Filing for an auto insurance claim is never easy. It takes a lot of time and patience to get your money from the insurance company. And it is also important that you do it right the first time, else you will end up losing your money.
The first thing to do after being involved in an accident is to take down the registration number of the other party involved. If the other party is the offending party, then it is all the more important to do this as you have to claim damages from the other party’s insurance company.
If a police officer is present at the scene of the accident, then it makes the entire process a lot easier. As the officer will take a detailed statement from each of the parties and this will make it easier to go about the claim later on. It also helps that the police officer will take down details about the accident and damage incurred. All these details will be required if and when the case goes to court.
In case of a hit and run incident, it is important that you immediately report it to the police. And also make sure you can identify the car later on. In this case, you gain an upper hand as you are the victim. Hence you can easily win the case if you take it to court against the offending party. But the main issue is identifying and tracking down the offender in such instances. There is something known as tort option coverage which will come in handy if you are required to take the case to court. It will pay for all the costly litigation fees that you have to incur during a lengthy court battle.
There are also cases of auto insurance fraud where the other party will try to milk your insurance provider. The accident may be genuine or deliberate, but all the same the perpetrator will try to over use your insurance. The best way to avoid insurance scams is to identify and nip them at the bud. And report it immediately to law enforcement agencies who can tackle the situation.
But if you are the offending party, then the onus is upon you to file for an auto insurance claim. The first thing to do is to contact your insurance company. They will send out an evaluator who will see the extent of damage to property. This would include your car, the other party’s car and also any damage to other inanimate objects.
If there is any personal injury or loss of life, this is usually covered by medical insurance and life insurance. But auto insurance will also cover for injuries to a limited extent. This can be claimed by the hospital authorities who will be treating the victims. And the only time you would have to personally claim for medical reimbursement is when you have recovered and are under prescription drugs. This is covered by medical benefits coverage.
So coming back to the property damage, once the evaluator has an estimate of the damage, the next step is to follow up with the agency. You will usually get your money within a month depending on the severity of the accident.
