Q: A ML350 was involved in an accident but drove away. The only visible damage was to the rear bumper. It was a 2006 Mercedez ML350, with a KBB price of about 32K. The driver is claiming that it was totaled and had already sold it off to a salvage yard and is claiming 22K for it. Is this possible? FYI, my insurance agent is being pretty cautious about whether this is a valid or invalid claim. She's waiting for a report from her auto experts and it can be 2 weeks or more before she gets a reply back. I'm trying to decide if I need to get out in front of this or just wait for the next report. To Ron: Would a car torqued enough to be totaled be considered drivable? Or rather, could a car that drives away from an accident have such extensive non-visible damages that it is considered totaled?
A: Of course it is possible. Hit a curb hard enough with a unibody vehicle and it can be torqued enough to be totaled. It is probably a scam, he sells it to a buddy in a salvage yard and buys it back cheap or gets a cut in another way. Have someone check on what the yard does with it, check on how much they want, etc. Did your insurance company view the car? Give your insurance company the heads up that you suspect fraud.
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