question making a claim???

[fzr600]

Hey guys I have a question...I have a friend (who isn't on the forums who is a newish rider if it matters. Earlier today he was out for a ride on some back roads in Milton and a rabbit popped out of nowhere onto the road he swerved and hit a the front brake a little too much and went over the handlebars at about 60km/h. he has some pretty good road rash, cuts and bruises but no broken bones, after going to emergency room thankfully.

At any rate he was recently insured by state farm my question for him is can he call his insurance company and find out options without incurring some kind of penalty? As in can he call up the agent and say what happened and as them how much his insurance would go up etc etc if he made a claim versus if he fixed it himself without them trying to screw him in some way? I'm thinking after seeing the bike the damage could be costly ( cracked plastics, fairings, front peg broke right off, bike wont start now and all the oil spewed out onto the road) and going through insurance might be best. Especially if its a write off. The bike is a mint 99 FZR 600 (nicer then mine!) with low mileage (10K) and very very clean.

If there are any insurance adjusters or agents out there who could shed some light on this that would be excellent! Thank you in advance guys

 

[zeniceguy]

Just call and ask a hypothetical question.

 

[GreyGhost]

Unless he has proof of hitting the rabbit, there is a really good chance this is a single vehicle at-fault collision, covered under the collision portion of his policy. I would expect insurance to increase 50-100% for the next 3 to 6 years (rate of decay in surcharge varies depending on who you ask).

How much is a 99 600 worth? After the deductible, he would be getting what back, $2000? If he wants to continue riding, I would probably take this one on the chin and either fix it myself or buy another bike. It will likely be much cheaper than claiming and paying the horrendous premiums.

EDIT: Tell your friend, next time just hit the rabbit, there is very little drama choosing that route and it doesn't leave a mark on your bike (or body).

 

[jeffjones]

Unless he has proof of hitting the rabbit, there is a really good chance this is a single vehicle at-fault collision, covered under the collision portion of his policy. I would expect insurance to increase 50-100% for the next 3 to 6 years (rate of decay in surcharge varies depending on who you ask).

How much is a 99 600 worth? After the deductible, he would be getting what back, $2000? If he wants to continue riding, I would probably take this one on the chin and either fix it myself or buy another bike. It will likely be much cheaper than claiming and paying the horrendous premiums.

+1

Avoiding the animal and crashing is an at fault (Huge increase in premiums for 6 years), Hitting the animal and crashing is I believe comprehensive (No affect to your insurance).
If he wants to find out his premium increase, call and get a quote with an at-fault accident on your record.
Also, if he doesn't have collision be very careful around the insurance company, last thing you want is an at fault accident on your record and no payout.