If an accident has caused a vehicle to undergo a large amount of damage, the insurance company might declare that same vehicle to be totaled. When that happens, the insurer has some of the company’s employees value the damaged vehicle.
Who pays for the damage if the car can be repaired?
The rules vary, depending on how a state deals with at-fault drivers. In a no-fault state the driver’s insurance pays for damages, unless the state has allowed the vehicle’s owner to go after the responsible driver. Of course, if the responsible driver is uninsured, then the other driver’s insurance must cover the cost of the damage.
In an at-fault state, the liability of the involved drivers gets determined by evidence of which driver was more careless. If a driver has purchased collision coverage, then the needed repairs to that driver’s car might be covered by the insurance company.
The extent of any coverage offered by an insurance company depends on the limit that has been stated in the purchased policy. Moreover, an insurance company could change the provisions in its policy, after it had paid for damages that were the fault of the policy holder.
What happens if the damaged vehicle is declared a total loss by the insurance company?
When that is the case, then the insurer gives the vehicle’s owner an amount of money that equals the fair market value. The fair market value is the one given in the blue book. The insurer delivers that amount of money to a damaged car’s owner, because it has the legal right to take that damaged automobile. Insurance companies have the right to buy and pay for repairs to such a set-of-wheels, and then to sell that repaired auto as salvage.
The holder of the insurance policy has the right to question the figure that the insurer has given as the value of the damaged automobile. Of course, the insurer has the right to request proof of the value suggested by the policy holder/auto owner.
So, how can a car owner provide proof of the fact that the car’s value exceeds the value stated by the insurer? Evidence that serves as the desired proof can be obtained in 2 ways. Smart car owners take pictures of their automobile, especially if it has received any sort of upgrade. After a car gets damaged, the car’s owner has the right to get it appraised. That means paying for a private appraiser.
Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener knows that if photographs show the existence of upgrades on the now-damaged vehicle, and if appraiser’s estimated value exceeds the one declared by the insurance company, then the requested proof has been produced. In other words, the insurer’s request has been satisfied.