Many times, clients have wondered whether it was worthwhile to get their car repaired because it didn’t look like there was much damage to the plastic bumper cover. However, many times when the bumper cover is removed it is very obvious that there are thousands of dollars of property damage, including bent steel, metal and sometimes the frame itself is bent. There are enumerable amounts of damage that can be covered up by the plastic bumper cover. In one instance, a client didn’t think there was a lot of property damage to the car and after my advising they should get it 
repaired, they actually went underneath the vehicle and took some pictures that revealed a large amount of bent metal. When the client took the car to the auto repair shop it cost over $9,000.00 to repair. The high cost of this repair and the amount of damage shocked the client and he swore never again would he ever under estimate what “one of those darn plastic bumper covers can cover up”. Therefore, if you have been in a crash, please make sure that you assess the damage underneath the plastic bumper cover, have it fully removed, repaired and placed back on the vehicle so that you will know the full extent of the property damage. Because many jurors will associate property damage with the crash causing an injury, it is vitally important for you to have this information, photograph it and give it to your attorney.
The outcome of your injury case may depend on this information and many times insurance companies, on low property damage cases, will choose to fight. However, if it is shown that there is a significant amount of property damage, they will decide to settle the case and generally for a much larger sum of money than they originally offered.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident, call us at Christopher Ligori & Associates at 877-444-2929 and we will be happy to assist you with your loss wage claim, as well as your bodily injury claim, underinsured motorist claim, property damage and/or any other type of claim that you are entitled to make.
