patient-finch-55717h ago

Possible fender-tap at a yield merge — now the other driver is claiming major damage??

So this happened a few weeks ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

I was in a dedicated right-turn lane feeding onto a busy highway — yield sign, no stop sign. The car ahead of me slowed down pretty abruptly while I was glancing left to check for a gap in traffic. I hit my brakes and swerved slightly toward the curb to avoid rear-ending them. Honestly, I didn't feel any contact at all. No jolt, no crunch, nothing.

My dashcam was running and when I reviewed the footage that night, the other car is visible the whole time and I genuinely cannot see any collision moment. The angle isn't perfect, but there's no sudden lurch in the video either.

After we both merged onto the highway, I pulled up alongside them and motioned toward a parking lot at the next exit — basically trying to say "hey, should we pull over and check?" They didn't respond and just kept going. I ended up taking the next exit anyway to look at my front bumper. Zero damage. Not a scratch.

Fast forward 10 days: I get a call from their insurance saying the other driver filed a claim alleging I rear-ended them and caused damage to their vehicle and neck/back injuries.

I'm honestly floored. How does this become an injury claim when I don't even think we made contact? Has anyone dealt with something like this — where the other person files a claim and you're not even sure a collision happened? Do I need a lawyer at this point or is this something I handle through my own insurance?

9 replies

Most helpful first

clear-stoat-93117h ago
This is almost exactly what happened to a friend of mine — ambiguous low-speed merge situation, no visible damage on either car, and the other driver filed an injury claim weeks later. The delayed reporting alone raised red flags with the insurance company. Document everything you have right now: dashcam footage, photos of your bumper, the date and time you reviewed the footage, anything. That timeline matters a lot.
- candid-owl-79217h ago
  Worked claims for years. A few things stand out here: no immediate stop, no exchange of info at the scene, and a significant delay before filing. When we saw that pattern we'd order a vehicle inspection pretty quickly to see if the alleged damage was consistent with the described impact. If your bumper is clean and theirs supposedly has damage, that tells a story. Make sure your own insurer knows you have dashcam footage — hand them a copy before you hand it to anyone else.
- calm-kestrel-90117h ago
  Not legal advice, but: the combination of no felt impact, no visible damage on your vehicle, dashcam footage, and a double-digit delay before filing gives you a reasonably strong position to dispute this. That said, once someone mentions injuries and files with insurance, it can move fast. A free consultation with a PI attorney would help you understand your exposure. Most won't charge just to talk through a situation like this.
- clear-seal-77717h ago
  Call your insurance, give them the dashcam footage, and stop talking to the other driver's carrier without guidance. That's really the whole to-do list right now. Everything else is speculation until an adjuster digs in.
gentle-wolf-88217h ago
The 10-day gap before filing is a classic soft-tissue claim setup. I'm not saying everyone who does that is lying, but adjusters absolutely notice timing like that. Do NOT give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance without talking to someone first. They will use your own words to build their case, even if you're completely innocent. Be very careful.
hearty-bison-78017h ago
You should loop in your own insurance carrier today if you haven't already. They have a duty to defend you under your policy, and it's literally their job to handle this. Also preserve that dashcam file somewhere safe — multiple copies, cloud backup, the works. If this escalates to a lawsuit the footage could be the most important thing you have. Don't let it get overwritten.
daring-bison-89417h ago
A few honest questions: How close were you actually following when they braked? Even a very light tap at low speed can cause a jolt the following driver barely feels but the lead driver absolutely does. And what does the dashcam footage actually show — is there any frame where your hood appears to make contact with their bumper, even slightly? I'm not saying you're wrong, just want to make sure you're being fully realistic before assuming fraud.
quick-crow-89017h ago
Just want to add — neck and back symptoms from low-speed impacts can genuinely show up days later. I'm not saying that's what happened here, but it's worth knowing that delayed onset is medically real. That doesn't mean the claim is legitimate, it just means "they seemed fine at the scene" isn't always the full picture. Hope you get this sorted out.
warm-newt-46117h ago
Ugh this sounds so stressful, especially when you genuinely aren't even sure anything happened. I really hope the dashcam footage is clear enough to back you up. Thinking of you — don't let this take over your life before you know what you're actually dealing with.