Do I have to disclose a not-at-fault accident when getting new insurance quotes?
So about six months ago someone ran a red light and T-boned me at an intersection. Pretty open-and-shut situation — there was a witness and a traffic cam caught the whole thing. The other driver's insurer is dragging their feet and my own company paid out for my repairs while they go after the at-fault driver to get reimbursed (I think that's called subrogation?).
Anyway, my current insurer has been kind of a pain to deal with through this whole process so I've been shopping around for better rates and better service. Every quote form I fill out asks something like "have you been involved in any accidents in the past 3-5 years?"
Here's where I'm confused:
- Do I have to say yes even though it wasn't my fault?
- Will checking yes actually raise my quote even if I'm clearly the victim here?
- What happens if I say no and they find out later through whatever database they use?
I don't want to lie on an application — that feels risky — but I also don't want to get penalized for something that was 100% the other guy's fault. The subrogation case is still open too, so it's kind of in limbo.
Has anyone dealt with this while switching insurers mid-claim? Did disclosing a not-at-fault accident actually affect your rate? I feel like I'm being punished twice — once by the accident itself and now potentially by the insurance shopping process.