The thing that you can never predict, but can expect, are accidents. Regardless of circumstances, accidents are often unpleasant and have some sort of repercussions, which is why insurance is essential for keeping you secure, at least financially, when dealing with them. Having the right type of insurance protects you from bankruptcy once the damage is done. Therefore, filling in the insurance claim may relieve some stress and make you think about money less, so here are some essentials you need to know when filling the insurance claim.
When to File an Insurance Claim?
If you have never dealt with insurance claims, then this is the right question to ask yourself, and the answer is – it depends. If the expenses for the damage are less than your deductible, or a couple of hundred dollars above it, then it is not worth it to go through all the hassle about filling the claim, for the paltry amount of money. It is vital to remember that some insurance companies can raise your premium rates when filling the insurance claim, even if it is not your fault and the weather conditions are the ones to be blamed. This may lead to them canceling your policy under certain circumstances.
So, the piece of advice you should bear in mind is that it is the right time to fill in the claim once you start spending more than your deductible and when the financial pain becomes unbearable.
Can I Fill in the Claim as the Passenger in the Car Accident?
The answer is YES, still there are some things you should consider before you decide to do so. If you are a passenger of a car accident in the car of a family member, then your insurance claim will probably be declined since the insurance policies usually cover the family members and as the rule suggests, you cannot claim the insurance that covers you as well. On the other hand, you can claim your insurance based on your family member’s Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payments Coverage Policy. Both of these are covered by the passenger claims and do not depend on fault.
The other scenario is if you have found yourself in an accident in your friend’s car, and then you can fill in for the insurance claim since you are not blood-related and you are not included in the insurance policy. This might be tricky since you will feel bad going against your friend. But, let’s be real, it is not your friend you are dealing with but the insurance company. Something that you probably did not know is that you can claim your insurance from multiple drivers. So, you can fill in the claim for insurance from the driver that was the part of the accident as well, yet, the driver’s limited policy does not fully cover your financial expenses. However, even when you have suffered injuries and financial hardship, the insurance companies will continue to undervalue your claim.
How to Fill In the Insurance Claim?
There are a couple of important steps you should know when filing your claim:
1. Call the Police:
When the accident occurs, there are injured people, and huge damage is committed, do not just stand there lamenting about your dream car being smashed – Call 911. In principle, you do not need a police report to make an insurance claim but having one will not go to waste.
2. Document Everything:
It is ESSENTIAL to document everything about the accident going from the reports about the scene to the information from all the involved parties, and make sure you got all of these if you are involved in a car accident:
● Name, address, and phone number of the other driver, and a photo of their driver’s license.
● detailed notes of the conversations you had with the people involved.
● photos of the accidents from all the different angles.
● insurance policy number.
● the number of plates of the vehicles involved, year, make, and model.
3. Contact Your Insurance Company:
Get in touch with your insurance agent and consult about all the documentation and important information to fill the insurance claim.
4. Fill Your Insurance Claim:
Once you gathered all the information, now you can fill in your claim.
What to Expect After?
Once you fill the claim, the insurance company will take all the time in the world to adjust and investigate the accident and damage. The insurance claim adjuster will look into all details of the accident to get to the bottom of what happened. Once they determine the causes of the accident, they will recommend the sum that should be paid for the loss.
Insurance claims can be quite tricky when you do not know what to do. One of the most essential things is to keep all the things documented and to consult the insurance pro so that you do not go through awkward situations.
Featured image: Pexels (RODNAE).
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