What happens if you hit a fire hydrant

In an accident, you know what information to get from the other driver and how to handle an auto insurance claim. However, what happens when you end up damaging city property, or get hit by another driver and damage city property?

Increasingly, cities have been cracking down on city property damage; they will find and fine you for the cost of replacing the property including labor costs.

Do you know if your auto insurance policy covers city property damage in a collision? Every state, except New Hampshire, has made it a requirement to have property damage liability insurance included in your insurance coverage.

Your next step would be to give the city your insurance information and make a claim. Below are a few previously recorded costs of city property damages in California:. Can an insurance company tell what happened in an accident based on the damage done to the cars?

The cost and severity of a claim are key factors when it comes to whether your insurance premium may increase. Auto insurers typically consider your driving record when calculating the cost of your car insurance policy. When major crashes occur that require the closure of interstates, State Police troopers will work to help get people off the highway or around the wreck, Matey said. You could be in another accident next month and have to use your collision coverage again for that.

Two accidents in such a short period of time would almost certainly result in a surcharge at renewal time. Drivers with multiple accidents two or more within a three-year period appear to auto insurance providers to pose more of a risk, and thus insurers file their rates with the state in a way that allows these types of drivers to be charged more to be insured.

That is why keeping accidents and claims to a minimum will help you obtain lower auto insurance rates. As for the fire hydrant, if it were damaged, then the city, or whoever is the keeper of it, could charge you for damages if they are aware that you are the one that hit it.

Many water authorities will charge a driver for the water as well as the hydrant -- and that can add up to thousands of dollars quickly. So, if the hydrant was damaged and you receive a letter requesting compensation, you should contact your auto insurance company so that your property damage liability will cover it.