First: safety and documentation
Once everyone is safe and law enforcement has been contacted, the most valuable thing you can do is document. Photos and names cost you nothing today and can be decisive weeks later when an insurance company is deciding liability.
- Photograph all vehicles from every angle — wide shots and close-ups of the damage.
- Photograph the scene: intersection, lane position, skid marks, debris, traffic controls.
- Get the other driver's name, phone, insurance carrier and policy number.
- Get names and phone numbers of any witnesses. Witnesses disappear fast.
- Note the police report number and the agency that responded.
- Photograph your odometer and the interior condition of your vehicle.
Where is your vehicle going?
This is the step most people get wrong. If your car is not drivable, a tow truck is going to take it somewhere — and where it lands matters. A vehicle towed to an impound or storage yard starts accruing daily fees immediately. A vehicle towed to a repair facility of your choosing does not create that problem.
Before you let anyone tow your vehicle to a storage yard, call Airpark Auto Collision. Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to arrange for the vehicle to come to our facility instead.
Do you have to use the shop your insurance company recommends?
Generally, no. In most situations the vehicle owner chooses the repair facility. An insurance company may recommend one of its preferred or Direct Repair Program shops, but a recommendation is not automatically a requirement. Coverage terms and applicable law vary, so if you're unsure, call us and we'll walk you through it.
What you should not do yet
- Don't sign an open-ended authorization at a tow yard without reading what you're agreeing to.
- Don't assume the first estimate is the complete estimate — hidden damage is normal and shows up after teardown.
- Don't let the vehicle sit somewhere expensive while liability is being argued over.
- Don't give a recorded statement you're not prepared for without understanding what's being asked.
- Don't accept a total-loss valuation without reviewing how it was calculated.
Then call us
We're an independent, family-owned collision repair facility in North Phoenix. We accept all insurance and work with all insurance companies — we just don't have a DRP contract with any of them. That means our relationship is with you, and we'll tell you what we actually think you should do next.