Following a car accident, some drivers and passengers may have to deal with a catastrophic injury. By the same token, some accidents create a vehicle that can be declared a total loss.
Who pays for the vehicle with the damage that cannot be repaired?
Did the accident take place in a no-fault region? If that is the case, it is possible that the insurance company will pay, regardless of who was at fault. On the other hand, it could be that the injured driver can pursue a claim against the responsible driver.
If the accident did not happen in a no-fault region, then the circumstances determine whether or not the insurance company will pay for the damaged vehicle. If the other party was negligent, then the insurer of the injured driver pays for the damaged vehicle.
Did the insured driver have collision coverage? If so, then the insurance company pays for the damage, regardless of who was at fault. In other words, the policy holder makes a claim against his or her own coverage.
What are the details in the insurance policy of the person that drove the totaled vehicle?
What does the policy say about the maximum amount of money that the insurance company will grant to the policy holder? Understand that regardless of the size of that maximum figure, any payment for a damaged vehicle can cover only the market value of that same vehicle.
The insurance company does not agree to make payments on a vehicle, if it gets totaled before all the money owned has been paid. In that case, the insurer pays only the vehicle’s market value. The driver must continue to make payments, as though it were still drivable.
Who gets the totaled car?
The insurance company has the right to seize it. The insurance company can sell it to a secondary market. Anyone that decides to fight the insurance company, and to try keeping the totaled automobile must have evidence of the car’s worth. Was it worth more than the value assigned to it by the insurance company?
Photographs of the undamaged vehicle can work to show the vehicle’s value. That is why it is a good idea to take pictures of a car, if you have invested in the addition of specific accessories. Evidence of such accessories might not be obvious, after your car has been severely damaged.
Understand, though, that pictures can be used to make your case stronger, if you want to fight the decision made by the insurance company. Still, number of photographs cannot serve as a guarantee that you will win that particular fight. You may still be required to give your car to the insurance company.