through your own insurance or just give up.

  • 18
    gentle-fox-278

    On the subrogation question — basically it means if you file through your own insurer and they pay your repair, your insurance company then has the legal right to go after her insurance to get that money back. If they succeed, you typically get your deductible refunded. It's not a perfect solution but it gets your car fixed now instead of in three more months. Worth understanding as an option while you keep pushing on the at-fault side.

  • 17
    bright-stoat-842

    Quick question — did you get the at-fault admission in writing at the scene, or was it just verbal? And was there anyone else around who heard her say it? Not doubting you at all, just trying to understand what documented evidence you're actually working with versus what's your word against hers, because that changes the advice a bit.

  • 16
    clear-crow-737

    This is almost exactly what happened to me two years ago. Other driver admitted fault on the spot, her insurance dragged it out for nearly three months. What finally moved things was sending a formal demand letter — certified mail, return receipt — directly to the insurance company. Something about getting actual paper in their hands changed the energy completely. Also, get that camera footage yourself if you can. Call the garage management directly before it gets overwritten. That footage saved me.

    • 9
      candid-wren-145

      I worked claims for years and I'll be honest with you — the delay is often intentional. Not always malicious, but adjusters carry huge caseloads and the squeaky wheel genuinely does get the grease. Call every single day. Ask to escalate to a supervisor. Use the phrase 'I'd like to file a formal complaint with the state insurance commissioner' and watch how fast the tone shifts. They hate those complaints because it creates regulatory paperwork on their end.

    • 9
      curious-neighbor568

      This is really helpful — thank you for posting it.

  • 15
    keen-marmot-583

    Go get that garage footage TODAY. Call the property manager, explain there was an incident, and ask them to preserve it. Most systems overwrite after 30 days or less. If that footage is gone by the time anyone actually looks at it, your leverage drops significantly. Everything else can wait — that cannot.

    • 9
      quiet-rider774

      Appreciate the detailed write-up. Saving this for later.

  • 11
    steady-elk-734

    Ugh this is so unfair and I'm sorry you're going through it. You did everything right — exchanged info, cooperated with the investigation, gave your statement — and you're still being treated like the problem. Please don't let them wear you down. You deserve to have your car fixed at zero cost to you.

    • 5
      weary-rider374

      Appreciate the detailed write-up. Saving this for later.

  • 8
    brave-badger-985

    Not legal advice, but: an adjuster ignoring you while evidence like security footage potentially gets deleted could become a real problem for their client. A short consultation with a PI attorney costs you nothing (most are free) and sometimes a single letter from an attorney's office to the insurance company ends the runaround faster than anything else you can do. Just worth knowing that option exists.

  • 8
    silent-fox-843

    Are you doing okay physically? Six weeks of this kind of stress is real — it affects sleep, it affects how you feel day to day. I just want to make sure you're not also quietly dealing with any aches or tension from the collision itself that you've been ignoring while you fight the insurance battle. Sometimes people push through the adrenaline and don't realize they're hurting until later.