When you're trying to recover compensation for vehicle damage after a car accident, at some point you or your attorney will probably send a demand letter as part of the claim process. This letter may be sent to:
In this article, we'll outline the kinds of information you'll want to cover in your demand letter, and the documentation you might wish to include to help strengthen your claim.
The demand letter represents the first step in the vehicle damage settlement negotiation process. In the letter, you will spell out your vehicle damage claim, including the details of the underlying accident, how you dealt with the damage to your vehicle, and the costs you faced as a result of the accident.
With that in mind, your demand letter should include:
If you have documentation of any of the details you list in your demand letter, include copies of this information as well. Some types of common documentation involved in vehicle damage claims include:
To better understand what a demand letter looks like in a car insurance claim for vehicle damage, check out this Sample Demand Letter for a Vehicle Damage Claim. In this case, the claimant's vehicle incurred extensive damage when she was rear-ended at a stop sign.
It usually makes sense to handle a vehicle damage claim yourself after a car accident. The tips we've covered in this article, and the sample demand letter linked in the previous section, are great resources to start with. Even if you can't come to a settlement agreement with the insurance company, you can typically take the matter to small claims court, as long as your losses (how much it will take to repair or replace your car) are within the dollar limits set by your state's small claims court rules.
In fact, if your car accident case only involves vehicle damage (no injuries), you'll probably have a hard time finding a lawyer to represent you. Cases like these just aren't worth enough, in terms of the settlement or court order that could be won, for most attorneys to find them worthwhile. But if your case involves car accident injuries in addition to vehicle damage, or if some other angle (like the insurance company's potential "bad faith") getting a legal professional's help might make sense. Learn more about how an attorney can help with your car accident claim.