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How to File Your Car Insurance Claim

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Some people find filing car insurance claim after an accident to be tedious and dealing with the other party’s insurance company can sometimes be a problem. If you have a guide to follow when you claim your car insurance then you won’t have to worry about what’s next. The following are suggestions for you to follow when claiming car insurance.

  1. Check for injuries whether minor cut, bruises or major ones among your passengers and the passengers of the other vehicle. Have them brought to a hospital for check-up and get a medical certificate. The medical certificate will be useful for your insurance claim.
  2. Call your insurance agent if you don’t understand or you need clarification on your insurance policy. He/she can give you a clearer view how your insurance works and how much you can claim after the accident.
  3. Exchange information with the other driver, getting the name, telephone number, address and insurance information. You can phone in the other insurance company for verification about the insurance of the other driver.
  4. Gather witness accounts about the accident and get the witnesses’ contact numbers. The numbers are useful for insurance investigation for the approval of your claim.
  5. File for a police report in real time. For support in the investigation you can take detailed pictures of the accident, everything from skid marks to bumps on each car, injuries of passengers and drivers.
  6. Notify your insurer right away so that an insurance adjuster can review the accident report. If you’re not at fault you can use the other driver’s insurer so you won’t have to pay a deductible.
  7. Do not settle for any amount from your insurer or the other driver’s insurance unless you are satisfied with the settlement. The settlement should be enough to cover medical and hospital bills, repair or replacement or the vehicle after the accident.
  8. Consider your appraisal clause if you and your insurance company cannot settle your damage claim. An appraisal clause is the provision in your insurance policy where either you or the insurer (or both) have the right to demand appraisal for the damaged vehicle to justify you insurance claim.

When you follow the steps given above, you can get out of the tedious process of filing your car insurance claim. You can be relieved from the confusion of what to do next should another car accident happens.