When you have been in a car accident and have suffered damage to your car, you have the following choices:

1. Collect against your own insurance company under the Collision Coverage.

If your insurance policy includes Collision Coverage, you may collect for your car damage from your own insurance company.  Your policy will likely have a deductible, which the company will only pay the amount of the damage over and above the deductible amount.  For example, if the deductible amount is $250.00, and your damage is $3000.00, you will only receive $2,750.00.

2. Attempt to collect from the insurance company for the “at fault” driver.

You always have the right to attempt to collect from the insurance company for the “At-Fault” driver.  You can do this even if you have collision coverage under your own insurance policy.

However, this choice will be successful only if the insurance company for the “At-Fault” driver cooperates.  If not, you will either have to collect from your own collision coverage, or wait until your Personal Injury case is ready for settlement and settle both the Personal Injury claim and the property damage claim at the same time.  While this might not be a pleasant choice, it is one that could have been avoided by buying collision coverage from your own company and the delay is the result of not having that type of insurance.