Car Stolen after already collecting insurance claim

I totalled my car in October of 2004 in Hartford. I didn't think it was totalled, but the cop and the body shop guy said it was. I took a taxi ride and stayed at my friend's dorm room because it was real late at night.

A police report was issued but it doesn't specifically say the car was totalled. When I went to the body shop the next day with my dad, the guy said he had "lost" the plates to the car. We reported the plates lost/stolen to the DMV and filed an insurance claim and collected for the full value of the car. We handed over the title to the insurance company, but we never cancelled the registration.

Fast forward to last week, we find out that the car wasn't totalled, and that it was impounded at some place and we have to pay $500+ to get it out. My mom is worried that we could be liable for anything that went on over the 15 month period where the car was being driven uninsured but registered to us. Are we liable for anything? Do we have to pay the bill for the impounded car?

If you don't want the car back , I would think not.

I don't understand how the insurance paid you for a stolen car that was totalled, though?

If you reported the plates stolen, the DMV would have cancled the registration too.

Journeyman said:

If you don't want the car back , I would think not.

I don't understand how the insurance paid you for a stolen car that was totalled, though?

Click to expand...

The car was totalled and was sitting at the body shop. The insurance company inspected it, deemed it was totalled and wrote a check. How could the insurance company lose the car? I don't know what happened. I expect something shady went on between the participants; the cop, the autobody guy, the insurance company. My friend in the car called AAA, but the fucking cop insisted he call this shady autobody company.

Journeyman said:

If you reported the plates stolen, the DMV would have cancled the registration too.

Click to expand...

How would the Hartford police station trace the car back to me then? If the registration was cancelled, the car would be some unidentifiable car and there would be nothing linked to me. Maybe since there was a police report involved, they were able to check some type of stolen car database? But then why would they issue a fine to me? Hopefully it's just a mixup.

If you reported the plates stoeln and the car totalled and the insurance paid you, i don't see how that could come back on you.

You think, the cop and the insurance co. were in on it?

Journeyman said:

If you reported the plates stoeln and the car totalled and the insurance paid you, i don't see how that could come back on you.

You think, the cop and the insurance co. were in on it?

Click to expand...

The cop called the autobody shop without my knowledge. My friend in the car called AAA, but we found out the cop already called his sketchy friends.