What To Do When Someone Scratches Your Car in Ohio?

Car accidents are an extremely common occurrence, with an estimated 12.15 million vehicles being involved in crashes in the United States alone in 2019. Car accidents can vary across the board, from extremely major accidents that result in severe injuries to more minor accidents where minor injuries or cosmetic damage to a vehicle results.

Car accidents raise a number of questions, including what to do when someone scratches your car. Car scratches can come from any number of things, from someone hitting your car while it’s parked to items like keys or shopping carts being purposefully used to cause damage.

So, what do you do when someone scratches your car? Below, we take a closer look at this question and what you can do.

What to do When Someone Scratches Your Car

In cases where someone has scratched your car, you will want to take stock of the damage to your car. Some scratches may be purely cosmetic damage, such as when a branch or rock leaves behind light scratches on your vehicle.

But when someone else scratches your car or when the scratches are deeper, you may want to take steps to file a police report and contact a lawyer for assistance in determining the next steps.

Deeper scratches that can result from another car hitting your vehicle or from purposeful vandalism can leave your car in worse shape and may require repairs.

Should you notice your car has been scratched, you should file a police report especially if:

• Another vehicle was involved in the cause of the scratches.
• You believe your car was scratched on purpose.
• There is significant damage to your car.
• You plan to file an insurance claim or personal injury claim.

Just as with any kind of car accident, having a police report of the incident will serve as important evidence for your claim.

Following the accident, you will want to speak with your insurance company and connect with a car accident attorney in Columbus, OH. An experienced attorney will be able to analyze the details of your case, including helping you understand what your insurance will cover, what kind of damages your claim will be able to recover for you, and even handling insurance negotiations.

Can Insurance Be Claimed for Scratches on Your Car?

Typically, insurance can be claimed for scratches on your car. A car insurance policy is meant to cover a range of different types of damage that may be caused to your car or by another driver. You will want to double-check your car insurance policy to see what kind of coverage you have.

Whether or not insurance will cover scratches to your car will usually depend on two deciding factors:

1. What exactly caused the damage
2. Whether your insurance policy includes collision and comprehensive coverage

These two factors are important to know about when looking into filing a claim, either with your own insurance or with the responsible party’s insurance. Comprehensive and collision coverage are especially key here, as comprehensive coverage covers any damage to your car that occurs while you’re not driving, and collision coverage covers any damage to your car after any accident.

So, consider a hypothetical situation where your car is hit by another vehicle while you are parked in a parking lot. The other driver stops and exchanges insurance and contact information with you. Once you connect with a car accident attorney in Columbus, OH, you move to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance. Their collision and comprehensive coverage should cover any damages in this case.

What to do if Someone Scratches Your Car on Purpose

If someone scratches your car on purpose, the steps you’ll need to take are very similar to what we discussed above. You will want to file a police report, contact your insurance company, and reach out to a car accident attorney in Columbus, OH.

Car accidents of any severity can be complex. And an act of vandalism, such as keying a car, can add extra complications. Reporting the incident will be important and can help you and your lawyer determine if you want to file an insurance claim.

Be sure to also take photos of the damage. This will serve as evidence should you pursue a claim.

Connect with a Car Accident Attorney in Columbus, OH for Assistance

If you or a loved one’s car has recently been scratched by another person, either on accident or on purpose, it can be prudent to connect with a car accident attorney in Columbus, OH. Cases where scratches occurred can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially if you do not have clear evidence of who caused them.

But working with a car accident attorney can help you as you pursue a claim for damages on your car. We bring expert knowledge to the table and an understanding of how to best approach cases where someone else has scratched your car, whether the scratches are minor or major.

Corey Heit is well-versed in handling a wide range of personal injury claims and works to represent clients within the Columbus area and throughout the state. He offers free and confidential consultations and can be reached over the phone at 614-898-5300 or online.