Auto Insurance Claims: first-time accident, worried about cost of repairs, auto body work, collision insurance

Question
Hi,

I apologize if this is a naive question, but I've just had my first car accident with significant damage, and I'm not quite sure what to do.

While on the highway, I swerved into the far-left lane to avoid a car in front of me that slammed on the brakes. My vehicle fish-tailed a bit, and the back end bounced off of the guard rail. I didn't hit any other car; mine, a 2000 Saturn S-series, was the only one damaged.

My left tail light is smashed, the rear bumper and left rear panel both have significant gouges, and--the worst part--my trunk will no longer close completely because the latch has been bent out of place. The car is perfectly drivable, though.

Unfortunately, I don't have collision insurance. Only liability. Stupid, I know. So I'm wondering how much a new bumper, rear panel, and tail light might cost. I'm out of work right now, on a tight budget, and I'm afraid this accident might sink me.

First of all, could you give me any kind of idea of how much this will all cost? Is there anyway I can purchase collision insurance and somehow have it retroactively applied to my accident (I know that sounds dumb, but I'm grasping at hope here)? And if I can't afford all the repairs, would it be possible to ONLY have the trunk latch fixed? What would the minimum amount of repairs be to keep my vehicle legal?

thanks,
g.

Answer
Hi Gregory,

First of all, you can not purchase collison insurance and have this covered. That would be insurance fraud.

Its hard to say what the cost would be without seeing the vehicle. Some parts may be repairable while others may need to be replaced and repainted. Auto body work can be quite expensive. Based On what you have said, I would think you are looking at at least $1500.00 and possibly a lot more.

Since you said the car is drivable, the best thing to do would be to go to a body shop to get an estimate of the cost of repairs. Most shops will complete an estimate for free. While there you can ask the estimator to also estimate the cost of minimal repairs just to fix the trunk lock so it will close.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh