How to Evaluate Damages After a Car Accident

Immediately fix damage that may worsen before your claim goes though. If your vehicle is still drivable, but has damage that may cause further damage to the vehicle if it is driven, your first step should be to get this damage taken care of. For example, if your sunroof doesn't close, you'll need to get that fixed or risk water damage. However, only get this fixed after contacting your insurance provider. Call them and report that your vehicle requires immediate repair. They will tell you what to do next. Typically, they will require you to take and send in photos of the damage and get a repair shop to validate that the repairs were indeed required.

• Keep all receipts of any repairs you have done during this time.
• Insurance providers are not responsible for post-accident, preventable damage, so make sure you get any issues like this repaired.^[6]

Get a repairs estimate. After taking care of the critical damage to your vehicle, you should get a repair shop, or several of them, to estimate the cost of repairing your vehicle. Ask the shop for a detailed, written estimate of what repairs will be done and the cost of performing each. This information will be critical later on in making sure you get enough from your insurance provider to cover repairs.^[7]

Call your insurance company as soon as possible to file a claim. Call the relevant insurance company within 24 hours of the accident. Let the representative know that you have pictures of the accident, as well as a list of damaged personal property. An adjuster will then contact you for more information. Prevent your account of the crash objectively, without guessing or speculating as to what happened. This information will be used to figure out who is at fault for the crash (and who is financially responsible for it).

• If you were at fault for the accident, you will have to call your own insurer. If you were not, call the insurer of the guilty party.^[8]
• You may also have to make an appointment for a claims adjuster to look at your vehicle. Schedule this visit as soon as possible so that you can get your car accident damages determined quickly.
• Alternately, the insurance provider will have you visit an authorized repair shop to get a repairs estimate.^[9]

Wait for the adjusters' judgment. Adjusters for both your insurance company and that of the other person involved in the crash will be working to determine fault and the damages caused. If the crash was clearly one person's fault, that person's insurance will have to pay for the damage. If you are not at fault, you will need to file a claim with the other driver's insurance provider. If your claim is disputed, you will need to hire a lawyer to protect your interests. While they may pressure you into providing a recorded statement, it is not required, and can be used against you down the road, so avoid it at all costs.

• If the crash was your fault, your insurer will pay for damages to your vehicle and others involved in the crash. At this point, the adjuster will determine a payment for repairs to your vehicle after assessing damage and repair costs.^[10]

Dispute the adjuster's estimate. The adjuster's job is to save the company money by offering the lowest amount you will take. They also expect you to ask for more than their initial offer, so be prepared to negotiate with them up to the limit that they are authorized to provide to you. Try using your repair shop estimates to work up the amount of your claim. In addition, you can incorporate additional sourcing and labor costs if your car is particularly old, rare, or otherwise expensive to repair.^[11]

Know the limits of your policy, as well as the maximum amount that your state allows to be paid in car accident damages. Each state has a different set of laws that specify how much may be paid out in car insurance claims. This is especially true with regards to damages that extend beyond car damage (like medical bill and emotional distress).^[12]

• Realize that you cannot get a payment for repairs equal to or greater than about half of the value of your car. This is because anything over this value is considered a total loss. At this point, the insurer will not repair the car, but will provide you with an amount equal to the market value of your car before the accident.
• If you want to keep your car, make sure not to negotiate a payment higher than this amount.
• The exact percentage varies between insurers, but marking a payment of 50 percent of the car's value or greater as a total loss is common.^[13]

Check for diminished value coverage. Diminished value coverage provides you with an additional payment for the loss of value your car will experience after being in a car accident. Each insurance agency figures out this value differently, but you can estimate your car's loss in value to see how much you might get. See how to calculate diminished value for more information.^[14]

Be aware that you can get compensated for more than just damage to your car and medical bills. You may also receive money for loss of income, emotional loss, or permanent physical injuries. Keep track of the days that you have taken off work due to your injuries or doctor appointments related to the accident. Keep track of your medical bills, collecting doctor notes and itemized bills when possible.

• Obtaining payment for medical bills directly after the accident and loss of income from an insurer is fairly easy, as these can easily be quantified; however, if you are going to seek ongoing treatment or general damages payments (like emotional distress), you may want to retain an attorney.^[15]
• General damages are usually calculated using a multiple based on the severity of the injuries. Your medical bills are then multiplied by this number to arrive at a settlement amount. For example, a relatively non-serious injury might have a multiple of two, whereas very serious injuries may have one as high as 10.^[16]