Local mechanics see influx of business due to weather-related accidents

JACKSON, Tenn. — As we’ve encountered another winter event, auto body and repair shops have seen an increase in business from weather-related accidents.

Cold weather can wreak havoc on vehicles causing accidents and injuries. During this most recent snow event, repair shops have seen an influx in common weather-related repairs and incidents. We spoke to Aaron Fitzgerald, owner of Christian Brothers Automotive, about the recent repairs that they have encountered.

“We have [seen more accidents] because whenever we get weather under freezing, you do more damage to it if you haven’t maintained the vehicle, so it is something that is typical this time of year when we try to get customers to winterize their vehicle because it costs less to maintain and do that than it does to repair it when something breaks,” said Fitzgerald.

Auto body shops have also seen an increase. Keith Wadley, shop manager at Collision Specialists, tells us more about the common body damage they’ve seen.

“Mainly we see people driving too fast in the snow and, you know, hit their brakes, slide off in the ditch, so that ends up being a lot of damaged front bumpers, suspension damage, things of that nature, tires, wheels,” said Wadley.

When a bumper is damaged, many people focus solely on the exterior, but it’s crucial to recognize that the impact can also cause harm to the components hidden behind it.

“A lot of the time, people will either break door handles because they’re too much in a hurry to get in their vehicle. We do have a lot of people who don’t replace their wipers or leave the wipers kind of stuck to the windshield and then turn it on and they can break their wiper motors on there,” said Wadley.

Remember to drive safely, slowly and refrain from tailgating other vehicles.

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