What To Do When Your Teen Driver Crashes Through The Garage
Teen drivers have higher accident rates than most other age brackets. This is due in part to their lack of driving experience and in part to their impulse control issues, which is biological in nature. When your teen driver is just learning how to drive a car and crashes through the garage door, initially you will be quite stunned, but then you will need to figure out what to do next.
First, Assess Your Teen and Anyone Else in the Car or the Garage for Injuries
If your teen driver took the driveway a little too fast and crashed through a closed garage, the first thing you should do is check for injuries. Assess your teen driver and anyone else in the car for cuts, scratches and bruising. If everyone is okay, then get out of the vehicle and make sure you can all walk a safe distance away from the damaged garage and car.
Second, Assess the Car and Garage for Damage
Now assess the car and your garage for damages. If the garage does not look as though it is structurally sound (i.e., the whole roof the garage will collapse if you move some of the debris), get out of there as fast as you can. In the event that the damages to the garage and the garage door are so severe that other parts of the garage collapse inward, you do not want to be in there when it happens. Additionally, if further collapse occurs, you can reassess damages to your car after it is removed from the rubble and not while more rubble is landing on it.
Third, Call the Police
Even though this accident occurred on your property, and it is your teen driver who is responsible, you still should call the police. Having the police document the scene will help you supply the insurance company with an accurate report of what occurred so that you can get your claim processed quicker.
Fourth, Call a Tow Truck
The tow truck company will help you retrieve the vehicle from the rubble in the garage. Then it will take your damaged vehicle to the shop for repairs. While your vehicle is being repaired and your teen driver gets over the shock of what happened, you can call a garage door repair expert.
Fifth (and Finally), Get a Garage Door Repair Expert to Fix the Garage
No matter how bad the damage to the front of your garage, the repair expert should be able to give you a full estimate on what it costs to repair the damages. This estimate should include any repairs made to the structural components of the garage, the garage door frame, the door opener and even the garage door itself. While your insurance might cover some of these costs, be prepared to pay more out of pocket to get your garage restored to what it was before your teen driver crashed through it.
Talk to a company like AAA Garage Door, Inc. to learn more.
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