How To File An Auto Insurance Claim

Filing an auto claim can be a very taxing and stressful thing to do. This is because you have to be very specific about your claim so that you are sure to get the money that you are due. But it is not as simple as filling out a little paper work and waiting for the check. In fact, it is much more complex than this. This is because many insurance companies want to make sure that they are not being cheated and that everything that they pay for repairs or legal fees are warranted by the agreements of the insurance policy.

There are several short steps to follow to make sure that you are awarded the amount of money that you are entitled to by an insurance company.

Get The Other Driver’s Info

The first thing to do in an accident to like situation is to make sure you get all of the information from the other driver or property owner before filing a claim. One of the first things that insurance companies ask is where is the other individual insured. If it is an accident that takes place without another driver, contact the person that owns the property that the accident was on. If it is a public space, contact the county courthouse of the county that you are in.
The next thing you need to do is note if there are any witnesses. This can affect the claim because if there are witnesses, insurance companies may want some sort of testimonial or information from a third party that can verify that the accident was legitimate. Again, this is to make sure that the company is not being cheated. If there are no witnesses, then a police report will suffice, as police reports are non-partial and often the preference of some insurance companies.

Call Your (Or Their) Insurance Company

Once all of this preliminary stuff is taken care of, you need to contact your insurance company as soon as you can. Failure to report an accident to your insurance company soon after the accident happens can result in the insurance company questioning your claim and investigating it, making the process of getting your money or restitution take much longer than it should. Insurance companies normally do not do this unless it is absolutely necessary because they do not like to waste time either. The sooner a restitution check is written, the sooner that the policy holder can resume payments.

Get Your Vehicle To A Body Shop

As soon as possible, get your vehicle to a body shop recommended by a trusted friend or, as a last resort, by your insurance company.  It’s important not to take your car to a body shop affiliate with the other person’s insurance company (assuming it wasn’t your fault) since they will take every opportunity to cut corners on the repairs.  We’ve all heard horror stories of almost-new cars being repaired with junk-yard parts.  It happens, but it doesn’t have to happen to you.  Make sure the mechanic is one you trust.

After that, your insurance company will walk you through the rest of the process.  Since every company has different procedures, it’s impossible to generalize at this point.  good luck!