Bike hit by dually at work.... ins. questions

[acesandeights]

I was an insurance adjuster for the largest insurer of motorcycles in the US. Insurance is a state controlled business and therefore the laws related to insurance vary by state. I worked in Oregon, so what I offer is my experience and opinion but in no way am I telling you what will happen.

Comprehensive does not cover collision damage. It is for things like your bike getting stolen. Collision is your vehicle hitting or being hit. Your insurance company probably cannot handle the claim on your behalf because unless they pay your claim they have no right to subrogation (getting the money they put out from the at-fault party). With no collision they have no way to pay the claim.

You will need to contact the insurance carrier on the vehicle that struck your bike. The way it works in Oregon is insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. So, if the vehicle is insured by a customer you would need to call their insurance company. They may not be on the hook for it though if your company was in charge of the vehicle. Again, in Oregon, commercial/business policies (that take possession of a customer's vehicle) typically have a "garage keeper" endorsement. The garage keeper (the business) assumes liability coverage when a vehicle is in his possession. So, if it's like Oregon, you'll want to contact the vehicle owner's insurance carrier to see if they are liable. If not they will need to deny liability formally. The commercial business' insurance company/risk management would then be on the hook and would handle the claim.

All that being said, you should probably make some phone calls and take the bike to either a dealership or a well respected motorcycle mechanic for an estimate. Do not have them start the work until the insurance company has an opportunity to see it. Some insurance companies have their own adjuster write the estimate. Also, some insurance companies will total a bike that has frame damage (not just the thought it might...a good adjuster will be able to determine frame damage). Any specific questions, you can PM me.

[DualSportDad]

thanks a lot. i looked at my policy and yeah... i'm screwed on my end. i really need to call my insurance companies for my bike and my cars and get that changed.

i've been researching, my work is responsible. i'm going to tell my boss in the morning that i'm taking the bike in for a est this weekend so he has a heads up.

i don't know why but i feel bad for having to do all of this.

edit: i should mention as well, there is no way for me to find out any info about the truck that hit my bike. the porter was pulling it around to a customer, customer and truck were long gone before i even got the call about my bike getting hit.

[trc.rhubarb]

As a manager, I would do everything to assure you that you will be made whole again.
It's called 'doing the right thing'

Talk to your boss, I'm sure he/she wants to do the right thing but probably assumes you know this already.

[pennswoodsed]

Originally Posted by DualSportDad

thanks a lot. i looked at my policy and yeah... i'm screwed on my end. i really need to call my insurance companies for my bike and my cars and get that changed.

i've been researching, my work is responsible. i'm going to tell my boss in the morning that i'm taking the bike in for a est this weekend so he has a heads up.

i don't know why but i feel bad for having to do all of this.

edit: i should mention as well, there is no way for me to find out any info about the truck that hit my bike. the porter was pulling it around to a customer, customer and truck were long gone before i even got the call about my bike getting hit.

Some one knows whose vehicle it was , repair order, delivery order ,recon order . A porter usually doesn't drive random cars off the street . Porter works for the business,their responsibility . If Shop,dealership doesn't wish to do the right thing ,better to find out now. Was picture of bike in your work area ? Oh ,and concern about commissioned managers pay is misplaced.
Your employment is a business transaction, the property damage to your vehicle is a business transaction. Be professional and polite and ensure that your insurance company does their job restoring your loss.
A deliberate(forceful) service manager at the bike repair end would be a great asset.
regards,Ed

[acesandeights]

Originally Posted by DualSportDad

...
edit: i should mention as well, there is no way for me to find out any info about the truck that hit my bike. the porter was pulling it around to a customer, customer and truck were long gone before i even got the call about my bike getting hit.

You'll find out how things work when you start moving forward, but this could throw a wrench in things if your work isn't primary (first insurance company in line...again, in Oregon it would likely start with the insurance carrier on the vehicle). The driver being liable isn't how it works here, the vehicle (insurance) is liable first (typically) and that insurance carrier would need to determine if they are on the hook first. I'm sure it'll all work out fine, but here in Oregon there would be a delay in the insurance companies determining which carrier is primary (first responsible) due to not knowing the vehicle or vehicle owner information.

[DualSportDad]

thanks again.

i'm going to handle it just like a business transaction. i'm going to let them know my intentions tomorrow and they can handle it from there. i guess after being a employee there for 11 years i expected them to handle it a bit better.

[hardwaregrrl]

Originally Posted by DualSportDad

i don't know why but i feel bad for having to do all of this.

cause you're a nice guy!

Listen, get MORE insurance on the next bike. Specifically for you. Riders routinely get screwed when it comes to medical bills. 50 grand ain't much when you're smacked by a car going 30. In GA the minimum you can carry is 25/50/25. Add 3 zeros. I moved up to 100/300/100 and it wasn't much more. The middle number is medical coverage for you.

[DualSportDad]

Thanks I'm definatly going to look into more ins.

I talked to my adjuster today. He said there will be no problem covering the damage only snag is my policy doesn't cover transportation of the bike to a repair facility.

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus CDMA using Tapatalk 2

[51%]

Did I miss something or did the driver (porter) just avoid all responsibility on this? What about the truck?

I would be more than pissed if a repair shop hit something while driving my truck and then failed to tell me.

As far as your bike, IMO your employer totally owns this, but I know how you feel- damage the working relationship and it can spill over into other things.

I had a similar experience once. My employer's truck hit my brand spanking new Ford and dented the bumper. I went to the dealer the next day and had the bumper replaced and told them to put the bill ony my employer's account.
My boss at the time was pissed and told me I should have waited to see if they could have it done cheaper elsewhere. I told him his reasoning was EXACTLY why I didn't wait on their decision. YMMV. At the time I really had no fear in my job situation and I didn't care if they liked what I did or not.

Best of luck

[Scott_PDX]

Bummer deal. Sounds like you Boss was sympathetic to you situation. Shit happens, that's why businesses carry insurance. An employee caused damage to property while on the clock and on company premises, the business has to pay (or their insurance). This should be on the companies insurance not yours.

I would hate to get another employee in trouble, but what if instead of a bike it was a kid this guy ran over? And what about the customer's vehicle, maybe there is damage to it? This is why companies carry insurance on employee's, and unless he's a contractor or something screwy, the business needs to work this out for you.

That being said, keeping your cool, being patient, and working with your company goes a long ways, and it sounds like you got all that covered by your post. Just don't accept that you should have to pay for this.

Oh, and count me down for the "Your bike will be totalled by the Insurance Adjuster" category. Sorry. You can always buy it back, and use the claim to buy parts and fix it yourself, and with the saved labor add more farkles. Not sure about the Salvage Title and re-registering it with plate etc. issues you mentioned. Good luck.

[flying_junk]

Damn man what a bummer... it sucks to be reading this. I hope you get it back soon.

worst case is that you will have a civil suit against the guy that hit the bike. Best case is the insurance for the shop covers it. I mean that's what a business has, insurance against it's employees for when they fuck up. sounds like your bike got whacked by an employee on the clock.

good luck man... hopefully see you out tonight?

[DualSportDad]

My work is avoiding the situation... I'm getting a little upset about it at this point.

Yeah I will be out tonight in the jeep.

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus CDMA using Tapatalk 2

[viverrid]

Originally Posted by Queenie

Private property parking lot. Traffic laws do not apply so the police will not complete an accident report on it. It's a civil matter.

Lots of accidents on public roads are also civil matters. If somebody backed into your paked bike (or car) on street parking, seldom would that person be charged with a crime, which would be required for it to not be "a civil matter".

Just because it's private property doesn't mean it is a wild west free for all. And yes, I have had police respond to accidents in privately owned parking lots, and have gotten police accident reports. Along the mall ring road people go pretty fast, it is privately owned, yet vehicle & traffic laws DO apply. By your bullshit logic you can kill somneone DUI and as long as it's private property it's "just a civil matter" and the cops won't respond.

Police are often called to civil matters.

[viverrid]

The other employee hit your bike. Why wouldn't you want him to be responsible? He might get "in trouble"? He SHOULD get in trouble for costing the company money, hitting another vehicle while he was on duty.

[Forde]

why did you even call your insurance company? surely the dually drivers insurance, or your workplaces insurance if an employee was the driver, is going to cover this? why would you have to claim off your own insurance when it was not your fault