Car accidents are an extremely common occurrence, with more than 12 million vehicles having been involved in crashes in the U.S. in 2019 and expected in 2022. These auto accidents can range from extremely major accidents that result in severe injuries to more minor accidents where minor injuries or cosmetic damage to a vehicle results.
Car accidents raise a number of questions, including what to do when someone scratches your car. Car scratches can come from any number of things, from someone hitting your car while it’s parked to items like keys or shopping carts being purposefully used to cause damage.
So, what do you do when someone scratches your car? Below, we take a closer look at this question and what you can do.
What to do When Someone Scratches Your Car
In cases where someone has scratched your car, you will want to take stock of the damage to your car. Some scratches may be purely cosmetic damage, such as when a branch or rock leaves behind light scratches on your vehicle.
But when someone else scratches your car or when the scratches are deeper, you may want to take steps to file a police report and contact a lawyer for assistance in determining the next steps.
Deeper scratches that can result from another car hitting your vehicle or from purposeful vandalism can leave your car in worse shape and may require repairs.
Should you notice your car has been scratched, you should file a police report especially if:
- Another vehicle was involved in the cause of the scratches.
- You believe your car was scratched on purpose.
- There is significant damage to your car.
- You plan to file an insurance claim or personal injury claim.
Just as with any kind of car accident, having a police report of the incident will serve as important evidence for your claim.
Can Insurance Be Claimed for Scratches on Your Car?
Typically, insurance can be claimed for scratches on your car. A car insurance policy is meant to cover a range of different types of damage that may be caused to your car or by another driver. You will want to double-check your car insurance policy to see what kind of coverage you have.
Whether or not insurance will cover scratches to your car will usually depend on two deciding factors:
- What exactly caused the damage
- Whether your insurance policy includes collision and comprehensive coverage
These two factors are important to know about when looking into filing a claim, either with your own insurance or with the responsible party’s insurance. Comprehensive and collision coverage are especially key here, as comprehensive coverage covers any damage to your car that occurs while you’re not driving, and collision coverage covers any damage to your car after any accident.
So, consider a hypothetical situation where your car is hit by another vehicle while you are parked in a parking lot. The other driver stops and exchanges insurance and contact information with you. Once you connect with an auto accident attorney in Metro Detroit or anywhere in Michigan you move to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance. Their collision and comprehensive coverage should cover any damages in this case.
This scenario is also true if someone has scratched your vehicle on purpose.
Connect with a Car Accident Attorney in Detroit for assistance
If you or a loved one’s car has recently been scratched by another person, either on accident or on purpose, it can be prudent to connect with a car accident attorney in Southeastern Michigan. Cases where scratches occurred can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially if you do not have clear evidence of who caused them. But working with a car accident attorney can help you as you pursue a claim for damages to your car.
The auto accident attorneys at Bashore Green are well-versed in handling a wide range of personal injury claims and works to represent clients within the Detroit area and throughout Michigan. We offer free and confidential consultations. Call 248-487-1887 to learn more.