HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – After a strong thunderstorm raced through the Grand Strand Tuesday night, some people may now be trying to fix hail damage to their cars and homes.
Hail fell for about 30 minutes Tuesday night in places like Socastee and some of the hail was larger than a quarter. Hail that size can do significant damage to your home or vehicle.
Brandon Higdon owns Coastal Hail and Dent in Myrtle Beach.
He’s repaired hail damage and dents to vehicles for more than 15 years.
“We get behind the metal and massage it out to its original finish,” said Higdon, while working on a car.
Higdon says he usually has to travel all over the country to find most of his repair work.
“Here in the Grand Strand and Horry County, we don’t get too much hail damage,” Higdon said. So this is rare.”
Higdon already fixed dents and other damage on more than 40 vehicles Wednesday. A fast thunderstorm Tuesday night dropped quarter-sized hail in parts of the Grand Strand.
Melissa MacDonald with Southern Coast Insurance Group says damage to your vehicle should be taken care of if you have comprehensive coverage. The same goes for property damage, with wind and hail coverage on a homeowner’s policy.
MacDonald also says Southern hasn’t had to cover a hail damage claim in about two years.
“As long as it’s a documented storm and there are other claims,” said MacDonald, who’s a personal property and casualty agent. “It’s obvious there’s documentation with everyone holding up their hands full of hail (in pictures), then it’s a documented storm. Then yes, it’s a piece of cake to get the claim processed.”
While hailstorms usually leave dents on vehicles, Higdon says the damage can be worse if left unchecked.
“If it does hit the edge of a panel or something, it could leave a crack in the paint,” he said. “Therefore, after a period of time, it will start rusting. So it is best to have a professional check it out.”
Coastal Hail and Dent is also fixing damage at car dealerships, like East Coast Honda and Volkswagen.
The managers there say the hail caused minor damage to about 25 to 50 new or used cars.