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Pharmbouy
Newbie
Posts: 2
Registered: 10-12-2007
Location: Kamloops and Delta BC
Member Is Offline
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Our motorvehicle accident in Mexico
Motor Vehicle Accident in Mexico. Have you ever had one? Read about our minor accident, our dealings with the police, adjustors, lawyers and the
final outcome with our insurance company. We insured through Vagabundos and had their best plan, the “Diamond Plan”.
Link to our website page below:
http://travelwithlarryandbetty.com/2008mainland/2008MexAccid...
Or:
Click Here
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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What a fantastic report-----------thankyou very much----very helpful and informative.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. , is a visit to "Mexico" worth the hassle?????
--------a decision only each of us individually can make.
Barry
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
Member Is Offline
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There's at least two brokers who deal with Mexican insurance on this board. I would like to see them chime in on this.
My two observations are first that it is commonly understood that bearing proof of Mexican insurance prevented the impounding of a vehicle. Second, as
someone who spend 3 1/2 decades in the biz, I have to find great fault with your broker.
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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So that's as good as this system gets? ever? How much more innocent could these people have been? A speeding motorcycle runs a stop sign and
t-bones them and it still cost them three days time and a couple hundred hours of work. Traveling is Mexico is fun and exciting until something
easily resolved stateside happens in Mexico and your world collapses around you- even with complete insurance coverage.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
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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Wow...make sure you make some popcorn and pop a beer before you sit down to read this classic keystone kops style story. Sadly to say...it all sounded
perfectly normal for a gringo accident.
But looking at the bright side...it was a great story they will be telling for a long time and they probably met some interesting characters made
friends, learned alot...experienced a true mexican adventure adn it could have been much worse.
I sure hope they looked after their translator well.
Oh yeah...welcome to nomadlandia Pharmboy..thanks for this contribution paisano.
[Edited on 5-14-2009 by shari]
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3821
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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Yeah, I think Jaime is the hero here.
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rpleger
Super Nomad
Posts: 1087
Registered: 3-12-2005
Location: H. Mulegé, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Was good.
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Great report....Thats my insurance company...hmmmmm
Richard on the Hill
*ABROAD*, adj. At war with savages and idiots. To be a Frenchman abroad is to
be miserable; to be an American abroad is to make others miserable.
-- Ambrose Bierce, _The Enlarged Devil\'s Dictionary_
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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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Bajahowodd......my guess is that the car was impounded because the adjuster initially believed the towed car was not covered by the insurance. Why it
took three and a half days to get the car out is beyond me. Glad to see that at the end of the day the car got fixed and they got paid though.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
Member Is Offline
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I knew you'd show up sooner or later, Geoff. 
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sourdough
Junior Nomad
Posts: 42
Registered: 11-14-2008
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This is a good example of why I purchase the liability only. Insurance in Mexico is to keep you out of jail. If I get in an accident, I'll cover my
own vehicle damages. As far as bodily injury, my family is covered. Too many Mex insurance companies offer the moon ubtil you submit a claim.
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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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You either have a really inexpensive car or really deep pockets sourdough.....and what if your car was stolen? Just buy another one?
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preston
Nomad
Posts: 159
Registered: 2-3-2005
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by sourdough
This is a good example of why I purchase the liability only. Insurance in Mexico is to keep you out of jail. If I get in an accident, I'll cover my
own vehicle damages. As far as bodily injury, my family is covered. Too many Mex insurance companies offer the moon ubtil you submit a claim.
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Agreed completely. Liability only is the best way to go and just accept that you might lose your vehicle on your trip. When I see people driving brand
new Hummers into Baja ... I think ... what an ....
Regarding the adjuster: IMHO he was just looking for a bribe. In my 20 years of doing business in Mexico, I have become extremely cynical about what
makes things move in Mexico ($$$). I don't lose sleep over it, I just accept it. If I was in that position, I would have taken the adjuster out for a
beer and offered him a bribe to move things along. $50 or $100 is worth less to me than losing 2 or 3 days of my precious Baja vacations.
This is exactly what Mexicans do (only they pay less).
Having said that, I still love Baja!
Let the flaming begin!
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sourdough
Junior Nomad
Posts: 42
Registered: 11-14-2008
Member Is Offline
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I have neither. I'm just at that point in my life when material things can always be replaced, even if it's something of lesser value. Time is
precious and aggravations should be avoided at all costs. Marilyn and husband were way more patient than I would have been.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
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The late Jack McCoy, NASCAR champ, and I wrote a book about his racing career which some of you have read.
In the book we recount the story of Jack killing a pedestrian on the carreterra just outside Los Mochis, and the ensuing fiasco relative to Mexican
insurance.
For the full version you need to read the whole chapter we devoted to this episode.
In brief,
the victim was retarded, had been run over on previous occasions, Jack was not ever held to be "guilty" but in the opening round the local adjuster
for Oscar Padilla Insurance tried to shake him down, Jack refused, and ended up spending 8 days in the local calaboose.
Later he returned, sued the insurance company and actually collected, but he never felt the award was equal to the time spent.....
and, truth be told, he always talked about his lockup time as a positive experience.... well, until sundown each night when the 'ratas' came out and
ran around the premises.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9009
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Agree completely with sourdough. Doesnt matter who sells you the policy, you are at the mercy of the vulture adjusters from the insurance company and
their lawyers as well as the judges and police, in some cases.
Your policy says you are covered? So what. We can grind you down over time gringo.
I had an insurance company contracted through Vagabundos go completely belly up on me and many other members; Seguros Noroeste, I believe.
Fortunately, Oscar Padilla paid me but the contingency money ran out on many other Vags.
"Diamond" coverage, indeed. Simple liability for me, now. I'll fix it out of pocket and be on my way while I wave the vultures goodbye.
IMagine if the victims in this story weren't retirees? Weren't seasoned Mexico travelers? Imagine they were in a rented car and had a plane to catch
back to jobs????
[Edited on 5-14-2009 by Hook]
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preston
Nomad
Posts: 159
Registered: 2-3-2005
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by thebajarunner
The late Jack McCoy, NASCAR champ, and I wrote a book about his racing career which some of you have read.
In the book we recount the story of Jack killing a pedestrian on the carreterra just outside Los Mochis, and the ensuing fiasco relative to Mexican
insurance.
For the full version you need to read the whole chapter we devoted to this episode.
In brief,
the victim was retarded, had been run over on previous occasions, Jack was not ever held to be "guilty" but in the opening round the local adjuster
for Oscar Padilla Insurance tried to shake him down, Jack refused, and ended up spending 8 days in the local calaboose.
Later he returned, sued the insurance company and actually collected, but he never felt the award was equal to the time spent.....
and, truth be told, he always talked about his lockup time as a positive experience.... well, until sundown each night when the 'ratas' came out and
ran around the premises. |
BINGO!
Jack apparently didn't care about 8 days in jail. Me, I would have paid off the adjuster and moved on. As I said, I have accepted the corruption in
Mexico as part of the culture ... but I still love Mexico!
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9009
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by preston
Jack apparently didn't care about 8 days in jail. Me, I would have paid off the adjuster and moved on. As I said, I have accepted the corruption in
Mexico as part of the culture ... but I still love Mexico! |
BINGO!!! There's your insurance "premium" payment. Why make one to the insurance company when you might have to pay their adjuster anyway?
Or spend days by the side of the road................
[Edited on 5-14-2009 by Hook]
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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Is TECOMAN in Baja somewhere?
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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ILikeMex
Nomad
Posts: 108
Registered: 2-22-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: Whishing I was there
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I had the misfortune of having to try and use my (tripple A - AAA) auto insurance in Mexico once.
We were in Todos Santos BCS. Going up the street after that stop sign at the bottom of the hill, we took a left towards the park. As we were turning
left a car behind us tried to pass and we T-bone him and his car is pushed into a brick type wall.
Police come, impound both cars, send folks to hospital to be evaluated etc. (our car 1975 Blazer) had no damage, the other (Oldsmobile had blown tire,
side windows and body damage).
We call insurance and get routed to people in La Paz. They say, "we will send someone out tomorrow and meet you at the police station in the morning."
OK, I'm thinking I'm glad I got insurance to help me with this. I show up to police station the next day, wait for 3-4 hrs and call finally AAA again
- "Where are you?"
They say, "we're sorry, we will be there tomorrow". This happens for 3 days and I finally figure they are not comming.
Police tell me that if I can get the other guy to sign their report (which states he is at fault) they will give me my car back.
So they direct me to a bldg in town where this guy is located and I ask him to sign the papers.
Nope, he says. This is a company car and I need to have it replaced.
Humm, I'm thinking comapny car in Baja - pretty good deal. Turns out the guy is the district attorney for Todos Santos.
I'm thinking I'm screwed. Go back to camp at Pescador and decide it is time to call Dad for advise.
Oh, I forgot to mention. In-between town and camp they had a military check point, stopping and throughly searching every car. While in the District
Attorney office, these guys come in with Machine guns - plain clothes guys that I later recognized as also being at the check points.
So now I'm thinking I'm really screwed - they are going to plan drugs on me and really put the squeeze on me.
So I call Dad and tell him what up. He says, OK let me see what I can do (he used to work for Mattel Toys in Mexicalli and Mattel (at the time) still
had other manufacturing operation in Mex.
So anyway, the next day I do my daily journey into town. It has been at least 5 days now and I needed to get back to the states for the upcomming
college semester.
Into the District Attorney office, guys with guns show up and mull around in the background. I'm trying to talk to him in Spanish and have him sign
the papers so I can take to Police and they will release my car.
I'm on one side of his office desk, he on the other.
Phone rings......he answers and talks a bit, then hands it to me.
Confused, I say "hello", and the guy on the other end starts talking to me in Spanish. I say "What?" Then in perfect english he says "Is this "my
name"?
Yes. I say.
I'm so-and-so and I am a lawyer here at Mattel. Your Dad called me about your accident.
Great I say. I'm trying to get him to sigh the paper so I can get my car back. I tell him the police state it is was his fault.
What!? he says. Give the phone back to "dick head".
I hand it back and can hear the lawyer through the hand set. Dick head is nodding, but not saying a word.
Dick head hangs the phone up, signs the paper and hands it to me.
Yahoo, down the street to the poice station, grab my car and head to the beach and start packing. 
Insurance was a big no help and wate of time and money.
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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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like i said to the nice young lady on the phone when i switched from lewis and lewis to bajabound, "i want to have a person (at bajabound) i can speak
to directly if the adjuster/ins co tries to give me the shaft.
here's to never needing to call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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