HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A video shows a speeding car in reverse, slamming into cars in the parking lot of a Walmart in Locust Grove.
But despite the video and police report, one of the owners of the hit cars said the at-fault driver’s insurance can’t pay for repairs.
Channel 2′s Michael Doudna was live on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. on Saturday outside of the Walmart parking lot on Bill Gardner Parkway on details of what went down.
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It was supposed to be a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get groceries for Maria Vazquez, but when she came outside she saw her BMW was smashed into. But the crash was just the beginning of her headache
“Like a bullet, he reversed without control,” said Vasquez.
The video shows a Dodge Challenger speeding in reverse, slamming into cars, including Vasquez’s BMW.
“People drive like maniacs in a parking lot at a high speed,” said Vasquez.
She had the video, pictures, and a police report, but when she filed a claim, the at-fault driver’s insurance said they didn’t have enough money left for repairs.
“It’s more common than people might think. It’s really when there are multiple car collisions,” said Reid Handler with Rob Hill Insurance
Handler said the minimum property liability coverage in Georgia is $25,000 and if an accident hits that limit, it turns to the victim coverage for underinsured drivers
“You are just in a tough spot where you hope that you have higher limits to cover your vehicle so you aren’t holding the check,” said Handler.
And in a world of rising premiums, Handler says more and more customers are moving towards lower limits, potentially exposing themselves to costly repairs.
“When you are shopping for your insurance, you want to make sure you have the best price you can, but you don’t want to compromise the coverage to do so,” said Handler.
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Vasquez said she has now filed a claim and believes her insurance is good enough to prevent the money from coming from out of her pocket. But she is frustrated with all the money paid to insurance companies and how victims like her could be at risk.
“It just leaves me frustrated and upset,” said Vasquez.
To make sure drivers are protected, Handler says to take a hard look at paying a little more for extra coverage from uninsured motorists. It may feel like a longer shot, but in these crashes, that’s the bucket of funds they will be pulling from.
He also warns that while these claims shouldn’t impact premiums, he has seen them impact things like safe driver discounts that lower prices.
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