If you had a car accident and don’t know how to file auto insurance claims, it is never too late to be informed. An auto insurance claim is when you contact the auto insurance provider to reimburse you for any possible damages you have suffered during a car accident. A claim could also be the case when you ask your car insurance to act on your behalf once you are liable for damages.
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Coping with car accidents could be very expensive and intimidating, but your insurance company will always be there to assist you depending on your coverage, level of responsibility, and type of damages that you may be involved with. If you experienced a car accident say, vandalism, theft, fire or even a collision with another vehicle, keep in touch with your car insurance company and let them get involved.
Note that you also need to check if you are eligible for collision, comprehensive, or other add-ons in your auto insurance policy. For those who ignore the typical procedures, here you will learn how to file auto insurance claims after a car accident.
Call the Police Right Away
It is strongly advisable to contact the police to take full account of the incident in the police report. Sometimes people are not in the best position to determine what to do once they experience an unforeseen accident. It is also your responsibility to contact a police officer to handle difficult parties, keep you safe from injuries, and proceed with emergency revisions on your vehicle.
As soon as you get the police report, submit it to your local DMV (if applicable). You may also need to contact your auto insurance for more information about accident reports.
Gather Relevant Information About Your Car Accident
Always try to document as much information regarding your car accident to keep record of what you need to provide once you decide to file an auto insurance claim. It is important to get the names, address, and contact number of everyone involved in the car accident.
When it comes to vehicles, do not just take note of the license plate to support your claim. Most insurance companies only keep track of the type of vehicle and the vehicle identification number. Be proactive and keep your information handy.
Contact Your Auto Insurance Company Right Away
It is recommended to call your insurer right after you experience a car accident for your own security. The sooner you keep in touch with them the better. Auto insurance companies can guide you through the next steps and outline what you need to do next. They are also helpful for dealing with damaged vehicles following the policies you signed up for. Few clients are entitled to towing or rental car services as specified in their auto insurance policies.
Note that if you fail to contact your auto insurance company, you could end up ignoring what they can do to assist you and make it even more expensive.
Get Support From A Claims Specialist
Once you filed your claim, you will be assigned a claim specialist to evaluate your case. The agent will carry out further investigations before resolving your claim.
- Expect to have a meeting with your claims specialist to discuss your case. If your car is the in garage, your claim specialist will stay in touch with the garage to estimate damages and repairs.
- Many auto insurance offer claimants a garage facility or recommendations about garages you can get your car fixed at. Verify whether your auto insurance company has repair guarantees.
- Check if your auto insurance policy includes rental car endorsements. That applies to claimants whose vehicles need to be repaired. If you are not familiar with your coverage, discuss it with your claim specialist.
- Claims specialists are also open to review any potential personal injury allegations, assist you with payments, and approve the costs of repairing your vehicle.
- Make sure you provide your claims specialist with as much relevant information as required to support your case. The more information you provide to support your claim, the quicker for your claim professional to work on it.
- If your car suffered damaged so extensive that the cost to repair exceeds the current value of your car, then you will need to file a total loss claim.
- Feel free to ask any questions that may arise during the process of your claim. That includes updates, payment information, and future expectations out of your case.
Proceed to get your car fixed and claim payment
Once your claims specialist has completed the research of your case, you will get an estimate of the cost to fix your vehicle, possible deductibles that needs to be paid, and the final outcome of your claim. In many cases, your estimate will also include the use of generic parts for your vehicle. Note that the use, consent, and prohibition of generic parts on your vehicle is determined state-by-state.
