Learn What To Do If You Cause Property Damage While Operating A Vehicle
Posted on: 16 August 2017
When you are involved in an accident where private property is damaged, it can be hard to know what to do. It can often be very expensive to repair private property and thus making a claim with your auto insurance company will be the best option to consider. The guide below walks you through the steps to take when you need to make a claim for damage to private property where you are at fault.
Have an Accident Report Created
The first thing that you need to do is have an accident report created. If you are not cited for any criminal wrongdoing, you still need to have a police officer create an accident report for what happened when you were driving the car. This will allow the insurance company to determine what happened during the accident so that they can know that you were the one who was at fault for the incident.
Contact Your Insurance Company Right Away
Before your car is hauled away from the scene, you need to contact your insurance company to let them know what happened. Many insurance companies want to send an insurance adjuster to the scene of an accident where property damage is involved before any of the vehicles are moved. This is so that they can prove what damage was caused by your vehicle and what damage may have been there before the accident occurred. It is also to annotate the damage that is visible right after the accident so that the property owner cannot claim damages later on down the road that had nothing to do with the accident.
Determine If You Will Have to Pay for Any of the Repairs Out of Pocket
When you have auto insurance, you have to pay a deductible before the insurance company pays for anything. After you pay your deductible, the insurance company will only cover up to a certain dollar amount in repairs. This means that you could still end up paying for some of the repairs out of your own pocket. The insurance adjuster will assess the repairs that need to be made and let the homeowner know how much the company is willing to spend on the repairs. Any more repairs that need to be done, you will be responsible for paying.
After you are involved in an accident that involves property damage, it is common for your insurance rates to increase. This is because the company now views you as a high-risk policy holder and does not want to risk losing money if you are involved in an accident in the future. Contact an agency, like Oliveira Insurance Agency, for more help.
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