Car Accident Insurance Claim Process Explained

Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 10:57 pm

Filing a claim for accident insurance is very easy, but the anticipation regarding the accident make the process seems very tough to get completed. If you file your claim correctly, in the right way then it should be processed in less than a weekâ€™s time, though it may take almost a month before you receive your check for any medical expense or damage.

After an accident, the first thing you must do is ensure that everyone is safe. In case of a grave car accident, you must immediately ask someone to cal at 911 for assistance. You must also remember to not rush into admitting your fault. If it gets proved that the accident was not caused due to your mistake, you may still have to have the compensations. Try to get control over the situations, calm people around you and then approach the other driver or drivers

You must not get involved in any other thing except exchanging insurance information with the driver or drivers. Get each otherâ€™s names, phone numbers, addresses, and other insurance details. You can wait for the police officer to come and do this for you if the other party seems offended. After the police officer arrives, they will create a report with whatever information available.

Before anything else is done you should take a few quick pictures. Of course, if you are in a busy area they will want to get the cars out of the way as soon as possible, but you need to get pictures before anything is moved. Get pictures of the damage to both cars and the surrounding area.

You must also call your claims representative at this time. If both the parties have a little time to spare then the claims representative can come at the spot and inspect. They assist in the claims process by taking pictures, questioning the witnesses, and preparing the report accordingly. The agents also assist you by filling up the form either with you in person or over the phone. The agents may want to know the accurate time and location of the accident. You may also get a copy of the police report and send it to the insurance company.

Generally, you are free to leave the scene after you have called your claims representative, taken pictures, and exchanged information with the other car driver or drivers. Even if it is a light accident, you must not and leave the spot without exchanging any information otherwise it would be called a hit and run. The insurance check should come by mail, but this can take weeks or may be a month. You will most likely have to bear all the initial costs from your own pocket.

You can ask several things to the claims agent to clearly understand the claims procedure. You may ask things like your coverage details, as different types of plans offer dissimilar coverage. You may question the agents as to when the remaining paper work is due, though its generally done in less than a week. In case of grave accidents, you may get your lawyer have a look at your legal formalities and paper work.

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