Property DamageIf you take pride in your car, as most people in San Diego do, you want to make sure it’s protected.  But what happens if it is damaged in an automobile accident?  If your car is damaged in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault, you’d want the person who caused it, or more accurately their insurance company, to pay for the necessary repairs to restore your car to its pre-accident condition. To put it simply, a property damage claim is the formal reimbursement request for any damage to your car from an accident.  Property damages are not, however, merely confined to the cost of fixing your car.  In San Diego and throughout California, you can also receive compensation for a rental car so that you can get around while your car is in the repair shop. There are laws that protect your property, and an experienced auto accident lawyer can instruct you on what you’re entitled to recover.  In fact, our personal injury law offices in San Diego specialize in handling property damage claims that were caused as a result of a car accident.

How Do I Make A Property Damage Claim?

When you make a property damage claim in a car accident case, you have to present it to one of three different parties: (1) the insurance company of the person responsible for the automobile accident, (2) your own insurance company (if you carry collision coverage) or (3) the person responsible for the accident (not their insurance company). If you are dealing with an insurance company, they might offer to repair your car or pay money for the car’s value depends on a few different factors:
  • If your car can be repaired, you can have it repaired or be compensated for the value those repairs would have cost.
  • If your car can be repaired, but the costs are more than what the car is worth, the car is then deemed a “total loss” in which case you are entitled to the fair market value of your car.
  • If a large amount of damage is inflicted on the car, you also are entitled to recover the fair market value of the vehicle and can decline to have it fixed.
Either way, you have options so that you will not get stuck with the bill for repair work after a car accident that you didn’t cause.

Why Hire Our Car Accident Attorneys?

Since 1992, the experienced auto accident lawyers at the Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC.  in San Diego have been helping people just like you recover money for property damage after a car accident.  During this time you may also have other questions regarding you case, such as: Our experienced car accident attorneys in San Diego can help answer these questions and more.  Our firm’s founder, Michael Pines, is a former insurance company lawyer, so he knows how the insurance companies work.  You shouldn’t have to worry about fighting insurance companies or even recovering what you lost.  That’s what we’re here for:  To help you recover the maximum personal injury settlement with the least amount of stress. If you or a loved one has to file a property damage claim caused by a car accident, we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible following the accident at 1-858-551-2090 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in San Diego.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you do not pay anything until we recover money on your behalf.