Car Body Repairs

After a crash, repairs to your car will probably be a high priority. The sooner your car accident repairs are completed, the sooner you can be back on the road.

Car Body Repairs and Insurance Compensation

Your car may need extensive crash repairs after an accident. The payment for these car accident repairs will most likely come from one of three sources:

• The other driver's insurance company
• Your own collision coverage
• Your policy's uninsured motorist coverage--if the other driver has no insurance or can't be identified.

The other driver's insurance company will pay if they're willing to accept that their policyholder was at fault. This determination may take a few weeks, so if you'd like your crash repairs to happen right away, you may want a more immediate option.

No matter who was at fault, your own insurance company will pay for your car body repairs as long as you've paid your deductible. Your company will reimburse you for your deductible if the other company eventually pays. Bear in mind that you must report all accidents to your insurance company, even if you don't require extensive crash repairs.

If the other driver has no insurance, your own company will typically pay for your car accident repairs under your uninsured motorist coverage.

Car Body Repairs: Levels of Damage

Action on your part will determine on the level of damage your vehicle sustained. Your car may be drivable, not drivable or totaled:

• If your car is drivable, contact the other driver's insurance company. They will examine your car and provide you with an estimate for your car body repairs. If their estimate doesn't coincide with your body shop's estimate, have the shop manager talk to the insurance provider.
• If your car is not drivable, the insurance company will send a representative to the body shop where your car was towed. If your car accident repairs are likely to cost more than the market value of your car, the insurance provider will pay you either the fair market value or the cost of the crash repairs--whichever is less.
• If your car was totaled, this means that the damaged sustained would cost more to repair than a certain percentage of the vehicle's value. In this situation, the auto insurance company would likely provide you money to purchase a similar vehicle.

If you disagree with any of the determinations of your insurance company, you may want to contact a lawyer to intervene on your behalf.