Car accidents are never positive experiences, but some are worse than others, and if you or someone else sustained an injury, no matter how serious it might be, that’s generally the worst outcome you can have. However, something that’s also pretty bad and that definitely needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later is the damage done to your car. It’s highly unlikely that an accident is going to leave your car unscathed, after all.
Once health and injuries have been handled (assuming there were any injuries, of course), then you’ll need to turn your attention to your car and get the repairs carried out if the vehicle can indeed be repaired – that’s not always guaranteed. The issue is that those repairs could be very costly, but there are a few different ways you can pay, so keep reading to find out what they are.
Insurance
The best way to pay for car repairs after an accident is to use your insurance or the insurance of the other driver – it will depend on who was at fault as to whose insurance you use in most cases, but no matter what, car insurance can definitely save the day.
The great thing about car insurance is that although you’ll pay a monthly premium, the annual cost won’t usually add up to more than repairs after an accident. You might pay a few hundred dollars for your insurance, but repairs can cost many thousands, so it’s definitely a good deal, even when you take the fact that you’ll need to pay your deductible before any work gets started.
Your Own Money
Of course, the downside to using your car insurance to make repairs is that it usually results in your policy getting more expensive, and you might lose your special discounts for driving safely. If you don’t want to do that and you have the money to spend, then you might decide to pay for the repairs yourself.
This will always be your choice, and there are pros and cons to weigh up, but if the cost of the repairs is very high, then it’s probably best to use your insurance and then shop around for a better deal when the time comes. If the repairs are minor, and certainly if they cost less than your deductible, it makes sense to pay for them yourself and save money overall.
Through A Lawsuit
What happens if you don’t want to pay out of your own pocket and the accident wasn’t your fault, so you don’t want to use your insurance, but the other driver’s insurance isn’t going to cover the repairs (or even worse, they don’t actually have insurance in the first place)?
In that case, you’ll need to hire an excellent car accident attorney and sue the other party for the money to repair your car. This will take longer than the other options, but it could also mean you get the best outcome, especially if you can be compensated on top of the cost of repairs. Search around for a lawyer and discuss your case to see what can be done.
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