Find Jeff and Susan

This is a true story about our car accident in Mexico and what we learned about border insurance.

You want a vacation in beautiful Baja, Mexico and you’re driving your car.  Your first thought is “my US auto insurance doesn’t cover us in an accident in Mexico.”  That’s what we thought so when we decided to vacation in Mexico we purchased a border insurance policy on Dairy Mart Road, in San Ysidro, just before you cross into Tijuana.  We had a resort vacation lined up in Ensenada and we had been there several times before, loving our vacation time there.  It was our first anniversary and we decided to take a drive south of Ensenada through the beautiful wine country towards the little fishing village of San Quintin.  It’s a gorgeous, although quite scary drive to San Quintin, as the roads are narrow, in poor condition and the drivers range from exceedingly slow to race car driver speeds.  We had some dinner roadside and it was starting to get dark so we turned back towards Ensenada and this is when it became clear we had committed the sin of driving after dark in Mexico.  As we approached the village of Santo Tomas, a truck coming our way swerved into a car in front of us and started coming directly towards us, causing me to swerve off the road and we were struck at the front of the car, crushing the driver door and tearing off the rear bumper.  The driver of the truck ended up going off the road, crashing into a fence.  We were both in shock and the jolt of the impact wasn’t completely felt at that time but we weren’t severely injured in the accident.

Within ten minutes, an ambulance arrived and the Santo Tomas police to ensure that no one required immediate medical attention.  The Federales arrived within 30 minutes and grilled us – in Spanish of course, no English was spoken by anyone but my wife and I.  They determined the driver of the truck was drunk although he was not arrested.  The Federales asked us to settle the matter with the drunk driver and we insisted that the insurance representative be called to the scene – although this is not how car accidents are resolved in Mexico.  The other driver took a cash settlement for the damage to her car on the spot and we were encouraged to do the same – apparently, the family of the at-fault driver had some money and wanted to settle it because otherwise, a criminal complaint has to be filed and the driver is jailed until the damages are paid.  We did not know this or we would have ended up with some land, cattle and a built a little residence in Santo Tomas.

What ultimately happened was the border insurance company simply refused to pay – until I threatened to sue the US agent, a licensed insurance broker in California.  They finally paid for the totaled vehicle four months after the accident.  We did not have transportation back to the US and had to take a Greyhound bus back to Las Vegas.  Our car became a Mexican taxi cab in Ensenada and we were left to make payments with nothing to drive.  It’s a hard way to learn about border insurance, to actually have your car totaled in Mexico.  The next several times my wife and I crossed into Mexico, we didn’t buy the border insurance.  I hid $500 in the truck that I figured I could use to settle an accident if necessary.  Luckily we didn’t have any more accidents but here are the rules:

1.  Do not drive outside of towns in Mexico at night.

2.  Do not drive with alcohol or drugs in your car – do not drive drunk – they will take YOU to jail – not a Mexican citizen.

3.  Do not try to bribe a Mexican police officer – it they’re dirty, they’ll tell you how much to pay.

4.  Have cash hidden somewhere to settle a car accident.  If it’s the other driver’s fault, do not leave the scene until you have been paid for the damages or you have to file a criminal complaint.

5.  Consider leaving your car in the US and walk across the border – it’s easier coming in and going out, the trolley takes you right there and public transportation in Mexico is very good.

6.  Learn some Spanish – you will get screwed in an accident and could end up in jail if you can’t negotiate.

7.  Buy the border insurance only if you owe money on your car – then you need gap insurance as well.

8.  Have a great time in Mexico – it’s a fantastic and easy place to enjoy a vacation.