Tips for Getting Your Car Fixed After a Colorado Car Crash

As experienced personal injury lawyers, the attorneys of the Springs Law Group are here to help injury victims obtain fair and just compensation. However, much of the time, when people are suffering after a car accident, their first priority is getting their car fixed and back on the road. A vehicle is often the sole source of transportation for the family, and it may also be the key to getting medical care, getting to work, and earning a living.

For this reason, our office often helps clients with the tedious issues that can come up when trying to get a car fixed after a Colorado car accident. Here are some simple tips to help you with your property damage claim.

Carry the Right Insurance

If you carry the State Mandated Minimum Insurance coverage, you are not actually insuring yourself – you are insuring everyone else. Here’s how it works. You’ve probably heard of “liability only.” This means if you injure someone else or damage their vehicle, you have coverage to pay for their injuries and damages. You have no insurance to pay for yourself. If you are involved in a crash and your car is badly damaged or totaled (damaged beyond repair), then you would be at the mercy of the other driver’s insurance company to get it fixed or replaced (assuming the other driver was at fault and carried sufficient coverage).

So the lesson is this: if you’d be fine without your car for a few weeks while it gets assessed, repaired, or replaced, then you may not need collision coverage on your car. But if going without it for several weeks would be devastating, make sure you carry collision insurance. The same goes for rental reimbursement coverage.

Consider AAA or Be Prepared to Move Your Car

If possible, do not have your car towed to a storage lot. If you are able to move it and it is safe to drive, take your vehicle home, then go to the hospital. If you are badly injured and must take an ambulance, then your car may need to be towed. If someone you know can move it, great. If not, and it is towed, try to pay the towing company to release your vehicle as soon as possible, preferably within a couple of days. It may cost you a few hundred dollars, but unless you have collision coverage through your own insurance company, you could face difficulties later when dealing with the other driver’s insurance company, as they often try to reduce your compensation by the amount of storage that accrued. Having AAA or some other towing and roadside assistance plan can make this much more affordable.

Act Quickly

Finally, the easiest advice is to act fast. If you contact an attorney within the first day or two after an accident, you are in the best position to take the appropriate steps in your unique case. The longer you wait, the more problems can pop up and give you grief.

For help after a Colorado Springs car accident, call the attorneys of the Springs Law Group to schedule a free case consultation.