Although garage doors can malfunction, many accidents are caused by people driving into their own garage doors. Although this is an embarrassing slip up for drivers, it's an understandable one since you open and close the garage door an average of 1500 times a year. On a day when you are distracted, tired, angry, or all three, you may just think the door is open when it isn't. If you are in a hurry, you may not give the door enough time to raise. Whatever the reason, driving into your garage door means you have a few problems to solve.
Repairs
In some instances, you may be able to fix a small dent yourself, providing the garage door motor still works and the door will still close. If the door will not close, you may close it yourself by pulling down the door, but you should not force it. If you do, you chance seriously damaging the mechanism and that will cost you plenty to fix. In most instances, you should call a professional repair service to avoid injuring yourself. If your accident happens after normal business hours, you may have to pay extra for emergency service to keep your home secure. An open garage door is an invitation to thieves, and since most people have doors leading straight from the garage into the house, your family is at risk as well.
Insurance
You may file an insurance claim if the damage the door is more than your deductible. If you have backed into the garage door of a home you own, you will need to file on your homeowners policy simply because your auto insurance will not pay out for an accident to your own property. You cannot file a claim against yourself. If you hit someone else's garage door, the owner of the property will probably file a claim against your auto insurance to keep from paying a deductible and risk raising rates on her homeowners policy. If you damage your car while backing into your garage door, your auto policy should pay for those damages if you care to file a claim.
Although embarrassing, hitting your own garage door is not particularly rare. The blow to your pride will probably be less than the blow to your wallet. You will be on the hook for repairs, including an insurance deductible or two. In the future, double-check that the door is open before pulling in or out of your garage.
For professional garage door repair, contact a company such as Garbers Of Richmond Inc.
