Michael J. Meksraitis Chartered
Se Habla Español • Free Consultation: (813) 217-5639
The Great Bumper Scam
Frequently clients notify me that they have received a repair estimate from the responsible party’s insurance company. On average, these repair estimates range from between $350 to $550. I discuss with them what occurred, and they usually tell me some version of the following:
“Well… this man or woman came out; they looked at the bumper and entered some notes and numbers on their laptop computer, and they then handed me the estimate.”
Next, I ask whether the so-called adjuster or claims representative removed the plastic bumper cover. “NO” is the answer.
I ask whether this person looked under the car and the area around or under the bumper. Again, “NO” is the answer.
My next question is whether the person examined the gap, or distance between the trunk lid or hatchback lid and the body to determine whether the distance or gap is uniform and within the car manufacturers’ specifics? Again, the answer is “NO”!
The same question would also apply to the back roof support and the rear door. Again the answer is “NO”!
There is a reason why this is not done.
Weekly, I see cases wherein the client is a victim of the bumper scam. The adjuster says that $450 will repair the damage. Yet, no attempt is made to find “hidden damages.” It is my experience that the $450 estimate is a fraud.
When the automobile is carefully examined, the bumper cover removed, the area under the car is examined, and gaps are examined between the doors and roof supports, then the real damage is revealed. Suddenly the $450 estimate is now $1,200 to $1,500 or even $2,000. In some cases the unibody, which functions as the frame, is out of alignment. This is a real problem because today’s cars have no rigid steel “I” beam frame.
If you accept the insurance company’s estimate then you have been taken in two ways. First, they hold down repair costs. Second, if you have sustained a serious permanent injury – an injury which will produce pain or limit functions for the remainder of your life, then the first piece of evidence which the insurance company’s attorney will show to the jury in final argument will be the $450 repair estimate.
This is done to implant a seed in the jury’s mind that if the car or SUV was not damaged, then how is it possible that for the driver to be hurt? There has never been written an article in any reputable medical journal or text book which says NO damage equals NO injury. Yet, insurance company attorneys make this argument everyday in courtrooms across the county.
How do you protect yourself from being a victim? First, take your car to an independent body shop or mechanic. Many body shops work directly with the insurance companies. They are spoon fed their business by the insurance companies. They are called preferred shops. Many of them work out of dealerships. Hence, they have a financial interest in not finding hidden damage.
Mechanics frequently see and know how to recognize hidden damage. Independent repair mechanics are dependent on word of mouth or customer referrals for their business success. A happy customer trumps the insurance company’s interest.
The photo below depicts the hidden damage not revealed by the insurance company’s initial and cursory inspection.
The repair estimate given by the insurance company was a grand total of $356.88.
The damage in this picture shows steel which has been bent by the force of the collision. The gap created because of the impact is so wide that a plastic spoon could be placed in the area which was opened up by the energy transferred in the collision’s impact.
Go out and look at your car after an accident. Don’t just assume that the surface bumps and dents are the only damage. Don’t be lulled into a false belief that the scrapes on the bumper cover is, in fact, the only damage.
The law office of Michael J. Meksraitis of Tampa, Florida, represents personal injury victims in the Tampa Bay Area and West Central Florida, including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Bradenton, Inverness, Arcadia, Brooksville, Dade City, Bartow, Wauchula, and Bushnell, and all communities of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Polk, Sumter, Hardee, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.
Michael J. Meksraitis Chartered, Attorney at Law
Florida Personal Injury Attorney
102 S. Westland Ave. | Tampa, FL 33606
Phone: (813) 217-5639 | Fax: (813) 835-0869
Toll-free: (866) 767-1488
Contact Michael J. Meksraitis by E-Mail
