Not every fender-bender results in minor damage. In fact, as you take a look at your scuffed bumper, you might think, “This isn’t too bad. It’s only superficial. I don’t need to get it checked out.”
Yet, even a five mile per hour crash still applies a large amount of force to your vehicle. This, in turn, affects your car, and has additional physical and financial ramifications.
Your Car
Your insurance company, following the incident, may have a representative come out to your location to check out the damage – that is, if you file a claim in the first place.
This process is often just a glance at the outside, without consideration for the car’s frame or structural integrity. As a result, when an auto body shop does more of an X-ray procedure, far more issues become apparent, including:
- Cracks to the frame
- Misalignment
- Cracks and buckles in the paint
- Material weakening
- Stress points
- Dents
- Impaired mechanical and electronic system performance
Not getting these aspects fixed does further damage to your car, and puts your safety in jeopardy.
Physical
At the scene of a minor accident, adrenaline and endorphins take hold. As a result, many don’t experience pain until after the incident.
Even a minor accident can injure a driver or passenger. Soft tissue issues, themselves difficult to detect, are one common concern – particularly, many experience whiplash from getting tossed forward and bouncing back. Others may experience a concussion, which later emerges as nausea, blurred vision, dizziness, and headaches.
What should you do? Even if you feel fine, it’s always a good idea to have a doctor check you out afterward.
Financial
Let’s say the insurance company learns about the extensive damage. In this scenario, many carriers consider your car to have diminished value, which means they lower your car’s price, as buyers will be reluctant to purchase a vehicle involved in an accident. Should you be compensated, this could be the figure your insurance company goes with.
Or, a representative may decide to pay you the actual cash value, instead of compensating you for repairs. This figure is meant to cover the cost of your car prior to the accident but won’t cover any existing loans.
As such, whenever an insurance rep gives you a figure, always request documentation to see how he or she arrived at this estimate.
Whether you need bumper repair or comprehensive maintenance, turn to DaSilva Auto Body for any jobs. Give our Naugatuck location a call to learn about all we can do.
