In the 15 years John Nunez has lived in his West Lawn home, he parked his car on the street once: on Aug. 15, to make more room in the driveway for his son’s college graduation party.
Nunez went to bed that night, only to be awakened by a bone-rattling BANG.
By the time Nunez realized what had occurred, the driver who had smashed into his 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix had driven away but left behind a significant clue.
“I got lucky,” Nunez said. “He left his front bumper at the scene.”
Still attached to the bumper was the driver’s front license plate.
Nunez said he took pictures of his totaled Pontiac, filled out a police report, and called his insurance company. Because his car was so old, Nunez carried only liability insurance, meaning his insurance company would not pay for the damage.
His insurance agent, however, helped him track down the hit-and-run driver. A few days later, Nunez filed a claim with the driver’s insurer, Founders Insurance Co.
Founders’ initial offer didn’t exactly blow Nunez away. The insurance company valued his car at $1,588, then deducted $813.37 for a couple of dents it referred to as “prior damage.”
Founders then lopped off another 15 percent, bringing the offer to an underwhelming $658.44.
Upset, Nunez contacted a lawyer, who told him that battling Founders in court would likely cost him more in legal fees than he would probably recover.
So in November, Nunez called Founders to say he would accept the offer.
The Founders representative told him he was out of luck. The offer was no longer good.
Turns out, the driver wasn’t done after hitting Nunez’s car. He continued on, careening through the streets of West Lawn hitting other parked cars. Police stopped him several blocks away, a trail of damaged vehicles in his wake.
A Founders representative told him the insurance company was waiting for the other vehicles’ owners to file claims before settling the cases.
Left with no other choice but to wait, Nunez called back several months later and was told the same thing — Founders would pay him nothing until the owners of the other damaged cars filed their claims.
Worried he would never see his money, Nunez e-mailed What’s Your Problem? in late January, more than five months after the accident.
He said that over the previous several weeks, he had trouble getting anyone at Founders to return his calls.
Nunez said that although he felt Founders’ offer was too low, he would rather have the $658.44 than nothing.
“I’ve been without a car,” he said. “It’s been rough. I really can’t afford to get another car right now.”
The Problem Solver called Founders Insurance Co.’s corporate headquarters and asked why the company rescinded its offer.
The next day, a Founders representative called Nunez and agreed to honor the original settlement. Nunez said he complained that the offer was too low, and Founders added another $100 to the total.
Later that day, Founders e-mailed the Problem Solver a statement from Ralph Marinello Jr., the company’s senior vice president and chief claim officer.
“Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have reviewed the claim in question and agreed to a settlement of $758.44, which has been conveyed to and accepted by Mr. Nunez,” Marinello wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused to Mr. Nunez in the processing of this claim.”
Nunez said he’s happy to be getting the payment, but is still upset Founders deducted more than $800 for “prior damage.”
“It’s not like I’m riding around in Mercedes-Benz or a Cadillac or something like that,” he said. “It’s crazy for that amount of damage.”
The $758.44 will help financially, he said, but it will not buy him a new car.
“I have two kids in college. Financially, I’m just wiped out,” he said. “You keep your old cars and then you get hit and the insurance companies try to screw you.”
