Calculating Car Collision Costs

There’s no doubt that car crashes are scary. And while not all motor vehicle accidents are major, many can be really, really expensive. Best case scenario: only one car is involved with minimal property damage and no bodily injury. Even better if only your vehicle was damaged.

But the best case scenario isn’t usually the case after a car accident. Car collisions are a lot messier than that most of the time. And every ding is going to hit your wallet hard, especially if you don’t have adequate auto insurance.

The information below is going to put car collision costs into perspective. We’ll discuss some averages for common car collision repairs with and without auto insurance. By the end it will be pretty clear why adequate auto insurance coverage is essential.

Cost to Repair Damage to Vehicles

The most common car collision costs are for, you guessed it, damaged vehicles. We’re not driving bumper cars out there, so when two vehicles collide it usually causes a lot of damage that’s expensive to repair. Below are just a few examples of common vehicle repairs after a collision.

Replace a Headlight

The team at AutoZone estimates that replacing a headlight can cost anywhere between $30 and $300. That’s a huge spread, but there are several variables that influence the cost. It will depend on the cost of the headlight itself, the vehicle you drive and the cost for labor.

Wheel Alignment

Getting slammed into at any speed can throw a vehicle’s alignment way off. Getting the wheel alignment fixed usually costs between $100 and $175. The wheels you have to align, the more expensive it will be.

Dent Repair

When two vehicles collide bodywork is going to be needed to some degree. Repairing just one dent can cost as little as $100 or as much as $2,500+. But the damage can be so bad the whole panel or portion of the vehicle’s body needs to be replaced, which costs even more.

Windshield Replacement

Hopefully you don’t cause a car collision that damages the windshield of a luxury vehicle with an advanced driver assistance system because it will be expensive. We’re talking potentially thousands of dollars for that windshield replacement. On average, you can expect a windshield replacement to cost at least $400, maybe a little more.

Airbag Deployment

Today, many vehicles are equipped with airbags that save lives and prevent injuries during a car accident. They are definitely worth it, even if it does cost $1,000 to $5,000 to replace airbags on average. The cost largely depends on the make and model of the vehicle and how many airbags are deployed.

Cost to Cover Medical Expenses for Bodily Injury

Nothing is more scary in a car collision than someone getting seriously hurt or worse. Many car collisions do result in some sort of injury, many of them minor and some of them major. But even a minor injury can cost a lot to treat, and you can bet a bodily injury claim is going to be filed if someone gets hurt.

Concussion

Looking at research from football injuries, it costs $800 on average to treat a concussion, which is a very common injury from car collisions. Usually, if a concussion is suspected the person will need to go to the ER to be evaluated and monitored.

Broken Arm

Any bone in the body can be broken during a car collision, but we’ll look at a broken arm as an example of the medical costs. Without surgery, treating a broken arm is going to cost $2,500+. But if surgery is required, the cost jumps up to $16,000+. The CT scans alone are going to be expensive if a bone is broken.

Whiplash

Injuries to the neck and back are taken seriously because it can cause long-term side effects for the injured party. It’s an injury that requires immediate attention as well as rehabilitation over time. With this injury the expense is often the personal injury lawsuit that can result in a payout of $10,000-$100,000 or more depending on the severity and effects of the whiplash.

ER Visit Wellness Check

It’s understandable if someone wants to go to the ER to be medically evaluated even if they don’t look or feel hurt. Luckily, health insurance covers ER visits so people don’t have to worry about whether drivers have auto insurance if they’re injured in a collision. But, if a driver caused an accident that injured a person who then had to go to the ER, you can bet the health insurance company is going to be calling you or your auto insurer for reimbursement.

How much will they ask for? It depends on the state, but it will probably be over a thousand dollars just for the triage and facility fees. Add on professional fees and supplies, and the median cost of an ER visit is in the vicinity of $1,750.

Cost to Repair Property Damage

You break it, you buy it. Or in this case, you pay to have it fixed or replaced if you run into someone’s property with your vehicle. It’s not as common as vehicle damage and bodily injury, but paying for property damage is also a possibility after a car accident.

Fence Repair

Fences that are close to streets get hit by vehicles more than you might think. Fence repair costs are going to come down to the extent of the repair and fencing material. Replacing 10 feet of fence made with treated pine pickets is going to cost a lot less than replacing 15 feet of fence made with cedar pickets.

Minor fence repairs will set you back a couple hundred dollars. However, major fencing repairs can easily be $1,000 or more.

Plant Replacement

Trees and mature shrubs can be very expensive because they take time to grow. They actually add to the property value, so if a vehicle veers off the road onto a property and takes out a tree, the driver has done significant damage. To plant a tree that’s just 10’ tall can cost upwards of $700+. The taller the tree or shrub the more expensive it is to replace. Replacing just one mature tree can easily be a few thousand dollars.

The Simple Solution - Adequate Auto Insurance

With car collisions, it ultimately doesn’t matter who caused the accident because the damage is done regardless. And that damage will need to be repaired one way or the other.

The reality is, you need auto insurance to protect yourself from other drivers that are under insured or not insured at all. You can’t rely on other drivers to have the proper coverage or to cover the collision costs, even if they clearly caused the accident.

There’s also the issue of hit and runs. Few drivers realize that there are 700,000 hit and run accidents a year. Some involve pedestrians and bicyclists, some only involve property damage, and others involve a vehicle hitting another vehicle while driving and leaving the scene. The latter usually involves property damage and over a quarter of the time it involves bodily injury.

If you are involved in a hit and run accident, there’s something called underinsured motorist coverage that should cover the collision costs in addition to standard coverage.