I'll ask this board while I'm waiting for a tow. Lost power steering and got a check engine light so I pulled over. Checking under the hood, it appears some road debris (a particularly long and thick piece of braided wire and twine) got wrapped around my serpentine belt and caused damage.

I have comprehensive coverage with Progressive - would this be considered damage by road debris and not at fault? Any advice on how to navigate the discussion with insurance?

Thanks

Unless you were in a construction zone, you have no recourse. And in a constructon zone you have little recourse.

Take photos for insurance purpose.

Just start by telling them you hit some debris in the road.

Don't go into your self-diagnosis. That just clutters things up in any report.

If they ask you anything, tell them what you know, however.


I don't know about your coverage, but I would think this would be covered by comprehensive.

You paid to insure your own vehicle from risk of damage. You struck some road debris and it damaged your vehicle. Same as hitting a deer but the damage wasn't obvious. Save the wire rope, take some photos and put in a claim.

I had a stick puncture the tank on my pickup and Farmer's raised my rates since I made a claim.

I believe that if you say you hit the debris it'll be a collision claim but possilby if the debris hit you then it's comprehensive.

I assumed that it got caught in the belt then caused more damage.

Yes, as you describe it, this should be a covered comprehensive claim. However, I assume there's some sort of mechanical damage as well. So, I hope you have photos of the braided wire/rope around your belt. If not, there needs to be physical evidence that the wire or rope was there because mechanical damage, in and of itself is not covered, so you will need to prove your claim.

Good luck.

Before you do anything, read your policy front to back and understand what is covered and how. Our insurance goes up every year and i would make damn sure to understand your coverage so you can explain the situation accordingly.

If you run over that twine in the street it's probably your fault and collision but if it falls off a truck coming the opposite way and hits you, it may be comprehensive. No sense in potentially wasting time with them.