If you’re faced with a car accident in Arkansas, the natural question for you to ask will be, who’s going to fix the car? The obvious answer to this question will be the person who is at fault for the car accident. However, things may get complex based on individual insurance coverages.
The United States, with a vehicle population of 276 million in 2019, has some of the busiest roads. The density of vehicles naturally leads to more accidents. Car accidents are a common occurrence in the United States, unfortunately.
Assessment of Damages and State Regulations:
The first step towards remedying the car accident you were involved in is to assess the damages sustained by the car. Is the vehicle movable or totally damaged, or can it be driven? The investigating police department will assist with this determination, and they will call a tow service when necessary. In any case, you need to get in touch with your insurance provider as soon as possible. This is important since daily storage fees begin accruing as soon as your vehicle is delivered to a storage lot. Oftentimes your insurance carrier or the at-fault insurance carrier will ask your permission to move the vehicle to a location that does not accrue storage fees.
Arkansas is an at-fault state and makes it the responsibility of the person at fault for the damages that have been caused by them. If you are involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, your insurer will pursue a subrogation claim against the driver who is at fault if that insurance company does not take care of the property damage..
Insurers Pay Up to Insured Limits:
Another thing to keep in mind while making an insurance claim is that the insurance companies are only liable to pay up to the policy limits. In Arkansas, the minimum limits are $25,000.00.
The Procedure for the Claim:
Insurance companies are known for their investigations, as they will try to prove their insured is not wrongly blamed for the car accident in Arkansas. Thus there will be photographs, and the company’s field estimator will make an initial estimate.
After the initial estimate, your car will be sent to the repair center, where it will undergo repairs. The insurance company’s field estimator will settle the repairs’ final cost with the repair facility.
Another thing to note here is that car insurance will also have specific repair centers on the insurance company’s approved list, just like medical insurance. Thus, you can only send your car for repairs to these workshops.
In Case the Other Party Doesn’t Have Insurance:
In instances when you’re involved in a car accident in Arkansas and the party at fault has no insurance coverage, you may have to use your coverage. It is important that you have either collision, comprehensive, or uninsured motorist insurance coverage.
This type of insurance is common, and it is important since there are uninsured drivers on the roadways. If you have such coverage, you likely will have to pay the deductible to get your car fixed. However, there should be no deductible if you have uninsured motorist property damage insurance coverage.
In Case the Car is Totaled:
There may be incidents where your car bears irreparable damage or is totaled. In such cases, the insurance company will assess your vehicle’s pre-accident condition and do a valuation for the car.
In case the damages sustained cost more than the original value of the vehicle, the company will pay the fair market value of your car. It is similar to property damage, where your claim depends on the property’s market value before the incident and not the price for which it was bought.
In Case You Are at Fault:
There may be instances where you get into a car accident in Arkansas that doesn’t involve another party. Who will bear the cost of repairs then? In this instance, you will have to pay the entire expenses, or your insurance company if you have collision coverage.
When claiming insurance when you’re at fault in a car accident in Arkansas, be advised that such a claim may increase your insurance premiums with the said insurance company.
How Can an Arkansas Car Accident Lawyer Help You?
In case you’ve experienced a car accident in Arkansas and you cannot figure out what to do, worry not and simply call us for a free consultation. At Jason M. Hatfield, we can help you out of tricky situations and put forward your car accident claims to the insurance company.