This guide explains how to get your car repaired after an accident. Keep in mind that your insurance company may follow different procedures, so be sure to consult with them before taking any action.
First, If your car is still drivable and does not require a tow truck, you should contact both your insurance company and the insurance provider for the person who hit you to arrange for adjusters to inspect the damage. However, it is best to speak with an attorney before contacting any insurance company. As a precaution, be sure to take plenty of detailed photos of the damage for your own records as soon as possible after the crash. If you need to dispute anything later, you will be glad you did.
After you receive damage estimates from the adjusters, you should take your car to a body shop of your choice and request a repair estimate. If the body shop’s estimate is higher than the amount projected by the insurance company, you can ask the shop to contact the insurance company on your behalf. Once an agreement is reached on the cost of repairs, the insurance company will typically issue payment to cover those repairs.
If your car is not drivable and requires a tow truck, the towing company may keep your vehicle on its lot or send it to storage or a salvage yard. Do not let the term “salvage yard” alarm you. In many cases, it is simply a place where your car is kept safely until the insurance company sends an adjuster to inspect the damage in person. After the adjuster completes the inspection, the insurance company will determine whether the vehicle should be repaired or declared a total loss.
If your car is being stored at a tow lot or salvage yard, it is important to have it moved as soon as possible to avoid expensive daily storage fees.
Sometimes an insurance adjuster may determine that the cost to repair your car is greater than the car’s value. When that happens, the vehicle is considered a total loss. If your car is totaled, you generally have two options. You can keep the car and accept payment for its value minus the salvage value, or you can accept payment for the full value of the car and allow the insurance company to take possession of the vehicle for disposal or salvage.
Unless you operate your own junkyard, most people choose the second option. If you do, you will typically need to sign over the car’s title and provide a statement of the odometer reading so the insurance company can lawfully dispose of it. Once the insurance company pays you for the totaled vehicle, you can use that payment toward purchasing a replacement.
Call Negem & Worthington at (903) 595-4466 or click here for more information.