4 Reasons To Be Patient After A Baton Rouge Auto Accident

Editor's note: This post was originally published on December 19, 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.

If it seems that it is taking longer than it should to get your car serviced and back after an accident, that’s because it is. It has been a rough year in Baton Rouge in a number of ways, not the least of which was the flood in August that impacted a tremendous number of residents. Since the flood, we at Medines, and others in the auto repair industry have seen an uptick in the number of cars coming into our facilities every day. If you are among those that have been in an accident recently, we know how frustrating the situation is, but we also want to ask for your patience. There are a number of outside factors slowing the process of getting everyone back out on the road in their own vehicle. One of the things we have found with our customers is, the more they understand about why the process isn’t moving as fast as they would like, the easier it is to remain calm, and not get senselessly frustrated over it. So, here are 4 reasons to be patient after a Baton Rouge auto accident.

Natural disaster claims eat up adjusters’ schedules

When a natural disaster hits a particular area, it is important to remember the number of people affected by that disaster. When our area flooded in August, it wasn’t a dozen or so cars that ended up under water, but thousands. This meant that every insurance adjustor around would be assessing damage around the clock, totaling out cars that went under. While these adjustors were overworked and overstretched, people didn’t stop getting into accidents. So, while their time was already accounted for, their demand has continued to rise.

People are out of their routines

For the most part, people are creatures of habit. We all have our routines. When we are in our routines, things operate as normal. But, when we are out of our routines, unknown variables shake up that routine. This is particularly true for people who were displaced by the flood. From the outset, every day, they are taking a different commute to get to and from work. They also have a lot on their minds that has nothing to do with the task at hand. It is very easy to “space out” thinking about everything you need to do to get your house back in order, and lose track of the traffic around you, resulting in more accidents.

There are added vehicles on the road

Natural disasters have the unintended effect of bringing people to town looking for work. Any time a storm rolls through, you will find contractors, laborers, and all kinds of construction workers rolling in to town seeking temporary employment. This, of course, means added traffic and added traffic means an increased number of accidents on the road.

Everyone involved in the process is busier than usual

It’s not just the insurance adjustors that are stretched thin right now. Rental car companies lost a lot of their inventory and what’s left is being continually used and turned over from customer to customer. Body shops throughout the area are backed up and have to work in the order of not just when the cars came in, but have to wait on the backed up insurance companies as well. Basically, everyone involved in the process is stretched pretty thin right now.

Everyone is working hard, but it is important at a time like this to remember that getting the job done quickly isn’t nearly as important as getting the job done right. The last thing anyone wants is to get their car back only to have to bring it right back in. It is also important to remember, believe it or not, you want to use a shop that has a wait. If there is a body shop that can get to you immediately, you may want to ask yourself why they’re so available. There is likely a reason that no one else wants to go there. If you have any questions about the process, or about our availability at Medines, please call our team today.