‘Look on Autotrader’: Woman gets hit at red light in her 10-year-old car. Then her insurance steps in and makes things worse
A content creator is going viral on TikTok after sharing how a recent car accident turned her life upside-down.
Kyndall Ames (@kyndallames) recently said that her longtime car was totaled in an accident that was not her fault. In fact, she said that she was sitting at a red light when she got hit by another car.
The incident, she said, not only left her carless, but she said that her insurance company made matters worse by not offering to help get her another vehicle.
“So does anyone want to explain to me car insurance and, like, how this works and how this is fair?” she asked viewers. As of Monday, Ames’ clip had amassed more than 460,000 views.
What happened?
Ames said she owned a 10-year-old car with over 200,000 miles on it. Because of the accident, however, she said that it’s now totaled.
“It’s hardly worth anything,” Ames said. “They’re considering it a total loss.”
And Ames said that her insurance provider made her situation even worse.
In short, she said that her insurance told her that they would tow her car for her. But that’s it. “I don’t have a car,” Ames said through tears. “I can’t keep it, I can’t drive it. So now I just don’t have a car and have to buy a new one.”
Ames questioned how she was supposed to be able to afford a new car “in this economy.”
“I’m not prepared for this at all,” she said.
In a follow-up video, Ames said she learned more through TikTok than she did in school or through Google. Ames said she knows now that her two options are either to give the car to her insurance provider—where they’ll give her a check for the car’s current value—or try to receive a salvage title, meaning the insurance company deemed her car unfixable, but that Ames could keep the car and try to resell it or sell its parts.
Ames said that given her car’s mileage, it didn’t make sense to do the latter option. “The price that they are going to give me to release it, sadly, is very fair,” Ames said. She added that it’s “certainly going to help” her make a down payment on a new car, but not significantly.
“I definitely don’t want to have a car payment,” Ames said. And she added that she’s sad to lose her vehicle since she’s had it for years.
What should car insurers do in this situation?
According to Kelley Blue Book, a vehicle valuation and automotive research company, Ames’ insurer did everything by the book.
It noted that while each state has a different threshold for what’s considered a total loss, a car is considered “totaled” if the expected damage costs exceed the car’s blue book value.
Unfortunately, for drivers like Ames, insurance will often not step in and just replace your vehicle if you’re involved in an accident. Insurers, it noted, will only help with repairs if they cost less than what the car is worth. If the damage exceeds that cost, though, “the company will then reimburse you for the actual cash value… not the cost of repairs.”
This is true even if someone else’s negligence left you without a car. In most states, the driver at fault for the accident is responsible for paying accident-related losses. But if the at-fault driver is uninsured, that changes things slightly.
“If your policy has uninsured motorist insurance (UIM) or collision coverage, you can use them to file a claim,” Forbes reported.
Viewers offer advice
In the comments section of Ames’ video, several viewers offered advice on what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation.
For newer cars, for instance, one viewer said that it’s not in drivers’ best interest to get their car totaled because they receive less money from this deal.
“Totaling your car is the cheapest option for them,” she wrote. “You don’t have to accept that.”
But for older cars that are likely unsalvageable, this might be the best option available. Of course, even if this happens to you, there are ways to help ensure that you’re getting the maximum amount available—especially if the accident that caused damage wasn’t your doing.
“Do not accept the first offer they give you,” one user advised. “Make them do a second opinion.”
“Look on Autotrader for cars that are comparable to yours,” another suggested. “Find 3 and print off the ads. That insurance company has to pay that amount, not the blue book amount.”
@kyndallames ♬ original sound - Kyndall Ames
“They should give you cash value,” a third user said. “You can also keep the totaled car and junk it for a little bit of extra cash or part it out.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ames via TikTok comment.
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