Auto Insurance Claims: Pay for lost time, small claims court, town job

Question
My son was T boned at an intersection..The vehice he was driving is mine for him to get to work..It is not safe to drive  door wont open  ... Therefore he has had no transpotation?  Should he be payed for time lost? It is an out of town job?

Answer
Hi Laurie-

I hope your son is OK.  If the vehicle is unsafe to drive the at fault driver (or his insurance company) is responsilbe to provide a rental car for a reasonable amount of time until the property damage is settled. I'm assuming here that your son was not at fault.

You may want to check with the insurance company first to make sure they agree that the vehicle is unsafe to drive.  If not, you have to make the choice to pay for it for now and you may have to eventually take them to small claims court to get reimbursed.  

They would only be responsible for lost time if he was not able to work due to injury.

If you let me know what area you are from, I can probably recommend a good agent that will be there to help you every step of the way when something like this happens.  

Sheldon Maughan
Sacramento, Ca