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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13195
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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such a bummer. so sorry this happened to you, glad no one was more seriously hurt and sure hope your back n neck do not worsen.
How surreal it must have been to know you are going to be hit and not be able to get out of the way.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Quote: Originally posted by TMW  | Thanks for the info. Yes dealing with the Mexican system can be a problem.
FYI check with your US auto insurance company they may be able to do repairs to your truck if within a certain distance from the border. Talk to your
agent not the company direct. |
Good idea. Once I get my neck etc. feeling better I will work on the truck.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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BajaGeoff
Super Nomad
Posts: 1727
Registered: 1-11-2006
Location: San Diego and Campo Lopez
Member Is Offline
Mood: Heading To Baja!!!
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Sorry to hear about the accident Whale-ista and glad you are OK albeit sore. Having an accident is a stressful thing to go through.
Couple thoughts on your recent situation...
It is very common to have vehicles impounded after an accident in Mexico so that an investigation can take place. These are not the rules of the
Mexican insurance companies, but that of the Federal Police that have jurisdiction over accidents that take place on Mexican highways. I agree....it's
definitely not a quick process and can take a lot of time to work through the the investigation.
Many of the adjusters in Mexico are independent contractors that work in the field for multiple insurers. I would imagine that this adjuster drove
down to Colonet from Ensenada to get the paperwork in order, which is why it took several hours for her to get there.
I cannot speak as to the adjusters take on the medical services situation, but I am glad you got the correct info from HDI that they will cover
medical treatment in the US. Paying for your medical treatment in the US and then submitting your receipts to HDI for reimbursement is also a standard
procedure we have seen.
Baja Bound has worked with HDI Seguros for 13 years (they were previously Genworth Seguros/GE Seguros) and they have been a great company to partner
with. I use their coverage myself and have been through their claims process when a friend I was traveling with hit a pedestrian on the toll road.
After working with the Federales, the adjuster and the lawyer appointed by HDI, my friend was free to go after about 8 hours. His truck remained
impounded in Ensenada for a week while the investigation took place and legal matters were sorted out.
The bottom line is that having an accident as a foreigner in Mexico
can be a complicated situation. It's not like the US where you can exchange info with the other party and work out the details with the insurance
company after the fact. Even when you are not at fault you can still get detained by the authorities, your car can get impounded and you may have to
pay fines.
I understand that going through the claims process is not always easy, as I have been there...but it is exponentially more difficult if you have no
Mexican insurance at all. Traveling in Baja comes with inherent risks and extraordinary rewards....so stay safe out there Nomads! I wish you a speedy
recovery Whale-ista!
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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| Quote: Originally posted by CortezBlue | | Do you know the name of the insurance company? I know there are 3 or 4 standard companies that are offered when I buy my annual policy?
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HDI Seguros.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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Geoff, thanks for the response. is all of this explained in your policies, or anywhere? impoundment of vehicles IS NORMAL for minor accidents? I'm not
a customer of BB any longer but do you provide any of the info you just provided here to your paying customers before they buy a policy?
this isn't meant as a personal attack, BTW.
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5897
Registered: 7-18-2011
Member Is Offline
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Glad you're OK. Sorry for the unwanted stress. Thanks for posting this so we can all learn what the process is.
In my early 20's I traveled throughout Mexico for months without insurance because I was too poor to afford it. I'm so glad nothing ever
happened...............
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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we all did Ateo!
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5897
Registered: 7-18-2011
Member Is Offline
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Come on...........I was expecting 12 replies about what an irresponsible jerk I was. I came here to be insulted. Pile on man!
Ok, back on topic. Sorry for quick hijack.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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| Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca | such a bummer. so sorry this happened to you, glad no one was more seriously hurt and sure hope your back n neck do not worsen.
How surreal it must have been to know you are going to be hit and not be able to get out of the way. |
Thanks Blanca. Yes, very strange to see a car barreling down on me after I had tried to do the "safe" thing and stop vs. hurry thru the intersection.
Not sure what alerted me to look in the mirror when I did. But this car had been behind me for a while, so when I stopped at the light (it had just
started flashing yellow) I suddenly thought "uh oh" and glanced back. (Kind of like in La Paz- only the gringos stop at the 4-way intersections...)
Sure enough: here they came. I might also have heard the tires squeal as their brakes locked up. It all happened in a few seconds.
In any case- I think taking my foot off the brake allowed the truck to simply carom forward. Had I been braking, the force of the impact would have
been much more harmful to me and the truck.
Instead, the force crushed the front of the passenger car, and sent my truck into the intersection.
Now, if a car had been crossing at the same time I got pushed... whole other story. I was really very fortunate that there was no cross-traffic.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13045
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I am glad this thread got re-ignited as it is very important that people realize how difficult the process is. Problem is that foreigners have high
expectations for efficiency and often dont realize the hassle it is to make a claim in this country...and all the crazy hoops you have to jump through
to get things moving. So it is very good to know that your agent may take hours if not days to get to you if they are busy with another accident for
example in a distant town. Then you are at the mercy of the federal police too which can be unpleasant.
Make sure you get someone to help you who is bilingual or things can go very wrong. The last people I helped with a claim couldnt believe that they
had to get the work done on their truck here in Mexico and ended up not going through with the claim for that reason.
I have even seen cases where people have had to pay damages made to the pavement! sometimes if you are detained you can talk the cops into letting
you stay at a hotel instead of the jail...with the right....er...gratuity.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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| Quote: Originally posted by BajaGeoff | Sorry to hear about the accident Whale-ista and glad you are OK albeit sore. Having an accident is a stressful thing to go through.
Couple thoughts on your recent situation...
It is very common to have vehicles impounded after an accident in Mexico so that an investigation can take place. These are not the rules of the
Mexican insurance companies, but that of the Federal Police that have jurisdiction over accidents that take place on Mexican highways. I agree....it's
definitely not a quick process and can take a lot of time to work through the the investigation.
Many of the adjusters in Mexico are independent contractors that work in the field for multiple insurers. I would imagine that this adjuster drove
down to Colonet from Ensenada to get the paperwork in order, which is why it took several hours for her to get there.
I cannot speak as to the adjusters take on the medical services situation, but I am glad you got the correct info from HDI that they will cover
medical treatment in the US. Paying for your medical treatment in the US and then submitting your receipts to HDI for reimbursement is also a standard
procedure we have seen.
Baja Bound has worked with HDI Seguros for 13 years (they were previously Genworth Seguros/GE Seguros) and they have been a great company to partner
with. I use their coverage myself and have been through their claims process when a friend I was traveling with hit a pedestrian on the toll road.
After working with the Federales, the adjuster and the lawyer appointed by HDI, my friend was free to go after about 8 hours. His truck remained
impounded in Ensenada for a week while the investigation took place and legal matters were sorted out.
The bottom line is that having an accident as a foreigner in Mexico
can be a complicated situation. It's not like the US where you can exchange info with the other party and work out the details with the insurance
company after the fact. Even when you are not at fault you can still get detained by the authorities, your car can get impounded and you may have to
pay fines.
I understand that going through the claims process is not always easy, as I have been there...but it is exponentially more difficult if you have no
Mexican insurance at all. Traveling in Baja comes with inherent risks and extraordinary rewards....so stay safe out there Nomads! I wish you a speedy
recovery Whale-ista! |
Thanks Geoff-
Carol at Discover Baja provided similar information re:the impoundment requirement etc. and her belief HDI Seguros is a reliable insurer for US
travelers.
However, I'm still concerned about receiving conflicting information from the adjuster, the US rep and the MXO rep. Call me crazy, but I was hoping to
get a consistent answer before leaving for home.
Carol also mentioned the adjuster was there to help in case I wound up going to jail.
Maybe that's true, had it not been clearly a case of one driver being at fault, and/or if my truck had been obviously damaged, and/or if someone had
been seriously hurt. THEN the Federales may have simply been ready to impound both cars and/or lock us up.
Yes- it could have been much, much worse.
But that's still no excuse for giving me inaccurate info.
Overall, I'm grateful several factors were in my favor: no other cars were involved. I spoke enough (limited) Spanish to communicate, provide
documents, and answer the Municipal PD and Federales questions before the adjuster arrived.
But waiting 2 hours for the adjuster, when there were so many other problems from the rain, made everyone stressed. The HDI rep told me: 30 minutes.
The woman who hit me was on her way to work and wanted to leave. Her friends arrived to drive her to work, so at one point we had 2 Muni PD cars, a
Federale car, my truck, the wrecked car and her friends all parking in the middle of town- it looked like a small convention
I had to keep explaining the adjuster was on the way, and would need to collect information. People called on their cell phones. Information was
inputted electronically... we were very efficient!
Finally, the 2 Federales did "good Fed/Bad Fed"- one was very polite and professional, the other kept telling me to hurry up! Your car is fine! You
don't want to waste time getting it towed, so just sign the papers acknowledging no claims (which is what the woman who hit me clearly wanted).
So...It was definitely a learning experience, but I don't recommend it!
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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| Quote: Originally posted by shari | I am glad this thread got re-ignited as it is very important that people realize how difficult the process is. Problem is that foreigners have high
expectations for efficiency and often dont realize the hassle it is to make a claim in this country...and all the crazy hoops you have to jump through
to get things moving. So it is very good to know that your agent may take hours if not days to get to you if they are busy with another accident for
example in a distant town. Then you are at the mercy of the federal police too which can be unpleasant.
Make sure you get someone to help you who is bilingual or things can go very wrong. The last people I helped with a claim couldnt believe that they
had to get the work done on their truck here in Mexico and ended up not going through with the claim for that reason.
I have even seen cases where people have had to pay damages made to the pavement! sometimes if you are detained you can talk the cops into letting
you stay at a hotel instead of the jail...with the right....er...gratuity. |
Thanks Shari- I hope others benefit from this discussion, which is why I'm continuing the detailed responses.
Overall, I was impressed with the professionalism and patience of the law enforcement officers, and I was frustrated with the conflicting information
about what I was required to do before returning to the US.
Also, I was surprised when the officers basically asked if I would settle for $50 for "damages" since my car appeared fine, and the woman who hit me
just wanted to agree to something (independent of the adjustor) so she could be on her way.
She had no insurance, and just wanted to offer cash. I didn't want to take a cash payment of any amount and risk losing the right to medical treatment
or future repairs, if it turns out there is some damage that could not be easily seen in the mud and rain.
I realize this is also common in the US (cash payment, often when someone doesn't have insurance..) but since I had already reported the accident it
didn't make sense.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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micah202
Super Nomad
Posts: 1615
Registered: 1-19-2011
Location: vancouver,BC
Member Is Offline
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...I'd imagine a big part of Mexico insurance is for 'under-insured motorists',,ie the many NON-insured down there. It's too bad you couldn't just
sign off at the point it's clear the at-fault has no insurance since it's all up to your own coverage anyways.
What. a. pain.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Before/after photos of car vs. truck
For those keeping score, or wondering what my truck looked like (I updated the 1st post also), here it is after the accident:
And here's the car that hit me:
Which demonstrates why I bought a truck to drive into Baja.
Car: 0
Truck: 1 (hopefully the only time I will have to keep score :wow )
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by Ateo |
Come on...........I was expecting 12 replies about what an irresponsible jerk I was. I came here to be insulted. Pile on man!
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I'm a member of that club, drove to the Cape over on the then
ferry to Vallarta, no ins. First time into Mex, naive, uinformed,
older now? Imagine some still do
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64746
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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It's just what you do...
My kids and I were on our way to Gonzaga Bay for Thanksgiving back in 2002 or 2003 when it hit me that my insurance (annual) had expired... after we
crossed the border (Mexicali).
Once we got to San Felipe I found an agent (down the main street towards the El Cortez Hotel) and bought a 4 day policy there.
It's just peace of mind.
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capitolkat
Senior Nomad
Posts: 510
Registered: 3-9-2006
Member Is Offline
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AIG Insurance
I had HDI insurance for several years for home, boat and auto. Hurricane Odile was a real wake up call for me. both my cars were badly damaged by the
wind and rain, losing windows, getting soaked inside. The house was less damaged but we lost tiles on the roof, damage to our satellite dishes, damage
to walls and some minor water damage inside.
HDI sent an adjustor who wanted to have a friend come tow both cars-they were both operational- to a shop I later visited, and found was just an
outdoor awning with a 5x5 room for a phone and computer. No thanks. The adjustor couldn't offer any idea of what might be covered, what work would be
done, how long it would take and suggested everything in the cars needed to be removed, carpeting, seats, headliners etc. but no idea if they could be
replaced or when. simple questions were ignored and I understand an
"I don't know but I'll find out"
it was just get towed and have everything ripped out and then we'll see if you have any coverage. I declined- got my shop vac out, vacuumed for a
couple of days and dried the cars out, went to the local glass place- no luck and then the local junk yards and got great guys who had windows and
replaced the missing glass at less than the deductible- one window even came on a truck from San Diego and still less that what the adjustor suggested
would be the costs- oddly just over deductible but not a guaranteed cost.
The home damage was the same- it became clear that deductible was not as previously explained as a percentage of damage to the house. But, instead it
was a percentage of the value of the total home value. For example if my home is worth $300,000 and the deductible is 10% of the value so I pay the
first $30,000 of damage. Wow, that's totally different from what my agent previously explained as he advised that deductible was 10%- not 10% of the
value of the home. We were fortunate that damage was not great but for the several thousands of damages- coverage was 0.
So I began to search for different coverage with a policy in English and an English speaking agent. Found AIG- an American company licensed in MX,
with policies in English, with an English speaking agent and rep to respond to inquiries in English. So switched everything- cars, home, boat to them
and saw the result of knowing the insurance business- had to get a marine survey on the boat- which is standard for boats of my length and value- but
had never been requested by my Mexican agent. I can imagine the difficulty if I had a claim after Odile, or how we would determine value etc.
I just want businesses to be straight forward, truthful, stand behind their product, and I've paid a lot for insurance here in MX and gotten none of
the above. I don't have any experience with AIG yet but the fact that the policies are easy to read, the agent has been in the business for 30+ years
and responds to my emails without having to call or follow up is a step up in service.
I know there are those who have received good service from HDI and other MX companies and had claims settled satisfactorily-but, that didn't work for
me.
Norm
[Edited on 1-7-2016 by capitolkat]
Life is too short to drink bad wine
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Based on my past experience with insurance companies, brokers and claims, I will continue to use Bajabound and Geoff for my Mexican vehicle liability
insurance needs.
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23S52N
Nomad
Posts: 135
Registered: 7-30-2015
Member Is Offline
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FYI, vehicle impoundment is not peculiar to Mexican authorities. US and Canadian law enforcement have impound authority for all collisions,
particularly those involving bodily injury and always where there is a fatality.
The problem lies in us, as foreigners, travelling abroad with the ideas and expectations that things work the same as at home....they don't. Not to
minize Whaleista's plight, just adding a little perspective.
Jimmy The Greek said a good gambler would never buy insurance because the odds were against the insured. I buy Mexican insurance because I have to,
and my truck is too expensive to replace without it. I cancelled my house insurance after the first year, I'm siding my bet with the Greek.
Regards
Keith
[Edited on 1-7-2016 by 23S52N]
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9009
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Still need clarification on the liability of the responsible party. Did this person not have even liability? Were they hauled to jail?
What type of insurance did you have, Whale-ista? Simple Mexican liability? And that is what is covering your charges, NOB? If so, I guess I didnt
realize that simple Mexican liability would pay for some of your medical.
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