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| Had an interesting call the other day. A car crashed into my house and did some damage. Luckily nobody was hurt, crashed into my 17 month old daughter's room, 4 feet from the crib.
Everything is closed up now and I am waiting for a copy of the police report (this morning) and the insurance adjuster's report and list of damages/cost. From what I can see (and also what the Twp building inspector reviewed) is that the foundation which is a poured foundation is fine, no cracks or signs of damage. I did notice the bottom 2x4 sill is pushed in past the top one by 1/4" or so for about 6'-8'. New studs have been installed inside with some new insulation for now. All the siding on the outside around the area needs to be replaced. Since I have never had to file a claim regarding my home, how does it work? Is it similar to car insurance where they assess the damage, come up with an estimate and provide you a check and you choose the contractor to use for the repair? From what I see, there is nothing I cannot (or have not) done before in my years of DIYing. My main concern is the structural integrity of the wall, so I would like someone with experience in that take a look. Of course this is a horrible time of year to get something done ASAP, which is why I am leaning more towards doing the repairs myself next week during my vacation. I am obtaining the police report this morning, fully the driver's fault as my insurance will go after his insurance for the damages (hopefully that will go smoothly). Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. As I mentioned, I have never been thru a home insurance claim and am just thankful my family was not home when it happened. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Have you contacted your homeowner's insurance? If not that should be your next call. They will step in and make sure the driver's insurance pays, but liability limits are often not all that large on cars. Many people would be in real trouble if they hit a Bentley or other very expensive car (the owners usually have uninsured/under-insured coverage for just this case). If you are liable for more than the policy amount, then you may be on the hook for the balance. How it proceeds depends on how much money it is and how much the insurance company thinks they can try to squeeze out of you. A judgment against someone with no assets that can be attached is not worth all that much (think 'law suit proof').
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| I spoke to my insurance the morning it happened. They have had their people out to review and come up with the damages. They also had a cleanup crew come due to water entering the basement (broken baseboard pipe). Just found out the kid (20 year old) lives 1 block over, in a house 3x the size of mine. Probably texting at the wheel. |
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| keep records of of everything! names, who you talked to, ect... |
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