In an accident. Other driver offers to pay out of pocket rather than go through insurer.

How much damage was done? Are you going to use a bodyshop recommended by the At Fault party? Or will you use your own shop? How much control will you have in the repair? If you accept the offer to have the other person pay out of pocket and the train gets derailed down the line your carrier and his can refuse to cover your loss. If he is not insured you can use your own policy coverage. Who pays for any medical bills? it is one thing to offer to replace a taillight assembly when there is no body damage (he backed into you and his bumper hitch broke your grill or broke a headlight assembly) it is something completely different when there is significant body damage involved.
 
By experience on the route, it is legal to have an agreement with the other driver for him to pay the damage from his pocket.

For example, he hits your rear bumper, and a repair might cost $400, and he offers you the money cash at hand, you can take it and it will be your choice to fix the bumper or just to ignore the dent on it.

I witnessed a case where a car hit a truck. A police officer was near taking care of another accident. The driver of the car offered to pay for the damage, and the truck driver asked for advice to the police officer. The officer told him that such agreement was between both of them and he won't intervene unless there is a demand from the victim.

Like this case, lots of people prefer to pay from their pockets small damages to other cars in order to avoid penalties from their car insurance companies, which will increase their premiums for at least the next three years, plus the record of the accident.

Many people think it is not fair and it might cover lots of traffic violations, and they are correct, however, when the accident is something minimum, and not intentional at all but just a distraction, I guess the acceptance of a fast payment for the damage won't matter if the compensation will be the same amount whereas the other driver or an insurance company.
 
By experience on the route, it is legal to have an agreement with the other driver for him to pay the damage from his pocket.

For example, he hits your rear bumper, and a repair might cost $400, and he offers you the money cash at hand, you can take it and it will be your choice to fix the bumper or just to ignore the dent on it.

I witnessed a case where a car hit a truck. A police officer was near taking care of another accident. The driver of the car offered to pay for the damage, and the truck driver asked for advice to the police officer. The officer told him that such agreement was between both of them and he won't intervene unless there is a demand from the victim.

Like this case, lots of people prefer to pay from their pockets small damages to other cars in order to avoid penalties from their car insurance companies, which will increase their premiums for at least the next three years, plus the record of the accident.

Many people think it is not fair and it might cover lots of traffic violations, and they are correct, however, when the accident is something minimum, and not intentional at all but just a distraction, I guess the acceptance of a fast payment for the damage won't matter if the compensation will be the same amount whereas the other driver or an insurance company.
Your company is duty bound to defend you in the event of an accident. What happens when you offer to pay out of pocket and then the person comes back for more money? And comes back again? By paying out of pocket you have given your carrier a chance and a reason to deny the claim because you got in the middle of it. How do you, as a pay out of pocket consumer, deal with a bodyshop which sends you an estimate which is was out of line for the repairs? Where do you start to argue?
 
"My" company is making lots of trouble right now paying for a non fault from our part accident, that I don't believe a single word of what they say and less a single word of what you say.

You are full of theoretical solutions, however, in the field, where accidents happen, and the damage is minimum, like no more than $500 repair, then cash at hand is the best solution and you save lots of delays, long phone calls, emails like crazy, etc.

A different scenario is when the damage is huge. Then you better go with the other company first, and last solution is with your own company.

Last time I was hit in the rear bumper by a distracted driver, the damage was a dent in it, the other driver offered me $300 and I took the money. I bought a brand new bumper months later, after other cars hit mine in parking lots, making more dents and scratches.

About 30 years ago I used to have a 1983 Nissan. My coworkers were nuts looking "for the magnet" in the rear of that truck. I was hit all the time and I remember I replaced myself the bumper about 6 times. At every accident, the other drivers offered me $250, $300, $50, etc. I had to buy the whole assembly, or sometimes just a rubber pad over the bumper. I was making good extra money just by compensation by the accidents. The bumper, OEM was about $200 because was chrome.

Finally someone hit the side of the truck and after receiving the money for the other insurance company I decided to buy me another vehicle.

Like I say, for small repairs, you can accept their offer just "to forget about it". And as far as I know, it's not illegal.
 
Whiplash can occur 3 days after a minor rear end collision. You take a few hundred at the scene of the accident and you could be denied by his carrier after the fact. Do want you want, I don't have the desire to argue with someone not in the business
 
Usually when you receive the cash compensation nor them neither you exchange any information. I remember a young woman, with a baby in the special seat in the back of the car, apparently she was texting, and she hit one of our cars.

She just drove the car to the mall, around three blocks from her house, as we were told, the car wasn't hers, our bumper had a crack, and she pointed the ATM machine and asked us if $300 will pay for the damage. Actually, the new bumper, painted and installed became more than $500.

But, look, why to damage the life of that young woman? We said OK, and that's all. Our bumper had lots of scratches anyway, specially because was took to college and in those parking lots apparently nobody cares hitting other car's bumpers.

Now, in the case of a guy who hits another car, and the other party says they will check about the damage. Chances are they will take advantage of the situation, chances are they will just forget about it.

If you call your company without complaint from the other party, the you have crucified yourself with a record that you caused an accident. So, you took the wrong decision.
 
If you already KNOW the answer to your question, why bother asking? Your assumptions are wrong but do what you want and find out after the fact where you made the mistake.
 
I'm not the one who asked the question, I am responding to it and to you.

I understand you want to do the "right thing" by telling everything to your car insurance company, even when the accident is your fault, but you don't have to.

In many cases, if the accident is your fault, you already have a speeding ticket in record, and the accident you caused is just a scratch and the other driver accepts a cash compensation from you, then the case has been solved and you don't have to report anything to no one.

You won't have more problems because you have not given any information from you but an amount of dollars for the damage.

In the case of the poster who asked the question, the answer will depend on what he wants. He can collect the money from the other driver or from the other driver's insurance company. And that will depend on how bad is the damage. Like I said, for small scratches is mostly $300 because the finish involves a kind of blending to match the new paint cover with the old one.

Dents and more might require the estimate of a professional and rental car and all that stuff.

Sometimes the other driver is trying to avoid bigger trouble, like having a suspended license, but he offers you the whole repair plus the rental car, etc... and if he has money, then, if you want to, you can avoid getting involved in his business and just receive the proper compensation for the damage in your car.

Remember that we are humans, and in many cases the accident was unintentional, you can have your own judgement at the time of the accident, you are free to decide how you want to receive the compensation for the damage of your car.
 

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