The car is damaged by downpour. What to do?
Realnoe Vremya has prepared instructions for drivers whose cars were damaged by the elements
Kazan has been in the grip of a powerful downpour with thunderstorms for the last two days. The center turned into turbulent rivers, and the roads into dangerous streams of water. Kazan car owners were also hit by the elements. The parking lot near the Wildberries production facility in the village of Novaya Tura was especially damaged, where the asphalt washed away, forming a hole into which an Audi, Lexus and Mazda fell. What to do if your car ended up under rubble, a tree fell on it, it stalled in a deep puddle, or you did not notice an open hatch due to heavy rain? Together with experts, Realnoe Vremya has prepared detailed instructions.
1. The car ended up under a tree
If a heavy downpour is forecast, experts recommend taking care of shelter for the car in advance: use an indoor parking lot, underground parking or at least an open parking lot located away from trees and potentially dangerous structures.
If you have to leave your car in the yard, you need to carefully assess the surrounding environment. To protect against hail, it is advisable to use a special protective cover.
Compensation for damage caused by the elements can be obtained through an insurance company, but a third party liability insurance does not cover such damage. To do this, you must have a hull insurance.
“In the overwhelming majority of hull contracts, natural disasters are included in the insurance risks, but there are mini-hull insurance contracts that may not include such risks. A detailed list of insurance risks is always specified in the contract with the insurance company,” the All-Russian Union of Insurers told Realnoe Vremya.
2. The car is under the roadway
Assessment of damage by traffic police officers is clear — they will do everything for you, but what if you need to pull the car out of a hole?
A car can be pulled out of a small hole (up to 10 cm) using a cable. However, if the car has fallen into a deeper hole, you need to call a tow truck. In the event that the car has turned over on its side, even in a shallow hole, it is more advisable to use a manipulator.
In some situations, it may be necessary to urgently remove the car without waiting for the arrival of traffic police officers or a tow truck. For example, if the car interferes with repairs due to a water or gas pipeline break. If it is pulled out with a cable and at the same time receives additional damage, the owner must establish which organization carried out the work, record the process on video. This information is needed to file claims for damages.
Ex-president of the Union of Insurers, director of PSK-Insurance Rustem Sabirov in a conversation with Realnoe Vremya complained that even all these measures do not guarantee your safety.
3. The car stalled in a puddle
Before deciding to overcome a deep puddle, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons. Drivers have no idea of the real depth and what is hidden under the water.
It is necessary to overcome such an obstacle at minimum speed, so that in case of danger you can retreat and look for a detour. You should move at very low revs.
Even if water has not entered the engine, you should connect the car to a diagnostic scanner to detect possible errors and determine the cause of the stop. As a rule, if there are no serious problems with the engine, only drying the car is required. For this purpose, it is best to contact professionals — detailing companies, where they will dry clean the interior and completely dry all units and assemblies.
4. The car ran over an open hatch
Among car owners, there is a widespread belief that an accident is only considered a collision of two or more cars, or a collision with an object that resulted in damage, material damage, injury or death. But according to the law, this concept is much broader.
There is a possibility of receiving compensation in such cases. In accordance with the Civil Code, damage caused to property must be compensated by the guilty party. In case of recording a violation, responsibility is assigned to the road services or other organization responsible for maintaining the road infrastructure in proper condition.