Overnight hail storm leaves drivers with dented vehicles

AUSTIN, Texas - An overnight hail storm that rocked Central Texas left some car owners dealing with dented vehicles.

The owner of Dent Works of Austin said on Thursday they were getting slammed with calls.

Adam Lunceford, a car owner in the Highland area, recently converted his garage which meant his two cars were parked outside. His mom happened to be visiting from Dallas, and her car was parked outside as well. 

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"Right before the barrage of hail happens there's a massive thundercrack and that woke me up," said Lunceford. "Then I heard the hail and thought we were under fire or something; it was really scary."

All three of their cars ended up with dent marks. His mom’s Fiat experienced the worst damage. "It looks like it's been hit with shotgun pellets almost," said Lunceford.

Some areas around Austin reported hail around the size of ping pong balls. Strangely, Austin’s three most expensive hail storms occurred on the same date previously - March 25 of 1993, 2005, and 2009.

When it comes to insurance claims for damages to a vehicle, comprehensive auto coverage in Texas will cover repair if it’s damaged by hail, wind, fire, or flood. However, liability coverage won't cover that kind of damage. "In Texas, state law requires you have liability coverage to pay for others but doesn't require comprehensive," said Ben Gonzalez from the Texas Department of Insurance.

Gonzalez said now may be a good time to check what kind of coverage you have and what it includes. If you do have comprehensive coverage and are dealing with post-storm damages, he said moving quickly is key.

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"If you had damage, as soon as you can, let your insurance company know," said Gonzalez. "It’s likely your neighbor did too, and there might be a rush to get adjustors to come out and look at your vehicle."

For insurance-related questions, you can call the TDI Help Line for consumers at 1-800-252-3439.