How to Handle a Kentucky Car Wreck Claim (Without Hiring a Lawyer) Part III
Posted by
Daryl DixonFebruary 11, 2008 10:58 PMIn the last article we discussed what to do after the crash in a Kentucky Auto Accident Case. This article focuses on taking care of your vehicle.
As soon as practicable after the wreck contact your insurance company and the insurance company of the other party. In my case, and this happens from time to time, me and the at fault driver have the same carrier. Do not let this spook you as two different departments of the same insurance company will be handling the different parts of the claim.
In most Personal Injury Cases such as this I do not handle the Property Damage or the damage to the vehicle and its contents unless a client really needs my help. Most of the time this is a part of your claim that you do not need a lawyer to handle.
So you need to report your claim to the Insurance Company(s). The insurance company will send out an adjuster to look at your car and prepare and estimate to fix it. The Insurance Company is supposed to pay you for the Actual Cash Value of your car at the time of the wreck. There is no set way to figure this so sometimes it may take some research and some negotiating before you can settle on an amount.
In my case, me and the adjuster negotiated for several days but then we settled on a fair amount. In some cases, such as mine, if the repairs exceed or are 80% of the actual cash value of the car's worth, then the insurance adjuster will deem the car a total loss.
So be prepared if this takes some time to figure out. It is a good idea to have good rental car expenses figured into your Auto Insurance. Then if your car is a total loss, like mine, you will have enough time to find you a new vehicle. It is also good to have "Gap Insurance" that covers the difference in the Actual Cash Value of the Car and what you might still owe. You normally buy Gap Insurance when you purchase the car. Ask dealers and Insurance agents for more tips on this.
Sometimes this can be the most hectic and frustating part of handling a Kentucky Car Wreck Case on your own. Be patient and when things don't go as you had hoped, remember....this too shall pass.
Now that we have discussed the Property Damage and Total Loss.....we will examine in the next article the Bodily Injury Component of your Kentucky Car Wreck Case.