Damage guide

Multiple impacts: what's usually damaged and what it costs

Multiple impacts, where you are hit and then pushed into another vehicle or object, spread damage across more than one zone and sharply raise the odds that something structural or mechanical was hurt. Each impact zone hides its own damage, and the combination is more than the sum of its parts.

Educational content only. This is not a repair quote, insurance advice, or legal advice. Actual damage and costs depend on a professional in-person inspection.

Parts most often affected

From our versioned collision ruleset (v2026.09.3), the same data that powers our pricing guides. Severity is a typical starting point; your accident may differ.

PartTypical severityTypical repair range
Front bumper covermoderate (5/10)$190 – $765
Rear bumper covermoderate (5/10)$190 – $765
Hoodmoderate (4/10)$325 – $910
Trunk lidmoderate (4/10)$290 – $980
Radiatormoderate (4/10)$240 – $635
Front reinforcement barmoderate (4/10)$185 – $545
Rear reinforcement barmoderate (4/10)$185 – $545

Each row is that part alone: its price, the hours to fit it, and its refinish. If every listed part needed work the whole job runs roughly $2,780 – $8,655, which is more than the rows add up to because a repair also carries paint materials, calibrations and the operations published labor times exclude by rule, which come to $850 – $2,770 here. Most repairs involve a subset of these parts. Ranges are educational, not quotes.

Hidden damage: high risk

HIGH

Multiple impacts raise the chance of structural and mechanical damage in more than one zone.

A shop will inspect every impact zone separately (front and rear reinforcement bars, cooling system, trunk floor) and check overall frame alignment, since two opposing impacts can bow the structure between them in ways a single hit can't.

What to do next

  1. Make sure everyone is safe, and call 911 if anyone is injured.
  2. Photograph the damage and the scene before anything is moved or repaired.
  3. Watch for symptoms: warning lights, new noises, pulling to one side, panels that won't latch. Each one changes the picture.
  4. Get the damage assessed before deciding it's "just cosmetic." Our free pricing guide takes about two minutes.

Full checklist: what to do after a car accident in Washington.

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