Who Pays For Mechanic Repairs After An Accident?

When car accidents occur, they can cause strain in your life and finances in ways you never anticipated. The physical injuries you sustain and the damages that happened to your car can cause you a lot of stress.

When it comes to repairing the car, owners can take care of the costs either by having the insurance company of the other driver pay for the costs or getting direct payment from the other driver. Still, car owners can opt to pay for the repairs themselves or get their insurance company to cater for the costs.

Settling Car Repairs

But things are not as straightforward as they sound because despite having auto insurance, most car owners struggle with the question of who pays for mechanic repairs after an accident and how negotiating a settlement is done. If this is something bothering you, here are some possible answers:

1. You Pay For Mechanic Repairs When You’re At Fault

If you get involved in an accident and you’re the one who caused it, you’ll be required to pay for mechanic repairs in most states. This means you’ll be expected to meet the cost of repairing your vehicle and of the other party. In most instances, you’ll have the option to meet the cost of auto repairs directly from your pocket or contact your insurance company to make the payment.

Even so, having insurance doesn’t always mean your insurer would be willing to meet the entire cost of mechanic repairs. A lot of times, insurance payments depend on the type of insurance coverage you’ve signed up for. If your insured amount isn’t sufficient to meet car repair costs, you’ll have to cater for the balance from your budget. If your vehicle doesn’t have insurance and you’re at fault in an accident, you’ll have to pay from your pocket as well.

If your collision coverage is sufficient to pay for the car damages, you can pay for the repairs then claim a reimbursement from your insurer. Even so, if the car damages aren’t extensive and the cost is nothing significant, consider paying for those without necessarily placing a claim on your insurer to ensure your insurance premiums don’t increase.

2. The Other Party Pays For Mechanics Repairs When They’re At Fault

If you’re involved in a road accident and the fault isn’t yours but the other party, most states require them to pay for the repairs. Just like yourself, the party who’s found to be culpable of causing the incident has the option of paying from their pockets or if they have good insurance coverage, their insurer should make the payment.

For the latter to happen, the kind of car insurance coverage in their car should have provision to cater such costs. If the amount insured isn’t sufficient to cover the costs, the person will be expected to pay some of the costs directly from their pocket.

3. Insurance Company Pays for Mechanic Repairs If You Have Collision Coverage

There’s an instance when your insurance company will pay for mechanic repairs after an accident, irrespective of who’s at fault. This only happens when you have collision coverage and subrogation. Collision coverage takes effect where the other party who’s involved in the accident doesn’t have an insurance cover. Your insurance company can also pay directly when you have collision coverage even where the other party has auto insurance.

In instances where the other driver is at fault, the insurance firm that issued the collision coverage may try to recover the amount spent on mechanic repairs from their insurer. If your insurance company pays and the insurer of the other driver reimburses your the amount spent, the action is referred to as subrogation.

But getting an insurance company to meet your costs after an accident isn’t always a walk in the park. When you’re negotiating a settlement, ensure you prove the damage occurred. The easiest way to do this is to show how the accident took place and how the damages happened to your car. In most instances, an insurance adjuster makes it easier to locate an auto-body shop to assess the damages and prepare cost estimates.

Insurance companies review the repair estimates alongside the evidence of the auto accident which most often comprises photos and other documentation before making a decision.

4. Insurance Company Pays For Damages When You Have Comprehensive Coverage

If your car has comprehensive coverage, your insurance company will most likely cover mechanic repairs. However, this only happens if the accident occurs when the car is parked. Comprehensive coverage takes care of car accidents as well as miscellaneous damages the car owners suffer such as a tree falling on the car or if the vehicle gets damaged during protests. If this happens, you’ll not have to work hard to prove you weren’t at fault because the accident occurs when the car is parked. Usually, it’s assumed if another driver hits your car when it’s stationary, he is at fault.

5. The Other Driver’s Insurance Company Pays When He Is At Fault

If you’re involved in a car accident and the other driver is at fault, then his insurance company should meet the mechanic repair cost. This happens when the driver who caused the accident has sufficient insurance. To get your repairs covered, don’t make a claim against your insurance company even if you have comprehensive issuance coverage.

Final Thoughts

When you get involved in a car accident, the burden of paying for mechanic repairs may lie with you, your insurance company, or the other driver’s pocket or insurer, depending on who is responsible for causing the incident. Even so, if you have collision coverage, your insurer may cater to these costs irrespective of who is at fault. Where the fault lies with the other driver, your insurer may pursue compensation from their insurance provider under a provision known as subrogation.

No matter what the situation may be, make sure to do smart decisions by always having pieces of evidence as to how the incident occurred.