There are questions that Kentucky auto accident victims have concerning the damage done to their car in the automobile accident.

• “How is my car going to be repaired?”
• Who is going to pay to fix the car?”
• “Is my car totaled?”
• “Can I keep my car?” 

A Kentucky accident victim will have several options to get their car fixed or be reimbursed for the proerty damage. First, if the accident was not your fault, the first place to look is the at-fault party’s insurance company.  The insurance company of the person who caused the car accident will pay to have your car repaired. Usually an adjuster will be assigned to come out and examine your car. The adjuster will give you an estimate. You can then take your car to the body shop of your choice.  They will repair the car.  If the body shop discovers any hidden and additional damage they will deal directly with the insurance company to get authority to make those repairs.  If the body shop is on the insurance company’s list of preferred body shops, which most dealerships are, they will take care of it from there. You won’t have to worry about it.

If there is any dispute as to the liability in the case, that is whose fault the Kentucky automobile accident is. The at-fault insurance company may not be real eager to accept liability and pay for your car repairs. Generally, this investigation will entail interviewing the drivers of the cars involved in the accident and any other witnesses.  They will have to conduct this investigation before they decide whether or not they are even going to pay for your car repairs. 

In this situation you will want to look to your own collision insurance for payment of those repairs.  The disadvantage to this is you’ll have to pay for your deductible whether it’s $250.00, $500.00 or $1,000.00. This comes out of your pocket. You will have to wait to get that back from the at?fault insurance company if and when they accept liability. You may even have to go to court.  The benefit to this is you will get your car repaired much faster and your insurance company will take care of fighting about liability.

Whichever direction you go, make the call to the insurance company. Don’t wait for them to call you. This may not happen as quickly as you think it should. The insurance company could also total your car, but that discussion is for another day.

Two months ago I received a phone call that no parent ever wants to receive.  My 16 year old daughter had been in a car accident with three of her friends. In fact it was a four car accident. Luckily she was not severely injured.

I didn’t know whether she was hurt or not at the time of the phone call. I went into automatic panic mode.  The parent in me kicked into gear. The Kentucky accident attorney was nowhere to be found. This got me thinking. If I reacted this way what would someone that isn’t involved in car accident litigation on a daily basis do?  What should a parent do when they receive a phone call from their child saying: “I’ve been in a car accident”? 

First and foremost don’t do what I did. Don’t panic! Do not overreact.  Your new driver is going to be nervous enough. They may be bleeding. They are in pain. They are confused. And believe it or not they are going to be worried about the damage that has been done to the car.  They are worried that you are going to be mad at them for wrecking the car, even if the accident wasn’t their fault.  Calm yourself down and calm them down.

Make sure that your child and her friends are not hurt.  Make sure that they’ve called the police and they have an ambulance on the way. They should always be checked out by an EMT to make sure that they do not need to go to the hospital. If they are hurt they should be transported to an emergency room to receive immediate treatment.

If they are able ask your new driver to exchange information with the driver of the other car. Ask them to write down the license number of all the cars involved in the accident. Have them document as many details as they can in reference to the accident.  Things such as pictures of the cars, pictures of the accident scene and those involved are all items that they should obtain if possible and it doesn’t put them in danger. This will help down the road as you negotiate the settlement of property damage claims and eventually any pain and suffering if they were injured in this Kentucky car wreck.  

The final thing that I would do is try to go out to the accident scene.  Your child is going to need all of the help, support and love they can get at his point in time. Your presence will have an immediate calming effect. Being in an accident is a very nerve racking experience.  You want to make it as easy on them as possible, yet you want to make sure that everything is documented. Help protect your child’s Kentucky auto accident claim.

I am a Kentucky personal injury attorney.  I represent the victims of car accidents, truck accidents, fatal accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accident and pedestrian accidents. When I speak with an accident victim I am concerned about the type of insurance coverage that the potential client has.  This insurance coverage often makes a huge difference on what I am able to do for a Kentucky accident victim on any particular case. This is especially true if the injuries are serious or fatal and the at-fault car did not have insurance coverage. 

One of the first questions I ask as I am getting to know a new client is “What type of car insurance coverage do you have?”  The answer that I get 90 percent of the time is, “I have full coverage.” I have learned that this means vastly different things to different people. So I ask the follow up question “What do you mean by full coverage?”  The answers I get vary. They are rarely the same. The potential client is almost never correct. Unfortunately, when someone becomes an auto accident victim it is the first time they really look at their own car insurance policy. 

I ask for a copy of the insurance policy declarations page to make sure I am getting accurate information.  The declarations page is a sheet or bill that you receive from your car insurance company that shows the different types of insurance coverage you have purchased , the limits, the amount that you pay for each coverage, and the cars or vehicles that are covered on your policy.

Now here’s the kicker.  Full coverage is a term that people hear all the time. I use it. I am sure you have used it. Guess what? There is no real definition for it.  You cannot ask your insurance agent for full coverage. This is not an all inclusive term. This makes it extremely important to know the different types of insurance that are available. This will enable you to purchase the best car insurance for you. In other words what full coverage is for you.  The different coverages available to you in Kentucky are:

• Bodily Injury Liability- Mandatory insurance that covers the injuries you cause to other people if you are in an automobile accident that is your fault.
• Property Damage Liability- Optional coverage that pays for damage done that is your fault to other vehicles or property.
• Collision- Covers property damage done to your own automobile by an actual collision and nothing more.
• PIP, Personal Injury Protection, or Basic Reparations Benefits- Mandatory coverage that is also known as No?Fault insurance. This insurance pays for your medical bills and lost wages up to $10,000.00 should you be in a car accident regardless of fault. 
• Added Reparations Benefits- Optional benefits that you can purchase in addition to your PIP for medical coverage and lost wages above $10,000.00. 
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage- Pays you for your pain and suffering and your out of-pocket expenses if you’re in an automobile accident and injured by a driver of a car that does not have insurance.
• Underinsured Motorist Coverage- Covers you for injuries you have sustained in an automobile accident that was not your fault when those injuries are greater than the insurance coverage of the car that hit you. 
• Miscellaneous coverage such as towing      
• Comprehensive- Covers damage to your car caused by something other than a collision, such as crack in your windshield.
• Umbrella Policy- Additional insurance you can purchase in case you have liability that is in excess of the limits of your other insurance. You may also purchase coverage for additional under insured motorist coverage under some umbrella policies.          

You can tell by this list that the only mandatory insurance coverage required by the State of Kentucky is bodily injury liability coverage, property damage liability coverage, and no?fault or PIP benefits.  The minimum amount of coverage is $25,000.00 50 for liability coverage.  As you can tell, this will not even be a drop in the bucket should there be a serious accident.  The minimum for PIP is $10,000.00.

For more information on Kentucky car insurance request a free copy of my first book “What You Don’t Know About Buying Car Insurance Can Hurt You.”

Make yourself an informed consumer when you buy car insurance and make sure you protect your family in case you are the victim of a Kentucky automobile accident.