What’s the scariest place to drive in the Pacific Northwest? Is it the I-5? NOPE. Guess what? It’s actually the parking lot right outside your favorite strip mall on a breezy Saturday.
Here’s the setup. You park at Fred Meyer in Ballard, and maybe you’re feeling a bit smug about getting a great front-row spot. All of a sudden, a rogue cart starts barreling toward you and plants a nice dent in your bumper. Does your insurer care?
Well, this is one of the many real-world minor scenarios that may or may not fall into the realm of “reasonable” car insurance claims in Washington state. There’s a lot more to go through, but in the meantime, don’t forget to get your free online car insurance quote from your local experts at Vern Fonk!
There’s a lot of stuff in the world that actually happens (not random Sasquatch attacks out on the interstate, cryptids need not apply) that your policy may or may not cover. Here are a few of those real-world accidents that actually happen, and what you need to think about when thinking about whether bare minimum car insurance is enough.
Let’s take a step back for a moment into that first story. Right, so, you’re at Fred Meyer in Ballard, and you’ve just taken a solid hit to the bumper from a troublesome cart. Collision auto insurance coverage is your friend here (think of it like fender bender insurance).
Whether you’ve gotten hit by a car or another random object (see, a cart), then repairs may be covered with this type of protection. Or maybe a massive boulder rolls through said parking lot and completely flattens your vehicle. Although in that case you might need more than a good insurance policy to undo the bad karma you’ve incurred in this life …
This is the Pacific Northwest, and nature will get involved in your driving story … at some point. You might be driving near Spokane in January when the nice, wet road suddenly becomes surprise black ice. You tap the brakes, your car glides like it’s auditioning for Disney on Ice, and you slide gently into a guardrail. That’s a crash, so it’s usually a collision claim, even if you were more passenger than driver for those last few seconds.
Pretty much every car that’s on the road these days is chock full of new tech, like lane assist, cameras in every direction, angry beepers when you’re parking too close to a curb, and even (if you happen to drive a vehicle model that starts with the letters “T” and “E”) automatic driving capability. But what happens when something goes wrong?
Imagine you’re backing out of a crowded Target lot in Lynnwood. You’re watching the camera, not your mirrors, and the camera misses a low concrete pole that’s been there since the mall opened. You gently back right into it. Whoops. Collision claim time!
What does auto insurance cover when real life happens instead of the clean diagrams they show in ads? It falls into a few buckets. There’s liability, which is protection for your own bank account for claims made against you, collision (as described above), and a more catchall bucket known as comprehensive. Here’s everything to know.
Your liability protects other people and their stuff. It will never fix your car. That’s where collision coverage comes in. How is collision coverage explained? Collision is about your vehicle. It helps pay to repair or replace your car if you hit another car, another driver hits you and doesn’t pay up, or you hit an object like a guardrail, pole, wall, or parking lot island that jumped out from nowhere.
Both of these products have some limits and collision comes with a deductible. Higher liability limits give you more protection from big bills, and higher deductibles mean lower premiums (but higher out-of-pocket costs if something happens). A good agent can help you figure out what makes sense for your specific financial situation.
So you might have realized that there’s a whole bunch of things that can happen besides collisions (or ending up in a situation where you’ve been saddled with some liability). Comprehensive coverage usually steps in when things like theft, vandalism, fire, storm damage, hail, or falling objects damage your car. It’s also the coverage that usually applies when you hit an animal, have your car stolen outside your apartment, or wake up to find that a giant branch, a piece of roof, or someone’s trash can has landed on your hood during a windstorm.
OK. The thing happened. Bummer. A cart smacked into you in a not-so-friendly way, or a deer got in your way, or you ended up in the freak storm of the century along the coastline. Now what?
First, take a breath and make sure everyone’s OK. People come before sheet metal. If anyone might be hurt, call 911 and focus on safety. Then focus on getting info: Insurance details, names, pictures, all of that. Your phone has just become your best friend.
You don’t have to ring up Vern Fonk for every pebble that bounces off your hood, but there are times when calling is smart. You don’t have to make that call alone, though. One of the perks of working with Vern Fonk is having a human you can ask, “Hey, here’s what happened, what’s my smartest move?” instead of guessing based on a likely insurance myth said by Uncle Joe said at Thanksgiving.
Hey, at least it wasn’t a bigger deal. Funny insurance stories mean no harm and no foul.
After the initial shock of that Sasquatch encounter (joking, that’s not the Washington wildlife your car might hit this fall), you will realize that you’re fine, everything’s all right, and your biggest problem is telling the story without portraying yourself as the clumsy ignoramus. And, of course, you’re not that at all — we all have unfortunate encounters in life. Just laugh it off!
The trick is having the right mix of coverage before anything happens. For a lot of PNW drivers, that means solid liability limits, collision coverage if you can’t easily replace or repair your car on your own, and comprehensive coverage for the theft, storms, wildlife, and random weirdness that seem to come free with Washington life.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “OK, I have no idea what my policy actually covers,” you’re not alone. A lot of drivers buy the bare minimum once, never look at it again, and just hope nothing weird happens. You can do better than that! Get a quick quote online with us at Vern Fonk Insurance, give us a call at (800) 455-8276, or visit one of our local offices in Washington today!
Most of the time, yes, parking lot accidents are covered. That goes for both collision situations (think of the cart example earlier) or if you damage someone else’s car (liability).
It might. Insurance companies look at your overall claims history, not just big wrecks. One tiny claim doesn’t guarantee a rate hike, but repeated at-fault accidents, even minor ones, can push your premium up over time.
Collision is about crashes: You hit another car, another car hits you, or you hit an object like a pole or guardrail. Comprehensive is about the “weird stuff” that isn’t a traditional crash, like theft, vandalism, fire, hail, falling branches, or hitting an animal.
Pretty fast. You can start the accident claims process by calling the number on your insurance card.
If the repair cost is clearly less than the deductible, filing a claim probably won’t help. If you’re not sure, or if another driver or someone else’s property is involved, it’s usually safer to report it. Just note there’s really no such thing as “minor accident insurance” as a distinct product, unless you’re thinking of a high deductible policy.
Vern Fonk acts like your translator. We’re here to help you review your current coverages, figure out what you need, and help you along the way with claims and questions. No matter what happens.
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