Property Damage Claims – More Information to Help You Navigate Your Car Accident Case

Needless to say, if you were involved in a car accident, your car was probably damaged in some way. Of course, how badly your car was damaged depends on the severity of the wreck. It will likely require some repairs, but how much will the repairs cost, and who will pay for them? You have questions and our attorneys have answers.

Will the other driver’s insurance cover the cost of my car repairs?

It is possible that the other driver’s insurance company will offer to pay for the damage, but that’s not always the case. Typically if there is a dispute over liability, ie. who caused the accident, the other insurance company will not pay for the property damage. More on this website

If you have purchased “collision coverage” from your own insurance provider then you can turn to your insurer to help cover some of the damages. In fact, it is entirely possible that your own insurance company will offer you a better service than the other drivers. As long as the repairs to the car do not add up to more than the value of the car pre-accident, the insurance company should cover the cost. But that’s not all.

What is a diminution in value?

It is important to remember that the insurance company should not only pay you for repairs to the car but also for the car’s diminution in value. After an accident, your car will be less valuable than it was before the accident. A car that has undergone repairs will never be as valuable as one which never needed repairs. This loss in value is known as diminution in value. Unfortunately, proving diminution in value is a difficult task. Obtaining an affidavit from your repair shop might prove useful. More on this webpage

What happens if my insurance provider determines that my car is totaled?

After a mechanic assesses the damage to your car and decides how much it will cost to repair it, your insurance company will decide if it is cost-efficient to pay for those repairs. If the cost of repairing your car is more than 80 percent of the blue book value of the car they may decide to total the car. What happens next is that your insurer will pay you approximately the amount of money you would have received for the car the day before the accident occurred, ie the book value. Your insurance company may not necessarily offer a number that you think is fair. Sometimes an affidavit from the mechanic can be helpful. In all cases, the process can be made simpler if you seek the assistance of a skilled attorney. Without an attorney, you may wonder if you are being taken advantage of. A good car accident lawyer can alleviate some of those worries.

For more information about what to do following your car accident, give us a call today.