Repairing your vehicle from a car accident

After a car accident, usually the first and most immediate need is to repair your vehicle. In today’s society, a damaged or undriveable vehicle can have a serious financial impact, not to mention extreme inconvenience.

You may already have firsthand experience of how difficult it is trying to settle with the insurance company on a fair value amount for damage to your property. An adjuster is not your friendly insurance agent. You and the adjuster have conflicting goals: you want a full and fair recovery, and they want to pay you as little as possible.

Follow these steps to efficiently and effectively manage damage to your property:

1. Set up your insurance claim. Contact your own insurance company immediately. If you have collision coverage, let them take care of the property damage for you. You will pay the deductible out of your own pocket, but at least your car will be repaired in the shortest possible time. Your insurance company will collect the deductible from the at-fault party, for which you will eventually be reimbursed.

If you don’t have collision coverage (be sure to add this to your future insurance policy), contact the at-fault party’s insurance company (check driver’s exchange card or police report for information). Notify them in writing if necessary. You must continually remind them to follow and inspect the vehicle.

2. Document the damage. Take photos. Look for hidden damage under the vehicle. Videotape the damage. Have the vehicle inspected by an independent appraiser (let your lawyer recommend it to someone).

3. Cooperate with adjusters. Do not talk to the at-fault adjuster about how the accident happened unless their attorney is present (if you have one). However, let them get out and inspect the vehicle as soon as possible. Cooperation with both insurance companies is critical or you risk losing coverage. Have your lawyer present whenever someone asks you to describe the accident.

4. Question your assessment. Drive or have your car towed to another shop (or two) to have the damage assessed. Rarely are two appraisals identical.

5. If your car is totaled, know how much your car is worth. You are entitled to compensation for the “fair market value” of your car. Insurance companies are very sophisticated in determining the lowest possible value for your car. Contact several car dealerships and look for ads for cars similar to yours to determine if the values ​​they are using are accurate.

6. Don’t forget taxes, license and registration. If your car was totaled, you are also entitled to a refund of sales tax, registration, and license fees.

7. Remember the rental car. In many cases, an attorney can help you obtain a rental vehicle (on a lien basis) during the time your claim is being evaluated and your vehicle is being inspected. It is very important to keep the use of rental cars to an absolute minimum to maximize your recovery.