It happens to the best of us — usually before the coffee has kicked in. You’re backing out of your garage door and swing a little too close to your garage door track, causing serious damage. Or perhaps you start to back out before the door is completely up, hitting the door. Sometimes it’s not even your fault — the door gets stuck halfway before you even notice it. Before you know what’s happening, you’ve backed right into your garage door. It’s very frustrating.

Fortunately, you probably don’t need to buy a whole new garage door — assuming the door was in good shape to begin with. Most crashes only require minor garage door repair. And yes, this may even be covered by your homeowner’s insurance or perhaps even your car insurance policy.

The main problem with driving into the garage door is that the damage is often more than just aesthetic. When you bump into the door, damage is typically caused to the interior garage door parts including the track. At this point, the door is not only dented but off its track as well. And this is where most homeowners or teenagers trying to cover up the accident make a huge mistake.

They might look up some dental removal tricks on YouTube or try to buff out the damage. While this might make it appear fine, there’s still damage to the parts that need to be addressed. If you continue to operate the door, then the damage usually worsens and eventually the door might even come crashing down.

So, if you’ve backed into the garage, your best option is to immediately call a garage door repairman for help. If the damage is addressed quickly, there’s a good chance you can save the door, although it does depend on how severe the damage is.

Can Insurance Cover Your Garage Door Repair?

If you or someone else hit your garage door with your car, keep in mind that the garage door repair may be covered by insurance.

If someone else hit your garage door, the repair will likely be covered under their liability insurance. It’s treated exactly as if they were in a car accident, because technically that’s exactly what happened. If you hit your garage door with your car, the repair may be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy. Whether or not you want to use your policy depends on the nature of your coverage and the expense of the repair. Using your policy to repair your door may make your insurance premiums rise substantially so you may actually pay out more than the price of the door over time through heightened insurance premiums. Talk to your insurance agent to find out the details of your policy.