5 Tips For Filing An Auto Insurance Claim
Chances are that you have auto insurance to give you peace of mind about what happens if you do get into an accident. While the hope is for that to never happen, there may come a day when you need to use your auto insurance to be reimbursed for the expense of repairing a vehicle and paying for your medical bills. Here are some tips that will help you with the claims process.
Assess Your Situation
There are a few things that you have to do right after you get into an accident. Start by assessing your situation after a crash and making sure that everyone is safe. Prioritize getting you or passengers to the hospital if there is an injury, and getting out of harm's way if there is traffic on a busy street.
Contact Your Insurance Provider
You'll need to reach out to your insurance provider immediately so that you can start the process of making a claim. You will need to provide them with plenty of basic information about the accident. This includes the date, time, and location that it happened. Keep in mind this is all the information needed now to start the claim process, you'll talk to your insurance provider again later on. Make note of the name of anyone you speak with at the insurance company as well.
Gather Information
You'll want to get the contact information of any other drivers in the accident, their license plate number, insurance information, and any other information that can help identify them. Take photographs of the accident site soon after it happens. This helps make it clear that the damage caused to your vehicle was due to the accident. You'll also want to call the police to the scene so that they can make a police report based on what they see.
Work With The Insurance Provider
You will be assigned a claims adjuster to work on your case. They are going to assess the damage to your vehicle, determine how much they are willing to pay based on your coverage, and let you know if your vehicle is totaled. You'll also learn about deadlines to submit documentation, so write these dates down and keep them in mind. It will help to put them in the calendar on your phone so that you have reminders.
Receive A Settlement Offer
Your insurance provider will give you a settlement offer, which is essentially how much they are willing to pay for the accident based on your coverage. It's always important to compare this offer to your coverage so that you know you are getting a fair offer. You can negotiate the settlement offer with your insurance provider, but once you sign the release and accept the offer you cannot get more money from your insurance provider.
For more information on auto insurance policies, contact a company near you.
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