The Process of Making Auto Insurance Claims, A Step by Step Guide

Millions of motor vehicles ply American roads each day. The flooding numbers make it more probable that any driver can get involved in an accident at any moment and file an auto insurance claim. An accident in itself is a stressful situation, but making a claim can add to the stress if you are not careful. Many drivers have ended up in seriously complicated claims. So what are the ‘first things’ you should do first when in the process of making auto insurance claims?

While at the scene of the accident, the first thing you need to do is to call 911 and ask for emergency help if there are any serious injuries. If there is no life threatening injuries, or after calling for emergency help, the most appropriate thing is to call the police. Some claims might be about theft or vandalism.

A police report is a vital part of filing an auto insurance claim. It is one of the five things your insurance company will examine. Others include your personal statement, a statement from third parties, evidence of physical damage and statements from witnesses. Keep in mind that without these, making auto insurance claims might become a tough hurdle for you.

Some state laws require that all drivers must have their insurance ID cards in their vehicles at all times. It is important for you to exchange contact information, license plates and auto insurance details with the parties involved in the accident or incident that warrants making auto insurance claims. Try as much as possible to collect relevant information from the other parties, including phone numbers because these will make your claim easy.

While still at the scene of the incident, collect eyewitnesses who will be willing to give information on what they saw during the incident. If possible, collect their contact information because the success of your claim might depend on them. If it is not possible for you to gather witnesses at the scene, the police will produce a report that will supply information on the involvement of the other parties. Again, witnesses will make the process of making an auto insurance claim easy because they will give first hand information on what they saw, which is usually trusted by insurance companies.

As soon as you know that the police are on their way coming, and that you are prepared with witnesses, call your auto insurance company so that you can speak to an agent. This must be done while at the incident scene even though some companies allow up to 24 hours over-the-phone claiming. Register your claim regardless of the party at fault. Take note that this step in making auto insurance claims comes at this stage, right after following the preliminaries as outlined above. Only try to do it after doing the previous steps.

As soon as you are done with these four steps, you are in a good position with your claim process. Other procedures can be followed a little bit later. Informing the other party’s carrier might be necessary, but it is better to start with your own because you are more likely to get quick service.

PROCEED TO PART B BELOW

Some of the processes you will need to go through while claiming your auto insurance will involve third parties and their insurance carriers. Whatever follows after the preliminary steps will depend on the kind of coverage you are under.

This step is taken if the other party involved in the accident or incident is at fault. Inform their insurance company that you will be pursuing a claim against their client through your auto insurance carrier. This is important because your coverage provider might not pay for some costs, leaving them to the other party’s carrier. These costs may include collision deductible, value of diminished resale, time consumed off work among others.

The best way to claim your auto insurance is to file claims with both carriers, especially if the other driver is found to be at fault in the accident. Although the aim is not to collect double claim, you stand a chance to benefit from multiple source recovery. Remember to do this any time soon after the steps outlined in Part A of making auto insurance claim.

There are cases when you will receive a request to make a statement to the other carrier involved. In this case, write down your statement to guarantee consistency in case of a lawsuit. It is important to get the help of your coverage provider just in case a technical side of things is needed. A lawsuit might ensue and your statement will be very useful in handling it and ultimately pursuing an auto insurance claim.

At this stage of auto insurance claims, your auto insurance company sends an adjuster to assess the damage on your car and arrive at an estimate in terms of repair costs or replacement amount if your car is totaled. If this is done successfully, you will receive a check that will include the amount for repair, but less collision deductibles.

Some companies have repair programs. If this is the case, the adjuster might not be included in the process. Instead, you will be sent to the third party shop where repairs will be done. Totaled cases will see the adjuster calculate the value of the vehicle before the accident so that you can be compensated.

Sometimes insurance companies provide low damage settlement value following an auto insurance claim. You have a right to dispute this by filling a form of arbitration in order to register officially your dispute. The process might take anything from two to six weeks.

However, the insurance will pay you the value originally arrived at, and will make adjustments later if your dispute ended in your favor.

Disputes registered with third party carriers may or may not be allowed. If the amount in question is significant, you can proceed with legal action so that you are satisfied with your auto insurance claim.

The procedures are fairly the same in many states, although there can be a few variations. The most important thing for every driver is to ensure they do not jeopardize their chances of successfully claiming their auto insurance coverage by violating any of the laid down principles and procedures. If you follow all these steps of making auto insurance claims, you should not have a problem having it settled adequately.