Was your parked car impounded due to an accident while you were not present?
In a very stormy winter day John decided not to take his car to work and left it parked on the street close to home. When he came back, he wanted to clean his vehicle of the snow, which surely had accumulated during the time he was absent, and put it in the garage. Surprise, Surprise! His car was nowhere to be found.
Panicking a little bit, he asked a neighbour if he had seen somebody taken his car during the day. Luckily for him, the neighbour knew that due to the bad weather conditions, there was an accident in which four cars were involved and one of them was John’s.
The first question John asked himself was “what to do know”? At that time he had no clue about what to proceed.
If you are involved in a situation similar to John’s here, is what you need to do:
- Find out where your car was impounded by calling the Toronto Police Radio Room 416-808-2222: they will inform you where your car is and who was the officer in charge of the incident.
- Go to the place in which your car is to have an idea about the damages.
- Go to the Division that the Officer belongs to, to speak whit him or her and request the accident report.
- After having the report, call your insurance company to report the accident: usually, in your insurance slip you can find that number at the bottom of it, and provide as much details as you can about the accident. The insurance adjuster will ask a number of questions for about 20 minutes, therefore, have all information pertinent ready: policy number, drivers licence, etc.
You will be assigned a claim number and it would take a few days for the Insurance Company to make a decision. The adjuster will contact you and explain the reasons of that decision and your options.
Remember:
- You have the right to choose where your vehicle will be repaired (if it’s not a complete loss).
- DO NOT SIGN ANY PAPERS AT THE IMPOUND PLACE, wait for the Insurance Company to suggest one or if you know a reliable shop, request that the vehicle be send to that place.
Who is going to pay for your damaged car?
There are three scenarios:
- The driver who caused the car accident was identified – The Insurance Company of that driver will pay for your damaged vehicle.
- The driver who caused the car accident was NOT identified and you have FULL COVERAGE AUTO INSURANCE – Your Insurance Company will pay
- The driver who caused the car accident was NOT identified and you have LIABILITY AUTO INSURANCE – You will pay from your own pocket.
I hope that this information can help you out.
Carlos Perdomo, Licensed Paralegal
Phone: 416-671-7670
Email: cpsolutions60@gmail.com
