I was in a bad crash which resulted in hospitalization for head and bone injuries. I suffered a major concussion which resulted in temporary amnesia (roughly a month). Insurance was notified of the accident and my injuries, and said they’d wait. So, needless to say, I was unable to defend myself in regards to the California Highway Patrol’s accident/police report due to the 10 day reporting period. More on that next.

After about a month and a half I get both a ticket in the mail and a claim against me from the other party (OP). So I went to the CHP and picked up the police report. As expected, all the physical evidence pointed fault to the OP. However, the written testimony of the OP along with a biased police officer’s input claimed that I was at fault. And now for the fun part.

So I give McGraw claims a call, and they take my side of the story. I asked them to fight the claim as much as possible, and that I received a ticket based on the biased report. I then asked them to wait to take actions on them claim until I’ve proved in court that I had not broken the law. The claim adjuster said, “Sure, not a problem. Give us a call after you’ve taken care of that.”

So I’m relieved. I’ll be able to fight that in court, which was a month later, and win, then get the OP to pay for bike damages and my medical bill. Mind you, I had liability only (50-100-50), so I would have to pay all my bills and bike repair solo otherwise. I went to court and fought my ticket. I asked the judge to ignore the written testimony and look at the physical evidence. After my argument and the officer’s side, the judge sided with me. So then I was ecstatic.

I called my insurance two days later to let them know that I had just proven in court that I was not at fault and wanted to fight and reverse the claim. The adjuster’s response, “Oh. We paid out to the OP’s insurance a week and a half ago.” So I ask why the hell they did that. “We decided to pay out since the police report said that you were at fault.” So I get a little angry and ask to talk to a manager. He said there’s nothing claims can do but I can send in a written notice to fight the pay out. Got no luck with that either. So goodbye McGraw Insurance.

So, I’m sure there have been people with better luck than I with McGraw / PSIC. But if you can, spend a couple dollars more a month and go with another coverage supplier. One that has concern for your well being while injured, and will show remorse if there is an unfavorable result. And I stress this even more, get full coverage. If you ever have a situation like mine, you’ll be able to get back on a bike a lot sooner.

Happy insurance hunting and keep the rubber side down!