Why does my lawyer want my property damage estimate?

When it comes to personal injury cases and allegations of injury, the insurance companies indeed "judge a book by its cover."  What does that mean for you?  That means if your property damage doesn't look so bad, they will usually conclude the impact was minor.  In many cases, my clients tell me the impact was very "hard" but it's very difficult to see the property damage.  This is especially true when there is a direct rear impact.  Unfortunately for your case, the insurance company will doubt your claim for injury if your property damage is insignificant - both visually and if the dollar amount is low.

This is why I often ask my clients for copies of their property damage estimate.  Oftentimes, the car doesn't look so bad but then we find there is "frame damage" noted on the itemized repair estimate.  There are other indicators of damage that can show up on the estimate but are hard to visually see.   When there is little visible damage, pointing out such items on the property damage estimate can help persuade the insurance adjuster your accident may look minor on the surface but was actually more powerful.  

If you need help with your Santa Clarita accident case, give us a call at 661-414-7100.  You can also visit our "Contact" page.  We serve all of Los Angeles county but focus on Santa Clarita, Valencia, Saugus, Canyon Country, Castaic, Newhall, Stevenson Ranch and surrounding communities.