I never liked GEICO. When I was under 24 because they refused to insure every high-performance car I wanted - Avanti R2, Hemi 'Cuda, Corvette. State Farm would. My one-year-old used 1975 'Vette came with a 50% fiberglass surcharge. But insurance cost me only $450 per year then, with ZERO deductible for collision and comp and NO garage. LOL. This was 1976 
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GEICO might actually be helping this guy because if there were ever a judgment against Melendez in the future, anything over $20,000 would come out his pocket. Of course, GEICO is just looking out for themselves. What happened to the "old" days when insurance companies would fight every suit so they wouldn't set a precedent?
And the last time I looked at an auto insurance company's policies on accidents, I believe it said if they pay out more than x-amount of dollars, you're charged with an accident and will pay at least 10% more in premiums for 3 years. I think the amount was set by state law, at least where I used to live.
Ricky Melendez was on his way to work at a grocery store when a 16-year-old driving a stolen sport utility vehicle ran a red light and smashed into his Toyota Camry at 112 mph.
The driver and two other teenage boys in the SUV died; another was thrown through the windshield but survived. Investigators said unequivocally that Melendez had done nothing wrong.
Despite that, Melendez's car insurance provider, Geico, agreed to pay out a total of $20,000 to the families of the boys on Monday, his lawyer said.
The 29-year-old feels blindsided once again.
"It hurts. I honestly feel like I was involved in another car crash emotionally, just betrayed," said Melendez, who more than two months later still uses crutches and wears a cast on his wrist. "It's very disheartening that a company you pay monthly to pretty much have your back is just stabbing you in the back."
Melendez's lawyer, Mark Roman, said the boys in the SUV were solely to blame for the Aug. 6 crash, but Geico is paying their families anyway. He called the insurance company's decision "appalling" and said Geico does not care about his client's well-being.
"It's a disgusting and shocking development," Roman said. "This poor guy was driving to work at a grocery store when his life was changed forever by horrible criminal acts."
. GEICO might actually be helping this guy because if there were ever a judgment against Melendez in the future, anything over $20,000 would come out his pocket. Of course, GEICO is just looking out for themselves. What happened to the "old" days when insurance companies would fight every suit so they wouldn't set a precedent?
And the last time I looked at an auto insurance company's policies on accidents, I believe it said if they pay out more than x-amount of dollars, you're charged with an accident and will pay at least 10% more in premiums for 3 years. I think the amount was set by state law, at least where I used to live.
Ricky Melendez was on his way to work at a grocery store when a 16-year-old driving a stolen sport utility vehicle ran a red light and smashed into his Toyota Camry at 112 mph.
The driver and two other teenage boys in the SUV died; another was thrown through the windshield but survived. Investigators said unequivocally that Melendez had done nothing wrong.
Despite that, Melendez's car insurance provider, Geico, agreed to pay out a total of $20,000 to the families of the boys on Monday, his lawyer said.
The 29-year-old feels blindsided once again.
"It hurts. I honestly feel like I was involved in another car crash emotionally, just betrayed," said Melendez, who more than two months later still uses crutches and wears a cast on his wrist. "It's very disheartening that a company you pay monthly to pretty much have your back is just stabbing you in the back."
Melendez's lawyer, Mark Roman, said the boys in the SUV were solely to blame for the Aug. 6 crash, but Geico is paying their families anyway. He called the insurance company's decision "appalling" and said Geico does not care about his client's well-being.
"It's a disgusting and shocking development," Roman said. "This poor guy was driving to work at a grocery store when his life was changed forever by horrible criminal acts."
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