Do I Have to Use the Body Shop the Insurance Company Wants me to Use?

Do I Have To Use The Body Shop The Insurance Company Wants Me To Use?

If you’re in a car wreck in Louisiana, and have damages to your car, the insurance company of the at-fault party may be telling you to go to a specific body shop that they contract with, saying that you’ll get “preferred service” through them. But what if you already know of a reputable body shop that you’d like to go to? You might be wondering if you can choose the body shop or do you have to go to the body shop the auto insurance company is recommending?

The answer is you can choose the body shop. As a victim of a car wreck in Louisiana, you have the ability to choose who you want to work on your vehicle and restore it to the condition that it was in before you were hit. And, no matter what the auto insurance companies may be telling you, the at-fault party is responsible for paying for the full cost of your repairs.

Let’s say you’re the victim of a car accident in Baton Rouge and your car is significantly damaged, but not totaled. The at-fault party’s auto insurance company may be telling you that you need to take your car to a particular body shop that the insurance company works with. But, perhaps you have a car shop that you have dealt with in the past or that is recommended to you someone you trust. Why should you be forced to have your vehicle repaired at a sub-standard auto body shop that might cut corners to keep their client, the insurance company, happy.

The truth is, when you work with a Baton Rouge personal injury attorney like myself after becoming the victim of a car wreck, I’ll help you fight the insurance companies so that you can take your car to a body shop that you have confidence in. Many people who are victims of car accidents don’t realize that when they have damages to their cars, they can refuse taking their car to the “preferred” body shop and instead request that an insurance adjuster from the at-fault party’s insurance company come out to perform an estimate on the car. But, don’t sign away for the check they’re offering you just yet. As trained as insurance adjusters may be, they’re not vehicle repair experts and they can’t always know the total cost of what it will take to restore your car to the condition that it was in before your Baton Rouge car wreck. Sometimes the full extent of the damages is now known until damaged parts are removed and additional damage is found underneath.

As a personal injury attorney, I recommend that all my Baton Rouge car wreck clients pick a body shop that they have confidence in and get an independent estimate before having work performed. This way, you have a professional body shop’s opinion on how much it will take to repair your car. If the insurance company disagrees with this written estimate, then we can take them to court to get the total amount of money that you deserve to repair your vehicle.

If you’ve been in a Baton Rouge car accident, don’t fight the insurance companies alone. Call RM Legal today at (225) 963-9638 or you can click here for a free consultation, today.