If you or someone you care about are in a car accident, caused by someone else’s negligent behavior, you could receive compensation for various things. This doesn’t only include medical bills (for the sustained injuries) or lost wages (if you miss out from work) but also for property damages that were caused by the accident. Today, we will discuss what can be considered as property damage for a car accident in Arizona.

Vehicle damage is considered property damage

In every car accident, the main property damage you will have is the damage inflicted on your vehicle. Vehicle damage doesn’t always have to be catastrophic. Sometimes even minor damages or scratches can lead to expenses of thousands of dollars. Minor car accidents might not even cause significant damage that you can see, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t any damages to the underlying panel of the vehicle which can compromise its functionality. The amount of compensation for each individual case varies on many factors, most important being the estimate from the auto shop repair. If the mechanic believes that the damage can be fixes and will cost less than the actual value of the vehicle, you will receive a repair estimate, which you can then submit to your insurance carrier and receive compensation for the property damage. On the other hand, if the value of the damage and repair is higher than the actual value of the vehicle, the car is considered to be totaled. This means that you will receive a check for your car’s pre-crash value.

Personal property damage

A car accident in Arizona might not only cause damage to your vehicle. In fact, it’s quite common that other things, that were inside your vehicle, also get damaged. Personal property damage that is usually included is:

• Tablets
• Radios
• Cell phones
• Laptops
• Stereo system
• Or other types of personal property of value

Other types of property will be destroyed in a vehicle accident, and they need to be listed when you submit your insurance claim. Aside from listing all the things that were damaged, you also need to submit proof of value for these items such as purchase receipts. If the damage occurred due to the accident, the negligent driver will have to compensate you for everything that you’ve lost.

Injured pets

Pets are part of our family. But they are also considered to be our property in the event of a car accident. If your pet was in the vehicle with you, when the accident occurred, and sustained injuries (maybe a broken leg or some form of trauma), the at-fault driver will need to cover the veterinarian bills for those injuries.

Who has to cover the damages in Arizona car accidents?

When you’re involved in a car accident in Arizona, caused by negligent behavior of someone else, the insurance provider of the at-fault party will have to compensate you for your loss and cover all property damages and expenses. That’s when the full responsibility of the accident is on someone else. But, in the event that you were partially at fault for the accident, some of the expenses won’t be covered by the at-fault party’s insurance. In order to precisely determine this, a careful examination of your insurance policy is required, to see what type of damages are covered. This can be a complicated and tedious process so you should consider contacting a car accident attorney to represent you.