Steps Toward Resolving A Car Accident Property Claim

Receive an Estimate

If you have been in a car accident and your care is able to be repaired, you need to take it into your shop of choice to get an estimate. Even if the insurance company recommends a particular shop, you have the right to seek out a second opinion. 

Get the Fair Market Value for Your Car

If you don’t know this, take note. It is important. You are very much entitled to the fair market value for your vehicle.

Yes, even if the insurance company has deemed your car totaled. However, your car is only considered “totaled” if it costs more to repair it than its value. You can use the internet to search for the cost of a comparable vehicle to estimate the market value. 

Claim the Loss

You are well within your right to claim the loss of your ability to use the vehicle from the time of the accident until it has been repaired. This is able to be done regardless of whether or not you rent a substitute vehicle. 

Don’t Let Your Insurance Company Use Your Property Damage Claim as Leverage

Obviously, you rely upon your vehicle for basically everything. However, being without it because of a car accident can be considered a hardship. The insurance company has a duty to resolve your claim within a short period of time. 

This is unless there is a dispute in regard to who is at fault, or a hit and run scenario. If both of the people in the accident have suffered injury and property damage as a result of it, the insurance company is forbidden to delay the settlement.  

Get an Attorney to Recover All of Your Damages

With property damage claims becoming more prevalent than ever, insurance companies are only getting more aggressive as time goes by. In previous times, most people were able to resolve their claims for property damage on their own with the insurance company. However, insurance companies are only becoming more and more difficult to deal with. 

That is why it is becoming very much necessary to obtain an attorney. 

Your attorney will be able to assist you with recovering all of the damage you have suffered as a result of your car accident. This is even more important if you have suffered injuries, as well as property damage, in the accident. If you feel as if you have been treated unfairly, contact Duncan Firm today.