Who pays when car seats are broken in a car accident?
You are driving along and suddenly someone rear ends you. Your car is damaged. You have two car seats in the back. Suddenly your life has turned on a dime. You are in pain. Your car has been destroyed. And you now need to buy new car seats.
In many collisions there are three types of damage. The first is the damage to the people in the car. The second is the damage to the car itself. And the third is the damage to the property in the car.
In many instances, insurance companies just offer folks money for the damage to the car. If the car is totaled they have to pay for the value of the car. If the car is damaged they have to pay to fix the damage.
Insurance companies almost never offer to fix any property that was damaged in the car.
One of the most common items of personal property that get damaged in car accidents are car seats. And with good reason. The National Highway Transportation Safety Board recommends that child safety seats and boosters be replaced following a moderate or severe crash in order to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers.
I have young children. And what I can tell you is that car seats are both important and expensive. There is nothing more important than the safety of our children.
And kids are expensive. Coming up with several hundred dollars to replace car seats you planned on getting years out of is tough for many folks.
The thing is insurance companies have one goal: to pay you as little as possible for what someone did to you. It doesn’t matter how nice their claims rep is. They are trying to screw you. They will not tell you what your rights are.
And your rights are to be made whole.
The law of pottery barn is the law of the land. If you break it – you own it.
If your car seats are broken in a wreck it is your right to be compensated for them from the other person’s insurance company. Know your rights. Knowledge is power.
And if you hear them say they’ll pay you the diminished value of the car seats – fight back. Their insured hurt you. Make them own it. All of it. Don’t let them give you that nonsense. And if you think they are nickel and diming you on a car seat it is only the beginning. Car seats are cheap compared to medical bills.
You can decide for yourself whether or not you need a Connecticut Car Accident lawyer. Please check out our free Connecticut Car Accident law resource page.
