What To Do Immediately Following Damage To Your Auto Glass

Posted on: 20 July 2017

The scenario is a fairly common one. You were traveling behind a construction truck when it either dropped a rock or kicked up a rock from the road into your windshield. A chipped windshield is an automatic occurrence in these cases; it cannot be avoided no matter how far behind the truck you were traveling. After the rock has hit and chipped your windshield, here is what you should do next.

Get the License Plate of the Truck

Even though you were not colliding, it is still an accident when the truck caused your vehicle damage. The driver may not even know that a rock hit your windshield, and that is why he/she kept driving. However, you need the license plate in order to file a police report and track down the truck's owner.

Call a Mobile Auto Glass Repair Company

You need to have the damage repaired as soon as possible. Another direct hit to the windshield with anything and the glass could crack to the point where you cannot see properly. Be sure to take pictures of the damage so that you can present it to the truck's owner. Then have the windshield repaired and request two copies of the repair bill.

Contact the Owner of the Construction Truck and Request Compensation

You should not have to pay for any damages caused by rocks that were dropped or flung from under a tire at your windshield. Once you have tracked down the owner of the construction truck responsible, contact him/her and request compensation. Have the police report, pictures, and copies of the bill from the mobile auto glass repair company in hand, in case the owner doubts what happened. He or she should be willing to compensate you for at least half of what you paid to have the windshield repaired.

If the Owner Refuses, File a Suit in Small Claims

Most construction truck owners realize that their trucks are capable of all kinds of damage on the roadways. As such, most of them are willing to examine your evidence and agree to write you a check for some or all of the damages. If you run into an owner that refuses, file a small claims suit with the appropriate small claims court. If you can, and need to, request the presence of the auto glass repair technician as well as the officer who completed your damage report.

For more information, contact companies like Glas Tek Windshield Repair​.

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