Getting the Most Out of Your Car Damaged By Accident - Platinum Lawyers Sydney

Getting the Most Out of Your Car Damaged By Accident - Platinum Lawyers Sydney


Driving drunk continues to be a bane to Australian roads despite enforcing the legal limit for alcohol in the past two decades. If you are on the receiving end of a DUI crash, you can still get money from your damaged car. However, you may be saddled with the mounting debt & pressured to settle your bills.
According to Queensland’s Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, drunk driving is responsible for 30% of fatal crashes in the country. In addition, more than 1 in 4 motorists who were killed have a blood alcohol content level that exceeded the legal limit.
In Australia, it’s illegal to sit behind the wheel with a BAC of 0.05% or more.
Selling Your Damaged Car
You can go to dealerships that buy your cash for an accident car instead of sending it to the scrap yard or allowing it to rot in your yard. Also, consider the following options to deal with your damaged car:
Sending your car to the scrap yard
One mistake motorists make when their totaled car is selling it to the junkyard. You must remember that you can only get the value by the total weight of your vehicle.
Sell the vehicle “as-is-where-is
Under this arrangement, the buyer will take all the risks. But be upfront that the car has been involved in an accident, including the damage sustained from the crash. Then, of course, you can expect the selling price to plummet.
Sell the damaged car for cash
In contrast, even if your car no longer runs since the engine is shot, you can still sell it at a higher value than the scrap yard. You can go to car removal Sydney dealers who specialize in buying cars wrecked by accidents.
Repair and sell
Another option is first to fix your vehicle before you sell it. You can get more value out of your investment depending on the quality of the repair and how you market it. However, you have to weigh the cost and benefit.
You do not repair anything when the engine is involved because there would surely be some hidden damage that you might not be aware of initially. Fixing these slight wear and tear is like going down the rabbit hole. You never know when to get out and suddenly find yourself buried in debt.
How About an Insurance Write-Off?
A write-off occurs when the provider declares your car a total loss. In this case, you hand over the ownership to the insurance company. In return, you will get payment as compensation for the vehicle.
However, there are instances when the insurance company and the accident victim do not agree on the amount. In this case, you can challenge the monetary valuation by presenting evidence to back your claim. You can also possibly keep the damaged car even after the write-off as part of the settlement.
Get a Lawyer to Receive Just Compensation
If you are a victim of a drink-driving accident, you better lawyer up instead of trusting the word of an intoxicated driver to shoulder the cost of your medical bills or car repair. For that, you can contact a trusted company such as Platinum Lawyers Sydney
What most people don’t understand is the aspect of “fault.”
The drunk driver who caused the crash is at fault for their negligence. But it does not necessarily mean they will pay for the damage to your vehicle or your medical costs. At other times, both parties are to blame for the crash, or no one is at fault.
However, the at-fault driver does not automatically shoulder the liability. Sometimes, the owner, being the registered authority of the car, is the one who is financially responsible for your hospital damage or car repair.
The legal concept is called vicarious liability. And when this happens, it can get complicated to receive proper compensation because of one reason or the other.
As a result, you should get legal advice immediately if:
? You are a victim of a DUI driver who is not the owner of the vehicle
? You lent your vehicle to a drunk driver who was involved in a crash
? You figured into an accident while driving a car registered to another owner
There are countless case studies of people who think that getting a verbal agreement with the other liable party is enough to force them into paying for the damage or the hospital bills. They realize only too late when they are already buried in medical debt. So, your decision to get legal representation is crucial to protecting yourself.