I was in a wreck that wasn't my fault can I get the other insurance to pay for depreciation?

Question

A cop hit my parked 2002 Chrysler Sebring causing $5000 in damage. The city is paying for the damage, but will they pay for the depreciation associated with a wreck of this magnitude? The value of the car just dropped a bunch because of the wreck.

Answer 1

Insurance will make your loss whole by giving you the worth of your vehicle at the time of the accident. Not the amount it would cost to fix it. Not the amount it will cost to replace it. Only the amount it was worth at the time of the loss. If the cost of fixing is more than the worth of the vehicle, they will total it, give you the amount it was worth, and take the vehicle away since they now own it. Time to go car shopping if that's the case.

Answer 2

I asked the same question three months ago!!! What I have been told is you can put in a claim and sometimes collect if you can show evidence of the deprecitation. What I would do is this: find a new car that you like get the dealer to give you an offer on paper for your car without having done the title search (which would reveal the accident) then disclose the accident get this new trade-in value on paper. This difference should be able to be recovered provided that you do this within a couple of months of having your car fixed. What a hassel though- believe me I can empathize!!!

Answer 3

Good Luck! This will require the hiring of a competent lawyer to take on the city government. The case will go on for quite some time and there is a very large chance that you will receive nothing at the end of the trial, especially after paying lawyer fees. Be thankful that the city isn't trying to fault you in some way and take the money and be satisfied with the verdict.

Answer 4

Slim to none!

I couldn't get the city to pay for property damage by a city truck. Claimed the accident was indirectly caused by another driver.

I guess you're lucky to a "degree".