|
Most of the time you see them coming. Then there is
the crunch and the dull thud of a minor traffic accident. August 3rd
I had my first fender bender in 19 years in La Paz and learned some
very interesting things I felt our BajaInsider Readers should know.
First, even if you don’t read any further in this article
read this:
Always carry Mexican auto insurance. We’ll
get back to insurance later, but don’t forget that part.
The accident was clearly my fault, coming through cars
waiting for a light, I pulled out in front of her, and she caught my
right rear quarter at the rear wheel. The impact wasn’t great, 15-20
miles per hour tops, so we limped to the side of the intersection. I
check to make sure she was alright, admitted it was my fault and that
I was insured. In a more serious accident it might be advisable to talk
less than I did.
 An
important point here, if there are any questions as to fault or if
there are injuries do not move the cars. The police arrived, quite
promptly,
More below...
|
Read our Road Report before
you drive Baja Hwy 1!
Here is what happens if you DON’T have insurance. My
friend had a minor accident in the same week, no insurance and his fault.
His car was impounded; he had to post a $1500 peso bond to leave the
station. Repairs to his victim’s car had to be made and paid for before
his car was released. My car was right as rain before he even was allowed
access to his. There are more serious repercussions in more serious
accidents.
After we resolved my expiration date Raul handled everything.
I made my and they had my car dangling from a tow truck by the time
we finished. Raul directed me to what I later found to be one of the
most reputable shops in La Paz. I received a $270 peso fine for ‘accident
resulting’ and had to pay the fine around the corner at the municipal
office before they returned my CA license.
|
|
I had already phoned a friend to translate for me
and had called my insurance company in Los Angeles for guidance. Then
the police took a quick look and said, since we had moved the cars,
there was nothing for them to investigate on scene. We exchanged vital
information and were escorted in our limping machines to the police
station 4 blocks away.
I called my insurance 800 phone number for Mexico and
was distressed that it took two calls and about 20 total rings before
anyone picked up. As a bit of foreshadowing, I will say that was the
last negative portion of this insurance experience.
They promptly had an operator on line with me that spoke
acceptable studied English. He took my policy number and information
and said he already dispatched a claims adjuster to the scene. When
we were about to leave the scene for the station the police told me
I better call ‘Raul’ and tell him we were moving. I wasn’t sure the
police knowing my adjuster by first name was a good thing or not, but
I was encouraged by the fact that they thought ‘Raul’ was already enroute.
At the station in La Paz we both turned our paperwork
and licenses over to the desk sergeant and were escorted to see the
‘doctor’? I was escorted in first, and required to take one of those
hand held breath-a-lizer tests, not much more sophisticated than the
ones at Radio Shack. I was told that all of the police stations in La
Paz and many all over Baja are so equipped, IF YOU FAIL THE BREATH-A-LIZER,
they will then take you to one of the stations with a ‘Doc’ and take
a more ‘definitive test’ which I took to understand as a blood sample.
I blew a 0.0.
Raul had arrived at the station by the time I emerged
from the doctor. On presenting my insurance papers Raul seemed to give
me a bit of a hard time. I was having difficulty with some of the new
words in espanol but we finally agreed on the discovery that the policy
expired at noon THE NEXT DAY. I had renewed the policy, right on the
cusp, and the new paperwork had not arrived.
 Make
sure you have the right paperwork in your car. Had this occurred 24
hrs later this story would still have had a happy ending, but with a
few extra plot twists. Your driver’s license, registration and insurance
papers are required. I do not recall if they required my immigration
papers, but I presented it with the rest of my paperwork.
|
The next day I arrived at the shop about 9AM. De La Pena Auto Servicio
on Serdan, in La Paz. They already had the tires off the rear axel and
all the parts required inventoried and ordered from Tijuana. Here is
one of the down sides to this story. I have not found Honda parts on
the shelf in any store so far in Baja. Any delays in the process of
restoring my car to health were caused by these logistics. (See SUV’s
Story)
 They
told me my car would be ready in about 10 days, due to delays in parts
I picked it up 14 days later. Pena’s did an excellent job. My car has
never been garaged in 5 years and the red has lost a tint or two. They
removed the gas cap cover and used it to computer matched the current
color of the car. Without question, all of the rear suspension and door
assembly was replaced, the rear quarter and door were painted and a
brand new tire installed. I paid my 5 Benjamin Franklins deductible
and was on my way. They were out of water at the shop, so I drove a
very shop soiled car away, that was a wee bummer. Due to the Honda parts
issue, the bill would have been well over $3500 USD.
On the way back to Cabo I noticed a whirring noise coming
from the damaged wheel. A week later I had Pena’s inspect it, they called
the adjuster and had a $600 bearing assembly shipped from San Diego.
Two weeks later my car and the part met in La Paz and we all lived happily
ever after.
As far as accidents go, this was the most painless insurance
experiences I have ever had. It does require that I carry current
California tags. The work I received and the little tweaks needed
afterwards from De La Pena Auto Servicio was quality stuff.
Today my car looks just fine. It drives straight and
sounds smooth, and I’m picky about that stuff. I do drive just a little
more timidly, but I’m sure that will pass too.
!
|
