The Risks of Waiting for the Other Driver's Insurance
The primary risk of waiting for a third-party liability decision is that insurance investigations can drag on for weeks or even months while your car sits damaged. During this time, your vehicle may accumulate massive storage fees if it is sitting at an impound yard, or it may suffer secondary damage from being exposed to the Arizona heat. Under standard policy rules and state guidelines, vehicle owners have a duty to mitigate their damages, meaning you cannot simply let storage fees pile up indefinitely while waiting for a liability decision. If you delay, the insurer may refuse to pay for the excess storage days, leaving you personally responsible for those charges.
Using Your Own Collision Coverage to Start Repairs Immediately
You can bypass the liability delay entirely by filing a claim through your own collision coverage policy to get your vehicle repaired immediately. If you choose this route, you will pay your deductible directly to the repair shop when the work is completed. Once your insurance company successfully recovers the repair costs from the at-fault driver's insurance through a process called subrogation, they will typically reimburse you for your deductible. While this requires out-of-pocket money upfront for the deductible, it gets your vehicle back on the road safely without waiting for two insurance companies to finish arguing over fault.
Moving Your Vehicle Out of Storage to Avoid Fees
If your car is currently sitting at a police impound or a commercial tow yard in Glendale or Peoria, you must move it to a repair facility immediately to stop daily storage fees. Even if liability is heavily disputed, the insurance company will rarely pay for weeks of storage fees that could have been avoided by moving the car. Moving your vehicle to an independent repair shop like Liberty Collision Center stops the storage clock and ensures your vehicle is kept in a secure environment. We specialize in getting vehicles out of impound and storage lots fast, preventing tow yards from holding your vehicle hostage while the insurance companies delay.
Do not let your car pile up storage fees while insurance adjusters delay your claim. Contact Liberty Collision Center at (623) 931-2110 to arrange a tow directly to our secure shop and get an honest, independent damage assessment.
Why You Need an Independent Advocate During Liability Disputes
Insurance adjusters from both companies are focused on minimizing their financial exposure, which is why having an independent shop on your side is critical. At Liberty Collision Center, we work directly for you, the vehicle owner, not the insurance company. We document all physical evidence of the damage thoroughly, including structural issues and ADAS calibration needs, which can often help support your version of the accident during the liability dispute. Because we do not participate in insurance Direct Repair Programs (DRPs), we never cut corners to save the insurer money, ensuring your vehicle is restored to strict OEM safety standards.
- Contact your own insurance company to see if using your collision coverage is the fastest path to starting repairs.
- Instruct the tow yard to release your vehicle to an independent collision center immediately to stop daily storage fees.
- Do not sign any liability waivers or bodily injury settlement agreements from the other driver's insurance without fully understanding your rights.
- Ensure a comprehensive teardown and diagnostic scan are performed by an independent shop to document the full extent of the structural and mechanical damage.