Auto body repair 101

NORFOLK, Va. - If you work in the auto body repair shop business, it's very likely you made a nice chunk of change Monday; weather related car accidents were everywhere. No one wants to be next, but logically someone will be. If it's you, would you know what to do?

With the help of a tow truck, a crumpled red Mustang found its way to a temporary home. That car, like hundreds of others is a casualty of slippery winter driving.

WAVY.com talked with Jay Goodwin, the managing mechanic at Bay Chevrolet Auto Body. A big snow storm means big business, but Goodwin says the story is almost always the same.

"The road was fine, then all of a sudden you hit the overpass and from one overpass to the next it's frozen, then you're out of control," said Goodwin.

Whether it's another car or something else you slide into, you've crashed. What you do next is a critical.

"The first thing you want to do is make sure you don't get run over by the cars coming behind you," Goodwin says.

From a safe spot, call your insurance company and listen. Taking their advice can help keep you from getting kicked while you're down. That is, IF you stick with their list of "certified" auto body shops.

"Just like when you're driving down the road and you see AAA hotels and restaurants. They monitor those establishments," Goodwin told WAVY.com.

Auto body repair shops are monitored the same way. Most certified shops will boast about their accreditation with signs prominently displayed in the lobby. And look out, not all are created equal.

"When you get an insurance estimate it's going to say, choose a shop that has the crew, the equipment and the training to do the proper repair on your car," said Goodwin.

A repair done improperly could leave you driving away in worse shape than when you were towed in.