What should I do if I’m Involved in an accident?

• Check Yourself for Potential Injuries

• Check On Your Passengers

• Move to Safety

• Call for Emergency Services

• Never Admit to Fault

• Write Down Your Version of Events

• Limit Conversation with the Other Party

• Take Pictures of the Accident.

• Contact Your Insurance Company

  • Don't admit fault​

• Tell your insurance company where you want to take your vehicle.​

  • Don't let them choose for you.​

• Don't panic​

  • Information is key, so keep calm and think logically.

What details will my insurance company need?

• Most insurers such as Statefarm, Farmers, Geico, Allstate and American Family have a separate claims department that only handles car accidents.  

  • Give all details regarding the accident to the claims specialist WITHOUT admitting any fault

    • Police Report​​​

    • Parties Involved

      • Injuries that occurred​

    • Date/Time of accident

    • Address or intersection where incident occurred

    • Were there any citations given to either party?​​

    • Where damage is on your vehicle?

• You'll be given a Claim # for the incident​​​​

• If your qualify for rental services, you may be given a reservation # for Enterprise, Budget, Hertz or another Rental Services Company.

I have my Claim Number, Now what?

• Do your homework!

  • Find a shop that's I-Car Certified

    • I-Car Gold Class Certifications are given to shops that completed the required training to safely repair your vehicle.​

• Call the repair shop and schedule an appointment to drop the vehicle off

  • Provide them with the Claim # and they should be able to take it from there.​​

• Most insurance companies have a relationship with multiple Collision Repair Facilities in your area.

  • You may be told to visit one of these shops for a repair assessment or estimate.​

  • You are NOT required to have the work performed by that shop.​

​

What is Comprehensive insurance and am I covered?

• Comprehensive insurance is a coverage that helps pay to replace or repair your vehicle if it's stolen or damaged in an incident that's not a collision. 

  • It covers damage done to your vehicle from things other than collisions, such as: vandalism, disasters, theft, fire, impacts with animals, etc.

    • If someone keys your car, smashes your windshield, slashes your tires, etc..​

    • If you hit a crossing deer, coyote, dog, etc.. 

    • Hail damage

• It's important to know that Comprehensive insurance ​does not hurt your record if you claim

How much time do I have after a crash to file a claim to my insurance?

• Under state law, a car accident report must be filed if the incident causes death or bodily injury, or results in more than $1,500 in property damage. The report must be filed with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) no later than 10 days after the accident.​

Are all Shops Equal?

• This question is not always easy to answer

  • The Short answer is NO

• There are many good shops but only a few of them are truly qualified to repair your vehicle and restore it's safety features.​

• Vehicles are becoming more and more complex.​​

• Self-Driving features and Park Assist are ​​becoming more common with newer vehicles.

• Crash sensors that signal when your airbag should or should not deploy.

• Modern day Safety features must be restored correctly to insure the safety of you and your loved ones in an event of a future collisions.

• Mentioned in the above columns, only the Elite Collision Repair Facilities are I-Car Gold Certified.  Some shops may only be ASE Certified, which is not the same.

• The shops that take the time to continuously adapt to the change and develop new skills and techniques are the ones you can count on to keep you safe.​​

• Finally​, Lifetime Guarantee!

• Make sure your shop has a lifetime guarantee on the work that they provide you.  ​

• Again, Not all auto body shops are equal, so some guarantees may not mean anything.  You may need to use your better judgement.

What are your shop rates?

Why Collision Experts Inc?

What area does Collision Experts Inc Service?