Will my car insurance pay for running over my mailbox?
I accidentally backed over my mailbox. Will my car insurance pay to fix my mailbox and the dent in my bumper?
When you backed into your mailbox, you created a possible claim situation for two coverages: collision and property damage liability.
Your collision coverage pays to repair your vehicle in the event that you collide with another object, other than an animal, which would fall under the comprehensive coverage. You will have a deductible to pay before any damages are paid under your collision coverage, so if your bumper damage is $450 and you have a $500 deductible, you will not receive any payment for the damage repair.
The damage to your mailbox falls under the property damage liability coverage of your car insurance policy, but there's a problem. If you own your mailbox, which you probably do, then your car insurance will not pay to repair or replace the box, post or bricks if it's a fancy mailbox. The reason your liability insurance will not pay in this situation is because you cannot be liable to yourself. Since the mailbox is your own property, your insurance will never pay to repair your own property when you were responsible for the damage. Can you see a propensity for insurance fraud if it did?
If the mailbox is actually owned by a landlord if you rent your home, then your car insurance should pick up the bill for replacing or repairing the mailbox. Liability coverage generally doesn't have a deductible, so you will not have to pay any money out-of-pocket.
So in your case, your car insurance will pay to repair your dented bumper as long as it exceeds your deductible, but you will not receive any payment as the owner of the mailbox.
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