Do Not Lend Your Vehicle out to anyone

[Garrett C]

@HangOutdoors wish you would have dropped that knowledge on me from your experience , @captras he does and his policy is even better than the one I have, but like was said it all depends on the state, and in Florida they don't care who was driving, just who is the owner. The good thing is I have USAA and he has Geico so what USAA won't cover, its looking like Geico may. I got a call today and said that they know the injuries of the person who had to have surgery, the other two a mother and child, have a lawyer, but they haven't submitted anything yet so USAA wants to hold off on paying anyone out except for the one we all know for sure had injuries. I just want it to be done, but again thank you for all the great feedback and comments. Hope you all have some great weather this weekend or soon to get out in your boats!

 

[agannole93]

A hard lesson, but a couple things (my wife works in insurance so I hear about these scenarios all the time):

1.) Insurance always follows the vehicle, not the driver.

2.) Up those limits, the cost to go from 50/100 to 100/300 is MINIMAL. And likely saves you from suit in this situation as almost anything would be covered.

3.) Agree with others, insurance is by nature designed to make you whole again prior to the accident. If the $38k puts you in a similar truck that is what it's designed to do. If you still owed on the truck, gap insurance would cover the additional to loan value.

4.) Lastly, get a PUP. $10-$15/month for a $1million umbrella policy is well worth the peace of mind.

It sucks that it happened, but you can't expect $20k from your buddy on top of what the truck is worth. Insurance did it's job.

 

[captras]

@HangOutdoors Interesting... was just going by TX laws and had not thought about each state differences.

 

[Chatt_Jetsetter]

Reader's Digest version - he is a fault and will be sued directly. If he does not have insurance, or not enough, the victim will make a claim against the victim's own coverage, via uninsured or underinsured motorist. He is at at fault, not you, unless his attorneys can make out a case for negligent entrustment. Chiming in with some of the others, he does not owe you for depreciation. It does suck for sure for all involved, but the truck is worth what is is worth today, not years ago.

This sums it up exactly. Glad everyone is ok and I'm sorry about your situation, but you wouldn't be liable. He was driving, not you.

 

[Garrett C]

@agannole93 good stuff, for sure I wasn't thinking $20 K from him, but when he said he would make it right, I just wanted to have something that I had that I gave him. Knowing where I live a 2018 Silverado would have 50,000 miles on it, smoked in and I am sure not in as good of shape as I gave it to my friend. Like I have said and keep kicking myself, I wish it never happened and I would have just said no, but I didn't. If I tell my friend, I am going to make it right, then I will. I think he did a great job doing what he did, but it was and still is a tough time and put me and my family in a very bad spot. For sure going to up the limits and I can't believe how common this is, as I have had a lot of Sailors that have worked for me in my 22 years and I have seen it all (trust me on some of the crap I have had to help out with) but not this situation and if they did, they just said someone stole their car . Just another thing for me to learn and teach people moving forward.

 

[agannole93]

@agannole93 good stuff, for sure I wasn't thinking $20 K from him, but when he said he would make it right, I just wanted to have something that I had that I gave him. Knowing where I live a 2018 Silverado would have 50,000 miles on it, smoked in and I am sure not in as good of shape as I gave it to my friend. Like I have said and keep kicking myself, I wish it never happened and I would have just said no, but I didn't. If I tell my friend, I am going to make it right, then I will. I think he did a great job doing what he did, but it was and still is a tough time and put me and my family in a very bad spot. For sure going to up the limits and I can't believe how common this is, as I have had a lot of Sailors that have worked for me in my 22 years and I have seen it all (trust me on some of the crap I have had to help out with) but not this situation and if they did, they just said someone stole their car . Just another thing for me to learn and teach people moving forward.

@Garrett C totally understand and by no means saying you should have known better. Trust me, I had no idea half of the stuff I know now since I met my wife. And on top of that, there are insurance agents out there who also don't know and either bold faced lie or do some shady stuff.

 

[Sotally Tober]

@Garrett C. So sorry to hear this. I'm 3 years from retiring from the Navy with 21 in currently. Were you at JIATF-South? If so, I was the Admin Officer at your ISIC, NIOC Texas up until a year ago. Being their ISIC, I took full advantage of taking a "Site Tour" to Key West and fell in love with it. I came back with my wife for a few days of vacation shortly after.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I try and do as much and everything that I can to help those who ask and am extremely trusting, but I do it in my way so as not to expose myself or my family.

You need to move, I will rent you a uhaul and help you or drive my vehicles myself. You need a car to get somewhere? I will drive you. You have a Doctor's appointment or need someone to be there, not a problem I will take off of work and come. You can't pay bills and need some cash? I will pay the bills directly and help you figure it out. You need to borrow my more expensive tools and equipment, how about I come and help you. If you are down on your luck and out of work, I will make sure you have food and help you get a job.

I have no problem bending over backwards for people, even those whom I just met, but I have learned, unfortunately the hard way and more than once, that it needs to be on the terms I am comfortable with and not expose myself or my family to additional risk.

 

[2kwik4u]

I try and do as much and everything that I can to help those who ask and am extremely trusting, but I do it in my way so as not to expose myself or my family.

You need to move, I will rent you a uhaul and help you or drive my vehicles myself. You need a car to get somewhere? I will drive you. You have a Doctor's appointment or need someone to be there, not a problem I will take off of work and come. You can't pay bills and need some cash? I will pay the bills directly and help you figure it out. You need to borrow my more expensive tools and equipment, how about I come and help you. If you are down on your luck and out of work, I will make sure you have food and help you get a job.

I have no problem bending over backwards for people, even those whom I just met, but I have learned, unfortunately the hard way and more than once, that it needs to be on the terms I am comfortable with and not expose myself or my family to additional risk.

I have a similar premise. It's a lot easier to ratchet up the help than to back pedal later. I'm extremely fortunate to be in the situation I'm in. I don't mind paying it forward to help those that need. Just have to ask.

I assume anything I lend (outside a close and highly selective friend/family circle) is a gift and will never be seen again. If I'm Ok with that, then away it goes. 9/10 of the times it's a non-issue.

I have some friends that are exceptionally trusting of me, and I of them. It's an incredibly small circle of less than 5 people that I would freely lend equipment to with no questions asked and no reservations. Beyond that, I'm donating time along with my equipment. The opposite applies as well, I'll often ask to borrow a thing, and I'm damn sure it comes back clean, fueled, and better than I found it. If it breaks through use or abuse, it's replaced as quickly as possible. On something as large as a truck, I'll ask for their help as well as just the truck. Then I buy fuel and food for the day as well.

 

[Garrett C]

@Garrett C. So sorry to hear this. I'm 3 years from retiring from the Navy with 21 in currently. Were you at JIATF-South? If so, I was the Admin Officer at your ISIC, NIOC Texas up until a year ago. Being their ISIC, I took full advantage of taking a "Site Tour" to Key West and fell in love with it. I came back with my wife for a few days of vacation shortly after.

That three years is going to come fast, I'm right next door to JIATF, at the Port. When our SPECWAR guys come for site visits from VA, I think I see them for 20 minutes and they are scheduled for 4 days I can't blame them as I would probably do the same thing. I am sure you and your wife had a blast, we can't do anything since March due to covid, but our boat was the best thing we ever purchased and saved our sanity when everything was shut down. Good luck and love the way your boat is coming along. @Sotally Tober

 

[Sotally Tober]

"When our SPECWAR guys come for site visits from VA, I think I see them for 20 minutes and they are scheduled for 4 days"
- So true!

Post retirement, I plan on trying to become a maritime interdiction Officer with DHS.... so hopefully I end up in Key West working with the Joint Task force again.

 

[Garrett C]

@Sotally Tober good luck MIO would be a great gig out here. I just worked with those guys with their sweet boat that had 4 300's on it.

 

[belmor]

Awful situation to be in. My wife's car was damaged in a hit and run two weeks ago-driver was driving her boyfriend's truck, revoked DL for DUI. Good times. I don't loan cars out either.

Hello from a fellow Keys resident (Islamorada here!)

 

[Garrett C]

Awful situation to be in. My wife's car was damaged in a hit and run two weeks ago-driver was driving her boyfriend's truck, revoked DL for DUI. Good times. I don't loan cars out either.

Hello from a fellow Keys resident (Islamorada here!)

Hello and sorry to hear that, I hope that knucklehead was caught and booked into Monroe County. Is it a painful process since it was a girl with a revoked DL and probably did't have insurance?