“Accidents do happen” sounds cliché but it is one ugly fact, nevertheless. Due to this reason, car owners or licensed drivers need to avail car insurance. It is illegal for a person to drive without car insurance in the United States. Moreover, car insurance is also considered as one of the top priority bills as it basically covers accident, traffic violation and a high-risk insurance rate.
Just in case the need arises, how do you file your auto insurance claim?
Directions
- First, appraise the situation and gauge whether you should or should not file an insurance claim. It is really hard to be level headed after an accident, but it is the very time you need to keep your cool. Assess the damage and relative details whether you should call your insurance company or not. Every call you make to your insurance company is listed and if you’re their avid caller, odds are really against you. If you are financially capable of paying for minor damages regardless of being it your fault or not, pay it without claiming from your insurance company.
- Fill out the What to doAfter an Auto Accident worksheet. This one is a print-out worksheet that aids you to keep track of the details you need to file for your auto insurance claim. It is imperative for you to document every angle which includes witnesses, photo or video evidences and detailed information of the happening.
- You need to file your auto insurance claim immediately. If you assessed it right, even if it was not your fault, you must let your insurance company do the claiming process.
- Be prepared for a call from the insurance company of the other party involved during the accident. More likely, there will be a dispute between two parties involved in the accident. When this happens, be ready of an interview phone call from the other insurance company. Be sure that you stick into your details or side of what happened during the accident. If you did your step no. 2 properly, there shouldn’t be any problem.
- Lastly, get your car fixed after the claim is approved. If all went well, you are likely to get a call from your insurance company letting you know about an insurance adjuster to evaluate the damage on your vehicle. They may also ask you to send your car to a pre-approved shop to have it fixed there.