Is a Wheel Being Knocked Out of Alignment Considered a Major Accident?
2 Answers
Having a car tire knocked out of alignment is not considered a major accident; it falls under minor accidents. Minor accidents: Refer to incidents that result in minor injuries to 1 or 2 people, or involve relatively small property damage. General accidents: Refer to incidents that result in serious injuries to 1 or 2 people, or minor injuries to 3 or more people, or involve moderate property damage. Major accidents: Refer to incidents that result in the death of 1 or 2 people, or serious injuries to 3 to 10 people, or involve significant property damage. Catastrophic accidents: Refer to incidents that result in the death of 3 or more people, or serious injuries to 11 or more people, or the death of 1 person along with serious injuries to 8 or more people, or the death of 2 people along with serious injuries to 5 or more people.
After driving for so many years, my deepest realization is that a bent wheel shouldn't be judged too quickly. That time when I accidentally scraped the curb while reversing, my right front wheel immediately went out of alignment. Just replacing the tire alone cost me 2,000 RMB. What made it worse was when the mechanic inspected it and said the suspension link was also deformed and the chassis bushing was cracked—the repair bill skyrocketed to over 8,000 RMB. Now when selling the car, dealers keep bringing this up and knocked 20,000 RMB off the price. So whether this counts as a major accident really depends on whether core components were damaged. If it's just a wheel replacement, it might be manageable, but if the chassis or steering system is compromised—expensive to fix and a safety hazard—then it's definitely major accident territory.
