Question:
I was in a motorcycle accident. My bike’s at an impound yard. Who pays to get it out?
Answer:
If another driver was at fault for the accident, you have two choices.
1. Go through your insurance carrier on your property damage claim. This is the quickest way to get your property damage claim dealt with. Your carrier will pay to get the motorcycle out of impound. But it requires that you carry collision coverage under your policy. If you have the coverage, the only downside is that you will have to pay your deductible. Once the other driver's insurance company is identified and accepts fault, they will reimburse you on your deductible. Going through your insurance company on your property damage claim will not cause your premiums to go up as long as you weren't at fault for the accident. After your property damage claim is settled, your insurance company will go after the other driver's insurance company and seek reimbursement for the amount that they paid out.
2. Go through the other driver's carrier on your property damage claim. If you don't have collision coverage, or if you do but don't want to have to pay your deductible, you can go through the other driver's insurance on your property damage claim. That carrier will pay to get your motorcycle out of impound, and will pay for its total loss or repair. The only downside of going through the other driver's carrier is that you may not know who they are until the police report is ready. That could be a week to ten days after the accident. If you have no collision coverage, you may have no choice but to wait. Will the other driver's carrier take the position that you should have removed the motorcycle sooner from impound? You have no duty to remove it and pay the impound fees. If the other driver was at fault, the other driver's insurance carrier is on the hook for the impound charges.