Accidental damage, although not eligible for repair under warranty, should still be repaired by an apple authorised service provider. If at a later date the phone became inoperable, due to water damage for instance, Apple will not replace the phone under the out of warranty service (Again, accidental damage not covered by the warranty) if the previous repair has not been performed by Apple or an approved service.
I learned this the hard way! The difference in the price of an out of warranty replacement and a new handset is significant!