Car Hits House.

N Gauger

1:20.3 Train Addict
Hey!! Wait a minute... Russ is right - i missed that totally... Where was the adjuster from?? Your Household Ins Company?? Or the Kid's Auto insurance Company.... The Auto Ins company should pay for every penny - that's what Comprehensive (Property & damage) is for... You shouldn't be paying anything and you should get reimbursed for your deductible..

That happened in both accidents I had, I was found to be at fault, so my Ins company paid everything for my car repairs, I had to pay my deductible, but they paid 100% of the other people's costs.....
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
By the way, if the foundation ends up costing more to repair than the adjuster thinks it will, the extra cost should be picked up by insurance as well. In the case of automotive repairs, it is known as hidden damage. It doesn't show up until the car is taken apart. I don't know if you are in earth quake country or not, but if you were, that crack would be a serious consideration.
 

ozzy

Active Member
The Guage Blue cars were created to spread knowledge of The Gauge RR Forum. It was run by a Gauge member... I don't really think that eightyeightfan1 would want the original car traveling anymore than I would.. It served it's purpose...

Same for the N gauge one.....

As far as starting a new car tour, like I said, you're welcome to do whatever you want to, but keep it tasteful and only 1 or 2 cars traveling at a time...

The builder of the cars should be responsible for all the "behind the scenes" workings Ex.: you have to PM the next address to the present holder of the car, so he knows where to send it... You also have to confirm that it was sent within a reasonable time

It basically worked like this:
~ the car was "Advertised"
~ a list of members was created - basically we all replied to the post with our interests
~ The coordinator Pm'd all of us for our addresses then started a "Tour schedule"
~ He packaged the car, mailed it to the first one,
that one received the car, took pics then contacted the organizer for the next address....then mailed it to the next on the list..........

If you want to do it, like I said - - go ahead, we'll back you and help you :) :) A circus car sounds neat!!! But would it integrate into most layouts as an extra car?????

The Box car was a universal thing.. BTW - it was Blue, because our old site was that color blue background with white lettering. The new car(s) could be any color you wanted.....



well i think i may do this, i think one car for each scale, N,ho,and O. that way we wont leave anyone out that may want to do it if its not in his or her scale. and i thought about a circus car because dont circus trains travel all over the country? theres still a circus train traveling the USA. (well 2, two trains , one circus) maybe a cattle car painted up like a circus car? or a flat car with circus wagon loads.
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Why would there be a deductible? Your insurance company may have a deductible, but shouldn't the kid's auto insurance pick it up? I know that I have a deductible on my auto insurance policy and if I have an accident, I have to pay the deductible. However, if someone else runs into my car and it isn't my fault, my insurance company waives the deductible and pays 100% because they get reimbursed from the other insurance company policy even if it is another of their policy holders.

Thats the same question I asked. But being a house and not car, I have to wait until his insurance pays my house insurance company,(By law..here in Connecticut anyway, his insurance company can't even send thier own adjuster over to view the damage) in which case I get a check for the deductible. May take awhile, but I will get that money back.(MORE TRAIN MONEY!)

UPDATE: The kid had claimed that another car cut into his lane. According to the police report I got, there was no evidence of another car, and the kid was traveling over 50mph when he rounded the corner. I was talking to the police last night, (I had to know)that made the report and asked her how she knew how fast he was giong. She told me it was because of the position of the fire hydrant. They are designed to shear off at 30mph, but at that speed the car usually gets hung up on the pipe extension. Because he knocked it clean off and kept going, he exceded over 50mph.Because there were no skid marks(road was wet), that was her guestimation.
At least he didn't get hurt...or worst! And didn't keep going through the stone wall and porch. Better-Half and I were on the couch, which is up against the inner wall!
 

Jim Krause

Active Member
Always remember that insurance companies are a business, looking out for their bottom line. They hire pleasant, attractive personnel to try and settle the claim as soon as possible and for the least amount of money. It may be too late to file an amended claim once you cash the check, if not already. I would suggest getting an estimate, or two for any repair work.
 

CNWman

CNW Fan
Hey, if you are going to scrap 'ol blue, I've got a better idea: send it to me! I've made looking for odd yet eye catching cars (like a tootsie roll tanker) one of my top things to do, and 'Ol Blue would fit the bill perfectly! My layout, the Riverside Railroad, will begin to actualy look like a town this year, and industry will need all the boxcars they can get! (Plus, I only got 4 boxcars, and I need a non-light blue car to even out the palete on the rolling stock!)
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Always remember that insurance companies are a business, looking out for their bottom line. They hire pleasant, attractive personnel to try and settle the claim as soon as possible and for the least amount of money. It may be too late to file an amended claim once you cash the check, if not already. I would suggest getting an estimate, or two for any repair work.

I would insist that they understand that you want your house repaired, not just the $4500.00. You can get all of the estimates you want, but my experience with remodeling costs is that the estimate means squat. It is usually a number that the contractor hopes will be low enough to get you to sign on the bottom line. What you will pay is actual costs for repairs and it may be higher than any estimate. If $4500.00 covers the house repairs, that is good, but if it is going to end up costing $7500.00 instead, you want to make sure the insurance company picks up the tab. It is not reasonable for them to expect that you have accepted their check as payment in full for the claim just because you cash the check. You should not be expected to pay out of your pocket for the repairs, and a contractor should not be expected to buy the materials and do the work without getting paid until the insurance company pays up. If you had had an accident with the the kid while in your car, there might be an argument as to who was at fault. If you can prove that your house did not jump in front of his car, then you have an open and shut case.
 

N Gauger

1:20.3 Train Addict
Thats the same question I asked. But being a house and not car, I have to wait until his insurance pays my house insurance company,(By law..here in Connecticut anyway, his insurance company can't even send thier own adjuster over to view the damage) in which case I get a check for the deductible. May take awhile, but I will get that money back.(MORE TRAIN MONEY!)

UPDATE: The kid had claimed that another car cut into his lane. According to the police report I got, there was no evidence of another car, and the kid was traveling over 50mph when he rounded the corner. I was talking to the police last night, (I had to know)that made the report and asked her how she knew how fast he was giong. She told me it was because of the position of the fire hydrant. They are designed to shear off at 30mph, but at that speed the car usually gets hung up on the pipe extension. Because he knocked it clean off and kept going, he exceeded over 50mph.Because there were no skid marks(road was wet), that was her guestimation.
At least he didn't get hurt...or worst! And didn't keep going through the stone wall and porch. Better-Half and I were on the couch, which is up against the inner wall!

Yeah - that sounds like here as far as who pays who - and when.... :)

As far as the hydrant vs. kid, they are right - the hydrants are the same way here - he was going 40+ at least to shear it off and "go past" it :( :( He hit the curve at a "Dry time" speed of 45 or 50 and because it was wet, "newton's centrifugal force" took over and shot him off the street to the outside of the curve :( :(

.... There was a curve out in front of my old house like that - fortunately it was a nice wooded area - no house... so the cars hit trees - not private property
 
Hey, if you are going to scrap 'ol blue, I've got a better idea: send it to me! I've made looking for odd yet eye catching cars (like a tootsie roll tanker) one of my top things to do, and 'Ol Blue would fit the bill perfectly! My layout, the Riverside Railroad, will begin to actualy look like a town this year, and industry will need all the boxcars they can get! (Plus, I only got 4 boxcars, and I need a non-light blue car to even out the palete on the rolling stock!)

Sadly, if the insurance company pays for 'ol blue, 'ol blue becomes their property and they would just toss 'ol blue into the trash. :sad:
The only suggestion I would have here is to offer to purchase 'ol blue from them at scrap value.

If worse comes to worse, ('ol blue can't be repaired to rolling condition), 'ol blue could be added to the background for static display.

Best of luck 88!
 

CNWman

CNW Fan
Sadly, if the insurance company pays for 'ol blue, 'ol blue becomes their property and they would just toss 'ol blue into the trash. :sad:
But what if they just see 'Ol Blue as just another toy boxcar? Surley they wouldn't even bother with something that could possibly be bought for $10 or less. Then again, all that I know about insurance companies in the media is that their presidents, etc. are all this: :twisted: + :whip1: + :evil: , and nothing else:rolleyes:
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
I doubt if the insurance company will want anything. When they "total" a car they want the car because they will sell it to an wrecking yard and at least recoup a couple hundred $ or so. If they take the various damaged household items that they have paid for, then they would have to pay to dispose of them. Think about it, what is the market from broken toys and broken ceramics? If they can't sell it, they don't want it.
 

Renovo PPR

Just a Farmer
Generally the insurance company will not take used miscellaneous stuff such as broken trains, furniture etc. They have the right to do so but in most every case I know they don’t. Now if it were new merchandise from a store they probably would take it for salvage.

One of the best ways to settle this type of claim is to make a claim under your homeowners then let them fight it out through subrogation. There are a few advantages to this. First your damage is repaired and replaced faster. There is less haggling over the value of an item.

In most states a company cannot surcharge your homeowners for this type of a loss since in the end it will be subrogated. Thus your policy is not charged with a loss and the insurance company will fight it out with the other company to pay the total cost.

The deductible is the deductible period. The language in the policy which is a contract covers this so yes it is considered no matter who is at fault. Now while your own insurance company will not cover the deductible even on this type of a loss it will be paid either by the other insurance company or the person who did the damage.

An insurance company can alter that contract to cover the deductible but they are not required to do so. There are generally no problems if upon repairing the damage they find other damage, which would increase the cost of repair.

However if you have problems then you should not be the one fighting the battle. You have an agent that is paid a commission of 15% to 20%. That is why your agent is paid a commission to fight those battles. You pay that agent every year so make them work for it.

If you do dispute the amount of a claim you then file a complaint with the Insurance Connecticut Insurance Department’s Consumer Affairs Division. One thing you might find interesting Connecticut law only requires that a person buy only $10,000 worth of property damage to others for the auto insurance. As you can see with this small loss it is possible that even if the other person has insurance they may not have enough to pay a loss.

If you have any general questions about insurance, you are welcome to call the Consumer Affairs Division of the Insurance Department. The telephone numbers are (860) 297-3900 or 1-800-203-3447.
 

Bones

Member
I doubt if the insurance company will want anything. When they "total" a car they want the car because they will sell it to an wrecking yard and at least recoup a couple hundred $ or so. If they take the various damaged household items that they have paid for, then they would have to pay to dispose of them. Think about it, what is the market from broken toys and broken ceramics? If they can't sell it, they don't want it.


Many cars built in the last 10 years will no longer make you any money at a scrap yard. The yard itself will make a small profit from ripping it up, but you, most likely, will not. With the growing number of plastic, fiberglass, and composite parts in modern vehicles - they have become too labor intensive to be 'worth scrap value'. The yard will "take it off your hands" but in many cases, you can't even get them to tow it away for free.
It's just not worth their time....
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Thanks for everyones input and concern.
I got the check in the mail today! A mason buddy of mine is coming over tomorrow to patch the wall, and a new door and windows are on order.
As far as Ol'Blue....I think she's a loss. Will post pic tomorrow.
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Do you hve a scrap yard scene on the layout Ed? Ol' Blue could rest there....

Ralph
 

CNWman

CNW Fan
Do you have a scrap yard scene on the layout Ed? Ol' Blue could rest there....

Ralph

Hm, that reminds me of a scene on my friend John Listerman's layout. I remember that he has the remains of what looks like a cattle car broken up at the bottom of a hilly peice of track (being that it fell off the grade). When asked why it wasn't salvaged, John simply said that the railroad thought it would be cheaper to get a new cattle car than to try to save the old one. Maybe 'Ol blue could just sit off to the side on an unused peice of trackage, maybe used as storage for a roundhouse?

BTW how's 'Ol blue doing? You frogot to post the pics.
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
Can't upload because the something is wrong(What...in three weeks!!)
I finally did do an assesment of Ol' Blue.
Sadly...He's definatly gone. The door is sprung out, the lower door rail is cracked as well as the floor right down to the weight.
I will post pics in the Gallery once I can upload them.

I will keep Ol' Blue though. He will be on the RIP track along side my railcar repair facillity(New England Rail Car).
 

CNWman

CNW Fan
The door is sprung out, the lower door rail is cracked as well as the floor right down to the weight.
I will post pics in the Gallery once I can upload them.

Nothing some after-market items (the door), styrine(door rail), and parts of an Accurail kit (the floorboard and weight) can't fix!
 
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