Who Pays To Fix Your Car If You Have Been In An Automobile Accident?

If you've been in an automobile accident that was caused by someone else's carelessness, your car is probably damaged. It may even be damaged so badly that you can't drive it. Aside from recovering from your injuries, your most immediate concern may be figuring out how to get your car fixed. Deciding how to fix your car means you have to decide who is going to pay to fix your car.

You have three options to decide who is going to fix your car. Which option is best depends on your situation. To help you decide between these options, you may want to consult with an automobile accident lawyer who represents people who have been injured in automobile accidents, or you may want to try to learn more by reading a book on the subject.

THE CAR CAN BE FIXED USING YOUR MONEY

Your first option is the one you always have for anything - if you've got the money, you can pay for it yourself. If you do this, keep all the paperwork associated with the repair, including the amount you paid and what work was done. These costs will be presented, along with your other damages, to the negligent driver's insurance company.

The downside, of course, is that you have to pay money. An advantage is that you do not have to talk to an insurance company, and worry about making a misstatement that may hurt your chances in a lawsuit later.

YOUR CAR INSURANCE COMPANY CAN PROVIDE THE MONEY FOR ANY REPAIRS

Second, you can have your insurance company pay for the repairs. If your car insurance company pays for the repairs, you would be responsible for any deductible. You could then include in the costs that are presented to the other side's insurance company if you submit a claim to them or file a lawsuit.

If you ask your own insurance company to pay for the repairs, you need to make sure you make it clear to your insurance company that the other driver was responsible. If you give them a written statement, make sure it is complete and accurate - you may hurt your ability to bring a claim later if you don't.

YOU CAN HAVE THE OTHER DRIVER'S INSURANCE COMPANY PAY FOR THE REPAIRS

Third, you can try to have the other driver's insurance company pay for it. It may look like this is the best option - after all, the other driver caused the accident.

There are, however, pitfalls with this. The insurance company for the other driver is not going to volunteer to pay to fix your car unless it's clear to them that they have to. As a result, they may use this process to collect information to damage a future lawsuit you may want to file based on your injuries by asking you to give a recorded statement and using that against you later. This can be a dangerous process, that you may want to navigate only with the help of a car accident lawyer.


------

Matt Kaiser is an attorney who represents people who have been injured in automobile accidents in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. He has written a book about car accidents for people to read before they hire a lawyer or sign insurance forms. Maryland and D.C. residents can get a free copy of this book at
http://www.personal-injury-dc.com