Legal Question in Insurance Law in Iowa

I was recentley rear-ended in a 3 car accident. I was the front car and am not at fault for the accident. My 1999 Grand Am was totaled. I have medical bills and other personal property I need compensation for. My car was not worth a lot, so in turn the money I will receive for the vehicle will not come close to enough to get another decent vehicle. Am I able to ask for more comepensation than what my vehicle is worth?


Asked on 8/14/10, 2:28 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

You can ask for it, but you can't get it. If your car was worth, say, $5,000 and it was destroyed, it would be unjust to make the defendants or their insurers give you more.

It is very possible that you and the defendant will disagree about what your car was worth. If you think it was worth $10,000 and they say it was only worth $5,000, you can have a court resolve the disagreement.

If you were injured and/or you had personal property in the car that was destroyed in the crash, you may be entitled to additional compensation. But the compensation for the totaled car is limited to its actual value, whatever that may be.

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Answered on 8/19/10, 2:45 pm


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