6 Tips For Settling Your Property Damage Claim After a Car Accident (2022)

In this video, personal injury lawyer Nick Wagoner shares 6 tips for settling your property damage claim with the insurance company after a car accident.

According to members of the American auto-insurance industry, the average driver will be involved in four car accidents in their lifetime.

In most car wrecks, the vehicles that were involved in the accident require repairs. In cases where a car is damaged so badly in an accident that it's beyond repair, the owner may be forced to buy a new car or find an alternative form of transportation.

If your car needs to be repaired or replaced because of a car accident for which you were not at fault, you can file a "property damage claim" with the at-fault driver's insurance provider. In order to settle your property damage claim with the insurance company, you and the adjuster handling your claim must come to an agreement about the cost of repairing or replacing your damaged vehicle.

In this video, personal injury attorney Nick Wagoner of the Wagoner Law Firm shares his six tips for settling your property damage claim after a car accident. The tips in this video are designed to help you get better, faster results when negotiating the settlement of your property damage claim with the insurance company after a car accident.

Here is an outline of the six tips covered in this video:

1. Proactively gather evidence to support your property damage claim after a car accident.
2. Negotiate the fair market value of your car.
3. Have your car taken to a trusted body shop of your own selection after a car accident.
4. Spend the insurance payment however you like.
5. Get the insurance company to pay for your rental car.
6. In addition to filing a claim for the damage to your car, you can file a claim for any personal property that was damaged in the accident as well.

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NOTICE: The information in this video and on this channel is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of it does not create, an attorney-client relationship. Nothing in this video or on this channel should be taken as legal advice for any individual claim, case, or situation. You should seek advice from an attorney regarding your specific situation. Contacting the Wagoner Law Firm does not create an attorney-client relationship, nor does your receipt of an initial case evaluation. The only way to create an attorney-client relationship with the Wagoner Law Firm is through a mutual written agreement, which you will be asked to sign. Please do not send any confidential information to the Wagoner Law Firm until an attorney-client relationship has been established.

[dbnarizona]

Great information, but... You should do a video on Shared Liability/Comparative Negligence. In my case the defendant was breaking the law, cited, but their carrier claimed Shared Liability and was only willing to pay 50%. I am fighting it in court and I am NOT a lawyer.

[crazycarlscustoms]

I was declared 0% responsible for my accident. There weren't injuries. I have all the evidence. After starting my claim with their company, I told them I wanted to keep my vehicle. They then assigned an adjuster, then they reassigned it to another adjuster, then I was told the claim had been passed on to someone else and that a TL adjuster would be doing the assessment.This was after they sent a flatbed to tow the truck off. When the TL adjuster called they gave me an offer that did not include getting my vehicle back and was told that they were not informed by their associates. They then told me that it was on me to collect the vehicle. They towed it to an auction service about an 1 1/2 away. The accident took place a week before Thanksgiving and it's almost Christmas now. I had to get on them to get me a rental car, now I'm being told I have 5 days to return it, I have no money and my vehicle was declared totaled and will have to rely on family and friends to get back and forth to work, haul my truck home for me and just live everyday life. I'm stressed out to the max and they have added insult to the injury by low balling me and wanted to take 1/8 of there offer off if I keep my vehicle. Is there a good lawyer in Missouri you could recommend me to?

[jamgemm]

Great information! Thank you. Do you have any tips for students on handing property damage claims?

[scotcressman]

Hello. Thanks for the info and overall great video! I’m in the Dallas area, and have a question about certain “demand” being used in subtle ways about where to send my car, and that they will only pay for certain type of parts to repair, and will not on others… isn’t their a statute in the Texas insurance code that states they cannot do this? Would it be an example of bad practice actions or bad faith offers?? Than is so much!!
Scot

[vicmedina]

What if you don’t need a rental car can you claim the amount for a rental

[linogordo]

Hello how about a self accident a car.?and no involved the other car.

[jakedennis]

I was sideswiped in a Thunderbird and the other driver that sideswiped me gave me the wrong information and now her insurance company will not answer my calls or call me back the wrong information is on the police report it took me seven months to get the correct claim number and now a Geico is ghosting me it's almost been a year now what should I do I ran out of options

[cesaraspeitia]

Nice video! A guy hit me and his max policy was $25k but im going to need $50k+ with all the property damaged he cause me with my vehicle. How can i get the money I deserve if his insurance wont give me all the money I deserve?

[frozenhottie]

would you tell the body shop the amount the insurance has given to you? body shops might suggest more expensive claim than insurance companies provided.. that means there is an out of pocket from you..

[lightlightlight]

What if the at fault driver's insurance has limited amount of liability insurance of 5k and my vehicle is totalled and worth at least twice that?

[mrsmdub]

Just got rear ended in San Antonio, TX. I’m new to this state, I am injured, but I m not familiar with the way claims are handled. I opted not to go to the hospital because I do not have medical insurance. What can be done about my injuries? Been a few hours and the pain is getting worse.

[kayladean]

Additionally, about the witness statement - your passengers will not be considered witnesses. They will most likely be biased parties. They need to be independent witnesses.

[samuelduncan]

How do i get the check from the other person insurance company

[Zieteh]

information about dealing with insurance "property damage" claim not involved in accident

[williemoon]

the state trooper saw the video of the person who ran over my car .. my problem is the other company wont answer my calls ..