Wrecked car diminished value setting

[oldcarnut]

I was in 4 vehicle accident where I was sandwiched between the 1st and 3rd car.  My Avalanche was damaged both front and rear.  Adjuster for the last (4th) car at fault for all repairing 3 vehicles plus one totaled tells me their client had minimal insurance and may not have enough to cover all 4.  Mine was guestimated at $4100. It's an 04 w/124k miles.  I told the adjustor I wanted depreciation/diminished value added too because once that collision is on the Carfax checks, it drops or the value or chases out a buyer.  She tells me I have excessive mileage and not eligible. I call BS but need to know how that is calculated.  Anybody got any experience with this?

[JB400]

Is that $4,100 damage or appraised value?  Without knowing the full details of your Avalanche, it's worth around $8,500 book value prior to being wrecked.  Your mileage isn't excessive at all.  It's hardly broke in.

[skip68]

I agree with JB.  That's not high mileage for the year.  I believe the average allotted mileage is 12,000 annually.  Therefore anything under 144,000 miles on an 04 vehicle is considered low mileage for the year.   You need to argue that one.   

[oldcarnut]

Its $4100 damage.  My MRI was $4700 by itself

[6spd68]

Adjuster for the last (4th) car at fault for all repairing 3 vehicles plus one totaled tells me their client had minimal insurance and may not have enough to cover all 4.  Mine was guestimated at $4100. It's an 04 w/124k miles.

I fail to see how their poor coverage is in ANY way your problem?

[Troy]

Adjuster for the last (4th) car at fault for all repairing 3 vehicles plus one totaled tells me their client had minimal insurance and may not have enough to cover all 4.  Mine was guestimated at $4100. It's an 04 w/124k miles.

I fail to see how their poor coverage is in ANY way your problem?

Because when the insurance money runs out it becomes a personal liability issue and you have to sue the driver.

Troy

[jaak]

I don't know, seems like you could get depreciation, the only time I got it was on a 5 month old truck with 9-10k miles on it. They had me meet an appraiser and he calculated the depreciation value of it, and the Insurance Company (other drivers) sent me a check for the amount. I agree with everyone here, 124k is low miles for an 04 model.

Jason

[Homerr]

I was in a similar accident with similar valued car, stuck in the middle, a few years ago.  With multiple insurance co's involved I let my insurance duke it out with the other insurance co. of the car behind me.  I figured it was their job so let them do it, and it all worked out. 

So I'd suggest only talking to your insurance, let them talk to the other, and not letting the other insurance do an end-run around your adjuster to get to you.

[oldcarnut]

The last car, a Jeep Cherokee, accepted liability to all the cars although the damage to the Blazer behind me makes me think that she would have hit me either way.  Just seems too much for a smack push. Judging by the paperwork they sent me to fill out on medical HIPPA releases, work miss days, etc. its going to be a hardball game to get them to pay for much without a bunch of crap to put up with.  They said whatever they didn't cover I'd have to go against my own underinsured    I'd be tempted to go against the owner of the car first too.  The driver was her son, a minor, so that's another issue.  I always hear about insurance co's complaining about the costs of lawsuits but then they pay their adjusters to blow ya off on everything which forces you to hire a lawyer which costs them more than if they'd just treated ya right to start with.  They have USAA but I've not dealt with them before.  Here's the blazer behind me, (no3), which that driver fled the scene on foot before the cops got there.  That was another story all on it's own.