An insured driver expects to obtain financial assistance, when that same driver needs to repair a vehicle that was damaged in a car accident. How can insured drivers go after such financial help?

Who must pay for the repairs?

Normally, the insurance company of the responsible driver pays for any repair work on the damaged vehicles. Of course, that assumes that the responsible driver had purchased an automobile insurance policy. If the driver-at-fault had not invested in car insurance, then the company ensuring the hit vehicle needs to cover the cost of the repairs. Still, that company does not pay the full cost. The insured driver needs to pay the designated deductible. Once that has been paid, the driver’s insurance company takes care of whatever amount remains unpaid.

In cases where the responsible driver does not have a car insurance policy, the other motorist should refrain from offering to make an out-of-pocket payment. Personal Injury Lawyer in Kingston knows that it could confuse the determination of who should be held at-fault for that particular accident.

The 3 steps to the repair process

The insurance adjuster inspects the damaged vehicle. That can serve as a check on the allegations made by the claimant. For instance, the location of the damage should serve as confirmation of the claimant’s allegations. Suppose that an insurance agency has been told that one of its policyholders has been named at-fault for a given accident. In response to that claim, the insurance adjuster goes to inspect the damage on the policyholder’s vehicle. That action brings to light the mistaken claims, regarding who should be blamed for that particular collision.

Picture this: The adjuster finds that the bulk of the damage is on the left side of the policyholder’s car, in the region near the driver’s seat. That sort of damage could only have been made if another vehicle had banged into the policyholder’s car. The second step, the assessment of damage offers no basis for the allegations that the claimant has made in the demand letter. The adjuster refuses to negotiate with the claimant. The allegedly responsible driver has been freed from liability concerns.

The third step in the repair process involves payment of the repair costs. The insurance company pays the policyholder the amount of money that matches with a submitted estimate. A repair shop of the policyholder’s choosing makes the estimate that gets handed to the adjuster.

The policyholder picks the repair shop that will be asked for the estimate. Some policyholders elect to save money by using a different repair shop, when it comes time to have the repairs completed. Policyholders might take that action, if a different repair shop is known to charge less for the same quality of work.