Collision coverage kicks in after any kind of collision - no matter the circumstances
When officers got to the scene of the crash, the SUV they found seemed as if it had tried to drive up the utility pole it was attached to. The nose of the vehicle was nearly six feet from the ground and the passengers involved were forced to jump down out of the car. Police reported that the driver of the SUV had lost control and as they headed for the utility pole, it got stuck up the guide wires and they guided it right up the pole. Most utility poles have some kind of guide wire so it wasn’t a rare occurrence for this one to be present. It was slightly odd that the SUV decided to crawl up the pole though. Luckily, the passengers only received minor injuries and it is not yet known if the pole sustained a large amount of damage.
It is likely that the SUV did have some damage and hopefully the driver has some form of collision insurance because the next step will be filing a claim against that portion of her policy. Collision insurance is going to cover any kind of damage that results from colliding with another object, regardless of fault. Even if you are the only person involved in the accident, there is a chance that you may come across some problems during the claims process.
Contacting the Insurance Company
You should already know that anytime you have an accident, one of the first things you should do it contact your insurance company if you feel that the claim is large enough to make. In the case of the Des Moines accident, we are going to assume that when you run your car up a telephone pole that you will have a good bit of damage, probably to the undercarriage of the car. Once you file your claim your insurance company is going to want to send an adjuster out to look at the damage before they can accurately tell you how much money they can provide to fix this. You will need to remember that a settlement amount is going to be susceptible to your deductible first so if you think that the damage doesn’t even exceed your deductible, it may not be worth it to call the insurance company seeing as how you are going to have to pay for the damage out of pocket anyway.
Potential Problems When Filing a Claim for Collision Coverage
The Auto Body Shop
But if it’s obvious that you are going to meet and surpass your deductible, be prepared for a variety of things that could happen. When you contact the insurance company they may ask that you do one of two things, either get an adjustment yourself or they will send a representative to look at the damage. Let’s say that you get an estimate and go back to the insurance company and they agree that this is a reasonable estimate to fix your car. They then tell you that they will contact you with a place to take your car to get it fixed. When they come back with the auto body shop though, you are none too pleased. You have encountered a potential problem. But rest assured, you don’t have to use that auto body shop if you don’t want to but you should be aware that most insurers will use a reputable shop and have a long term relationship with them. You never know, there shop may end up being cheaper than the one you went to.
The Number of Estimates
But you may have not even gotten there. The insurance company wants you to get an estimate to fix your car but then they want you to get two or three estimates. Who has time for that? This is what you do. Get your first estimate from a shop that you know and trust and if the insurance company continues to ask for an additional estimate, ask that they send an adjustor out. If they cannot do that, you can go to another shop that may or may not give you the same price. With this information, you can then go back to the insurance company with two various opinions on what it cost to get your car fixed.
The Finished Product
Ultimately, it will feel great to get your car back on the road and in working condition but you must know that sometimes, not all
claims processes go as smoothly as possible. Under your collision coverage, you may have a large deductible which you could end up paying all of if you have a large amount of damage. Be sure you aware of your policy limits and deductibles and adjust them according to what’s happening in your life. If you reach a point where you can afford a higher deductible, raising it could lower your premiums. But just be sure that you have that amount in emergency savings so that if you ever find yourself driving up a utility pole, the fall back down to earth won’t be so far.
