Getting Your Car Fixed After a Accident

Answer:

Did you know that the most common problem people have a after a crash is getting their car fixed? Even though there are lots of people who get hurt, most crashes are fender benders without serious injuries.

Please, always get checked out by a doctor after a crash. But after that, how are you going to get the damage to your car paid for?

It’s a question that seems like it should be pretty straightforward, but really, there is a lot that goes into property damage.

There are usually two options to getting paid for your property damage. The first option depends completely on who is at-fault for the crash. The second option depends on whether you bought the right kind of coverage from your own insurance company.

In a crash that was 100% the other person’s fault—for instance, if you were sitting at a red light and got hit from behind, your property damage would be paid for by the insurance of the car that hit you.

But, if that insurance company tries to put some fault on you for the crash, they may not offer 100% of your damages.

For example, if somebody turned left in front of you, they’re going to try and say that you were going too fast and may try to get away with only paying 80% of your damage. This pops up in cases like T-bone accidents, red light accidents, and sometimes four-way stops. In those cases, even though it might seem like the other car was completely at fault, insurance companies like to claim that you have some of the fault. They always try to save as much money as they can.

We generally don’t want to deal with companies on property damages that try to evade full payment. Instead, we’ll include that amount in litigation over your injury claim.

Some people involved in accidents need the money as soon as possible to replace their car, pay off their loans, and tend to other financial matters. For these people, lack of a full payout can become a big problem. In such cases, the second way to get your property damage paid for is through your own insurance policy, but only if you included collision coverage on your policy.

Collision coverage pays for your car regardless who’s at-fault in a crash, except for a small deductible. After your insurance company pays the amount, they’ll attempt to get their money back from the insurance that covers personal fault.

Give me a call if you have any questions. I’m happy to talk with you for free to see if I can help you sort out your property damage claim.