What To Do If You Back Into Your Garage Door
Backing into the garage door is never a scenario a homeowner wants to find themselves in, but the reality is that this sort of accident can and does occur. The easiest and least stressful way to make it out of this process is to know what to do should this situation arise. Learn about the steps you should take if you damage your garage door with your vehicle.
Leave the Door As Is
If you are lucky, you were not moving at high speed when you connected with the door, so the damage is limited to a cosmetic blemish. However, it is often safest to leave the door as is for anything other than this type of outcome. With even a little force, the door can become partially dislodged from the track, or the rollers could become misaligned. In either scenario, the weight of the door might not be adequately supported, resulting in the door falling if moved.
The last thing you want to do is injure yourself. For this reason, after assessing the damage and taking a few pictures, you probably want to leave the door as is until a professional can come out.
Contact a Door Repair Professional
After the damage has been assessed, speak with a door repair professional as soon as possible. The sooner you have someone out to assess the damage, the faster you can return your door to normal. In addition to evaluating the level of damage, the technician will be able to determine how easy it will be to repair the door, whether it should be replaced, and the cost.
As an added tip, if you took pictures of the damage, ask the technician if you can send the images over. The technician could give you an idea of the level of damage and repairs needed simply by looking at the photos.
Consider Contacting your Insurance Company
Based on the information provided by the garage door repair technician, you might decide to contact your insurance company. Particularly if your garage door is made from a more expensive material, such as 100% wood, or the track is also damaged, you could be looking at a considerable cost to repair the damage.
Often, insurance companies allow homeowners to select the repair technician of their choice, so you could coordinate with the repair technician you have already chosen to have the work serviced under your insurance policy.
Again, make sure you contact a garage door repair professional as soon as possible to get on top of repairs and get your door system back in working order as quickly as possible.