Legal Question in Insurance Law in Ohio

bicycle damaged in car accident

Please tell me how I can get reimbursed for a bike that was damaged beyond repair. A car rear-ended my car damaging 3 bikes that I was carrying on a bike rack. The other person's insurance company will pay the damages to my car & repair 2 bikes. However the third bike's frame is bent and cannot be fixed. It is 3-4 years old. I no longer have a receipt and the store went out of business several years ago. I contacted the manufacturer only to find out they do not offer any pricing information. The insurance compnay will not accept a picture of the bike. They say they need a dollar value & without a receipt I cannot be reimbursed.

Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.


Asked on 11/03/00, 5:48 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Thomas Besore Thomas G. Besore Co., L.P.A.

Re: bicycle damaged in car accident

Try getting sales literature such as a catalog or cut-sheet showing a bicycle that closely approximates the bike you need replaced. Then, have a bicycle dealer prepare a written price quote on how much that bicycle will cost you. If you get a real cooperative shop, have them type up a note on their letterhead stating that they have inspected your damaged bicycle, that it cannot be repaired, that the bicycle is no longer available new, but they do have a bicycle of similar value and characteristics as demonstrated in the attached quote. That should be sufficient for the insurance company.

If they reject that approach, the next step is a letter from your friendly neighborhood attorney with such key words as "bad faith", "failure to settle reasonable claims", "state insurance regulators" and the like.

Good luck.

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Answered on 11/17/00, 7:54 am


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