Making an Auto Insurance Claim
So you are a conscientious driver and have taken the necessary steps to properly insure your vehicle. Now you’ve been involved in an accident and it’s time to put your policy to work. The auto insurance claim process can be confusing and time consuming for the people involved. Dealing with another person, their insurance provider, and your own can present some problems if not handled correctly. Fortunately for you, yours is not the first car insurance claim in history, and there is information out there that will help you work through the insurance claim process properly.
Avoid These Auto Insurance Claim Mistakes
- Make sure you have a lucid understanding of every part of your policy before giving any written statements to your or another person’s insurance officer. If you are even remotely unclear on a certain policy, then shore up your knowledge of your policy and make sure you are not subjecting yourself to unwarranted liabilities.
- You are not responsible for determining blame or liability, so avoid admitting fault in the accident or expressing your opinions about the situation. Remain objective. Insurance officers from both parties will take care of investigating and assigning liability to the persons involved, and you don’t want to dig yourself a hole by making unnecessary statements.
- Apart from written statements it is important that you never sign a release or waiver during the auto insurance claim process. Always consult an attorney or other credible resource if you are unsure what an insurance officer is asking you to put your John Hancock on.
- Insurance companies will often bank on consumer ignorance and estimate loss or settlement value at much lower than what it actually is. Make sure you do your own research and assessment before accepting your insurance companies estimates as the bottom line. Don’t accept these estimates and don’t accept a car insurance claim check until you are sure you are being properly compensated.
Finally, make your claims on time! Most insurance companies require policy holders to make claims on accidents or injuries within a specified period of time. This time period varies from plan to plan, but most will invalidate insurance claims if they are submitted past the deadline.
Important Do’s for Car Insurance Claims
- Unless you need immediate medical attention, your insurance agent should be the first person you contact after a car accident.
- Be honest with law enforcement and claims officers. As was mentioned before, extra details and opinions are not necessary, but answering questions in an honest fashion is. Claims found to be fraudulent won’t be processed.
- Don’t leave before law enforcement arrives, and make sure to exchange information with the other person involved in the accident. This includes name, address, driver’s license, and insurance information.
- Read through your policy thoroughly and understand what claims you are entitled to. Ideally, you will have done this before an accident or injury necessitates it.
- Gather as much information as you can about the accident. Details can be extremely important during the claims process, so don’t hesitate to write down reports from proximate witnesses, take pictures of the vehicles involved and any injuries you may have suffered.
- Save receipts and bills! You must be able to prove any car repair or medical care you received as a result of the accident in question in order to receive adequate compensation.
Though many of these steps seem easy enough, executing them may become more complex when you become involved in an accident. Taking the time to understand your car insurance policy and knowing what steps to take immediately after the accident can save you time and ultimately money when making a car insurance claim.