Knowing what to do when you are in an auto accident means that you will be one step closer to getting your claim filed, your car fixed, and yourself back on the road. The first step you need to do is to ask your insurance agent or representative exactly what you need to do. By following the instructions you are given exactly, you will be back on the road as quickly as possible.
Your company must provide you with information about the documents it needs in order to file your claim, but only if you ask for these documents. Failure to ask is your fault, and you cannot get the claim filed without filing the proper paperwork. Be careful when filling out these forms, because inaccuracies could result in an improperly filled claim. Make sure that your insurance company sends out a claims adjuster to check out the damage to your vehicle. This must be done before you have any repairs done, or the repairs may not be covered.
Once the claims adjuster verifies the damage to your vehicle, he or she will determine how much you can claim for damages according to the terms of your policy. The claims adjuster may either work for one company alone or as an independent contractor that represents several different companies. Either way, the adjuster's job is the same -- to determine how much you are able to claim for the damage to your vehicle.
Experts in the insurance industry all agree that your insurance company should inform you of several facts. First, if you have a time constraint as far as when you have to file claims and submit bills for repairs, they must inform you of these. You also should be informed as to when you will hear back from the insurance company in regards to your claim. If you need to provide the insurance company with estimates from a repair shop for the damage to your vehicle, you need to know this. Finally, if you are eligible to get a rental car during the time the vehicle is being repaired, they must let you know.
Whatever you do to your vehicle or in regards to your insurance claim after an accident needs to be documented and filed. Any document you receive in regards to the accident, including receipts for repairs, must be copied and filed in your personal files. These papers will be crucial to your success should you be taken to court over your claim. If you do not keep these documents, your insurance company could deny your claim, because most have a duty to cooperate clause written into their policies.
Bill Mellander, Allstate's spokesman, reminds consumers that they need to be patient with insurance adjusters. Insurance companies send these adjusters as quickly as possible, but there are times that they do not come as quickly as consumers may want. It all depends on how much is going on with the adjuster and the insurance company, as well as how severe the accident is. When there are many claims, such as during times of severe storm damage, insurance adjusters are spread quite thin. During times like this it takes a while for the adjusters to arrive, even thought they come as soon as they can.
Some insurance companies, according to Mellander, provide customers with options when adjusters are not available as quickly as may be desired. For example, Allstate offers their customers the option to take their cars to a drive-in claims facility, provided the car can be driven. If you use this drive-in facility, you do not have to wait for the adjuster to meet with you. These facilities also have repair services, which means you can get your repair and claim done at the same place. Of course, you can have your repairs done elsewhere if you wish, but this is not as convenient.
One thing to keep in mind is that your insurance provider does not have the authority to tell you where you have to have your repairs done. That means that if the insurance provider has a relationship with a repair facility, you are not required to use that facility. They can recommend their favorite shop, but they cannot require you to take your car there. They can, however, make you get more than one repair estimate. This way they know they are not being charged more than necessary for the repairs you need on your car.
Eric Trott, the spokesperson for SAFECO insurance, reminds consumers to get as much information as possible from the accident scene and the other drivers involved. Get this information in writing, so that you can speed the processing along. Trott does remind you, however, that insurance companies can process claims without all of that information. "But," according to Trott, "if you have (the correct information) right from the start, the claim can be handled much more efficiently and quickly."
