When a person is in a fight-or-flight mode right after an incident, it’s easier to blame the other party.
However, at times, there is no other party in the incident to blame. That’s because, at times, you’re responsible for your car’s damage.
There’s no shame in admitting if your negligence caused some destruction to your car. However, you need to know that your insurance policy can help cover some of the damages to your vehicle. Your insurance policy might also cover the damages caused by your car in some instances.
Due to a lack of awareness about insurance policies, people end up not claiming them. If you want to be well-prepared for a situation like this, read this article. It might help you understand insurance claims in detail.
This article aims to build upon which neglectful acts are covered under which policies. Moreover, we’ll also discuss when your insurance policy might deny you the claim. Such information is crucial to avoid getting further tangled in a legal situation.
The article will also elaborate on whether you need a team of professional attorneys when you claim Sacramento. Hence, if you’re ready to learn the intricate procedures associated with self-inflicted vehicle damages, keep reading.
Which Type of Insurance Would
Cover My Vehicle’s Damages?
Insurance companies are well aware of human nature. They are sometimes more aware of how people react and what makes them tick than the person themself. After all, that’s how they sell their insurance policies to the masses.
Due to this incredible and in-depth knowledge regarding human nature and psyche, it’s evident that the policies insurance companies devise encompass these insights. Therefore, some insurance policies cover self-inflicted vehicle damage. However, these policies might cover only a specific type of damage.
Please know that by self-inflicted, we aren’t indicating any blame or intention of inflicting the damage. Instead, such injuries are simply addressing that there wasn’t another at-fault party involved in the incident.
Collision Coverage
If your vehicle had been in a collision or crash, whether another party was absent or present, collision insurance would cover your car’s damage.
However, you must have this type of insurance policy to claim it. Moreover, if the collision was another party’s fault, they are likely responsible for paying for the vehicle damages.
Collision coverage is the most beneficial when colliding accidentally with a stationary object. The changing cityscape of Sacramento can provide such opportunities for collision. Fire hydrants, poles, giant trees, etc., are everyday objects against which people likely collide with their cars.
Collision coverage also covers single-vehicle accidents. For instance, collision insurance can take care of its repairs if your car rolls over, tipped, and totaled.
You might get involved in an accident where you bumped into someone else’s vehicle. In such cases, even in the presence of another driver, you’re at fault. Hence, collision coverage will cover the costs associated with your car’s repairs. However, it would be best if you also understood that the cap on your policy would limit the repair payment.
Often, when you’re in a car accident where a third party is involved, collision coverage can cover your vehicle repair expenses. Such instances are expected when the other at-fault driver is uninsured. In California, an uninsured driver must pay the penalty and can be punished with other suspensions as well.
Liability Coverage
Your auto insurance has liability coverage as a separate part that pays for destructions caused by your actions. Hence, if you were in an incident where you were at fault and caused someone harm, your liability insurance will cover the costs up to your policy’s upper limit.
However, liability coverage comes into the equation when the other party involved in the accident claims for it. Your insurance will reimburse the expenses on repairs required due to the damages from the accident you were involved in.
There are two different liability coverage. However, these categories comply with common claims that surface after an auto accident.
Bodily Injury Coverage
This liability coverage is responsible for paying expenses regarding the bodily harm the other party sustained. Injuries and medical bills regarding related tests are a part of this coverage. Moreover, suppose the other party had to miss work due to these injuries. In that case, lost wages are also covered by bodily injury liability coverage.
Property Damage Coverage
This liability coverage concerns the property damage the other party went through. Hence, all the expenses associated with the repairs and replacements of the third party’s vehicles are covered by property damage coverage.
In addition to vehicle repairs and parts replacements, this liability coverage also pays for structural damage you might have caused. For instance, if your car collided with someone else’s fence, property damage liability insurance will bear the cost of its repair or replacement.
Comprehensive Coverage
So what if you haven’t been in a collision and aren’t at fault for your vehicle’s damage? Is there no insurance policy covering the repairs in such cases? There sure is.
Comprehensive coverage is an optional auto insurance policy that covers your car’s repairs in no-collision cases. These situations include destructive events such as vandalism, auto theft, natural disasters, fire hazard, etc. Even if an animal or a falling object destroys your car, comprehensive coverage will cover the repair and replacement costs.
Full Coverage
The above three insurance policies are products that insurance companies sell individually or combined to customers. However, when all three policies are sold in a package, that’s known as full coverage.
Hence, full coverage does not mean the insurance company covers every customer’s possession. Instead, full coverage refers to a package where all the auto insurance products: collision coverage, liability coverage, and comprehensive coverage, are included.
People often confuse full coverage with comprehensive coverage due to the similarity in the literal meaning of the terms. However, comprehensive coverage is a product that customers can purchase separately or as part of full coverage.
Despite the in-depth coverage that insurance companies offer their clients, there are some instances when insurance policies won’t cover your vehicle damages. Vehicle owners must be aware of these circumstances to avoid getting into them, falsely believing that their insurance will cover them.
Here are some of these prevalent instances:
Committing Insurance Fraud
People often commit insurance fraud to get their insurance money, with which they cover their other transactions or expenses. Insurance fraud is committed when you purposely damage your car to get your insurance money. In other terms, you intentionally damage the vehicle to gain an insurance sum.
Damaging the Car Purposefully
People often end up damaging the car in the act of rage. Whether you were helplessly drunk or absolutely out of control due to blinding rage, your insurance policy won’t cover such damages if you damage your car in such situations. The insurance company covers accidents, not planned-out traps, and fraudulent behaviors.
Breaking the Law
Suppose by any means you were involved in a law-breaking activity that caused damage to your car. In that case, the insurance company won’t pay your expenses. Hence, if you broke the traffic law or were speeding that caused your vehicle to tip over, the repairs are on you. Moreover, driving under the influence is also a severe crime that numerous people get involved in and get hurt, totaling their cars.
Not Having Relevant Policy
Another thing that every vehicle owner must understand is that if your auto insurance doesn’t include a specific policy, your insurance company won’t be responsible for paying those expenses.
For instance, California requires drivers to have a primary liability and collision coverage policy. However, if you want to claim your insurance for bearing the expense of vandalism, you must have comprehensive coverage.
You must also know the policy limits and the clauses that are part of your insurance coverage. Sometimes, specific policies need to cover certain things and are left for additional purchases. Thus, knowing our insurance policy and its clauses in and out can help you drive more responsibly and take necessary actions in situations.
Things to Know Before You Make an Insurance Claim
Before making an insurance claim on your own insurance company, you must be sure that the incident occurred because of your fault. When no other entity is present, it’s easy to assume that your negligence caused the incident. However, that’s only sometimes the case.
Single-vehicle accidents can also occur because of faulty car parts, which your car’s manufacturing company should pay for your repairs. In contrast, if another person’s speeding caused the incident, even if they didn’t collide, they are technically at fault.
Knowing with certainty that you are at fault for your vehicle’s collision is necessary before you claim the insurance. Otherwise, you can claim liability insurance on the at-fault driver.
Do You Need a Lawyer to Claim Your Insurance?
Some people recommend having a lawyer when claiming your insurance policy. However, that might only sometimes be necessary.
You must ensure certain things before seeking a lawyer to claim your insurance.
- How much is your insurance policy giving you to cover your repair cost?
- Will this insurance sum cover the expenses, or will you bear some of the cost?
- If you hire a lawyer, will the insurance money claim be enough to cover the cost of your repairs and your attorney?
It would help if you asked yourself these questions because, numerous times, insurance companies are empathic and reasonable. They give their clients the exact money required to cover the repair costs. Moreover, these repairs are sometimes minor, not needing a legal team’s intervention.
However, there are instances where the insurance companies refuse to bear the cost of repairs and replacement or pay partially. In such cases, hiring auto insurance lawyers can severely help your case. Various times clients have gotten more than they asked for because lawyers have an eye for detail and can instantly note other payable damages that a layperson can’t.
You must know if you can bear the cost of hiring an attorney. Most attorneys now ask for contingency fees. Hence, you’d be paying a percentage of your claimed insurance if you win the case.
Clarifying your case’s financial structure will aid you in making wise and informed decisions.
Call Ashley Injury Lawyers Today
Sacramento county is a populated town with automobile accidents regularly occurring in bulk. Therefore, courtrooms are filled with ample applications and settlement cases, some of which never get the date. In fact, since 2000, the pothole incidents settlement rate in Sacramento County has stood at 14%.
In such cases, if you require an immediate solution, your best bet is an experienced and proficient lawyer who is so good at their job that they get you justice in time. It would help if you also had an attorney who cares for you and your claim instead of worrying about your share. Such attorneys will always have the zeal to compile necessary evidence and fine-comb through your case for any additional insights.
Suppose you’re searching for talented attorneys skilled at being aggressive in the courtroom yet gentle with their clients. In that case, Ashley Injury Lawyers is the firm for you. The years of service and experience back their stellar performance in the courtroom as these professionals get you the justice you deserve.
Whether you need your property damage paid off or require injury and work wages, Ashley Injury Lawyers can help with your case. The skilled attorneys are thorough with their investigation. They know precisely how to get through the intricacies of the legal system of California.
For a free initial consultation, call them at 888-ASHLEY-911. Their team is experienced in dealing with different auto accident cases and insurance claims.
