Talk to the other person and ask them if they have insurance or if they will pay to fix your car.
You can write a letter to them that tells them how much it will cost to fix your car.
If they do not want to pay, you can get help from a lawyer.
- Talk to the other person. They may be able to pay for the damage or they may have insurance to pay.
- If the person says they will not pay for the damage, you can do mediation with them. Call the Community Justice Centre.
- Write a ‘letter of demand’ to the other person. In the letter you must say
- why you want them to pay
- how much to pay.
- give them two quotes (prices from a repair place) for fixing the damage.
- If they still don’t agree to pay for the damages, you can make a small claim against them at the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT). NTCAT may tell the person to pay the cost.
- Talk to a lawyer for advice before you do this.
 Listen |
 Look |
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Who Can Help? (Service Providers)
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Helpline |
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TEWLS (Top End Women’s Legal Service) |
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| Property damage
This web page has information for young people about car accidents and property damage. |
| Insurance
This web page has information for young people about car insurance. |
| Accidents
This web page has information for young people about what to do if you’ve had a car accident or been injured in a car accident. |
| What to do if you receive a letter of demand.
NT Government factsheet. |
| Letters of Demand
NT Law Factsheet. |
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Watch |
What’s the Law – Car Accidents
Video simply explaining what you should do after a car accident.
Glossary: What these words mean
| mediation | Mediation is a process where you and your partner try to work through relationship problems with someone who can help direct the conversation. This person is called a mediator. A mediator is an independent person. This means they are not on your side or your partner’s side. |
| insurance | A way to protect people from losing money. You pay money to a company and if something happens—like an accident or injury—they pay for the costs. |
| small claim | When someone owes you money, goods or services up to $25,000 in the Northern Territory, you can go to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal to ask them to pay it back. |
| letter of demand | A letter asking for payment because someone owes money or did something wrong. After a car accident, one person might send the other driver a letter of demand asking for money to pay for the damage to their car. |