Getting your car repaired is generally one of the first things most people will do in a car crash. It’s essential that everyone get back on the road as soon as possible because they need the car for a number of reasons; getting back and forth to work, going to the store, picking up children and just living their daily lives. However, in a car crash, property damage takes on a different context. The main reason for this is that many people believe in order for someone to be injured in a car crash that a certain amount of property damage must be visible to the human eye. While medical science doesn’t show that to be true, in fact, it shows it to be quite the opposite, everyone has different injury tolerances.
One of the things that can mislead a jury into thinking there is only a slight amount of property damage or none at all, are the plastic bumper covers that commonly cover all or part of the bumpers of vehicles on the road today. You should know that plastic bumper covers are intended to bend in case there is a significant impact. Thus, many times, if someone was to actually take off the plastic bumper cover they would see that there is lots of bent and damaged steel because of the forces that were involved in the crash.
It is vitally important for someone to fully and completely have their car repaired. One of the things in today’s economic times that some people will do is they will see a minimal amount of damage to their car, they will be paid in order to repair it and will then not get the car repaired because it may still be drivable and doesn’t look like there is very much damage, due to the plastic bumper cover hiding the real damage. However, this will have very serious consequences when someone goes to sell a car, turn in a lease or is in a car crash case. It is vitally important in an auto accident case for someone to actually have the bumper repaired, which means that the body shop would then completely take it off and either replace or paint and/or repair that cover. Once the cover is taken off the vehicle, the body repair person will be able to see if there is any additional damage underneath and if so, will then write a supplemental estimate of repair. A correct assessment of the property damage is vitally important to your injury case and is information both the insurance company and a jury needs to know.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident, call us at Christopher Ligori & Associates at 877-444-2929 and we will be happy to assist you with your loss wage claim, as well as your bodily injury claim, under-insured motorist claim, property damage and/or any other type of claim that you are entitled to make.
To read part 2 click here.
