When a Rizzo Pools driver rear-ended Larry Cummings’ 40-foot motor coach last year, he didn’t call police.
“It was kind of like shock,” Cummings said. “Definitely a surprise.”
In August, while driving along the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, Cummings said the company’s driver hit his motor coach and he admits he didn’t file a police report because the two drivers agreed to work it without involving their insurance companies.
But when the estimated $11,000 bill came in from the repair shop, Cummings said Rizzo Pools wanted to go into a different direction.
“They said that they would get back in touch with us. They would send out an adjuster and insurance person,” Cummings said.
Cummings said for six months, he unsuccessfully tried to reach Rizzo Pools and the insurance adjuster several times by phone or in person.
“They were thinking that maybe this whole thing would go away that I would just kind of not pursue it anymore,” Cummings said.
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While his motor coach was parked at a Plainville repair shop, he reached out to NBC Connecticut to contact the company’s insurance carrier, Corporate Risk Solutions. An adjuster came out to see Cummings’ motor coach after NBC Connecticut Responds got in touch.
“We are very empathetic to Mr. Cummings and the incident with Rizzo Pools. Because he didn’t file a police report for the incident – there was no legal determination as to who was at fault. And Mr. Cummings did not submit his claim to his insurance company which caused a delay in his claim. Proper insurance protocols were followed and Rizzos issued the check,” the company said in part to NBC Connecticut Responds.
Finally, Cummings receive an $11,855 check in the mail.
“It makes us feel wonderful, “Cummings said.
After our story aired, James Galvin, president of Rizzo Pools, told NBC Connecticut that the driver involved in the accident has been terminated. Galvin said Cummings originally gave him an estimate of $900 to replace the tow.
“A month and half later, Mr. Cummings came into my office with a repair quote for $10,978.51 which seemed like quite the increase for tow bar damage,” Galvin said in a statement.
Galvin said he requested photos of the damage but never received them.
“I’ll be the first to agree that this entire process took too long,” said Galvin. “When [Mr. Cummings] came to my office I told him that I would not be able to pay $10,978.51 because it was an exorbitant amount of money. Mr. Cummings and I agreed that we would proceed through the insurance company.”
He added, “We handled this process exactly as we should have, and in the end Mr. Cummings was paid 12x [times] more than his original estimate by our insurance company.”
