Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Accident Insurance Claims

Deciding on which insurance policy to purchase is not easy, as it involves going through numerous documents with umpteen inbuilt clauses in each of them . Most of us buy insurance policies based upon all frivolous reasons, such as if our friends have bought this policy so it must be good, or if the insurance advisor seems nice and friendly, we buy the policy. The problem arises when we are in an accident situation and have no clue about how to go about filing accident insurance claims. If you find yourself in such a situation, do not get disheartened. Here are some suggestions regarding insurance policies and claims, which are sure to help you.

Understand the Policy
When undertaking a car insurance policy, make sure that you have fully understood the extent of coverage your policy provides, in the case of an accident. Thoroughly read the insurance policy and ask either of your insurance broker and insurance agent, to explain to you any clause which you might not have been able to understand. This will ensure that if any untoward incident, like a car accident or injury happens, you know what and how much to claim for.

Things to Remember at the Accident Site
If you have had an accident, immediately contact your insurance agent. If possible, take the pictures of the accident or related injuries, as they might be handy for the accident insurance claims. Try to collect as many details about the accident as possible, such as taking down the contact details of the eyewitness, as all these things will help you when making car accident insurance claims. If there are other people or vehicles involved in the accident, make sure of taking down their insurance details too.

Things to do Post the Accident
File for the accident insurance claims as soon as possible, without any delay after the accident. This is because of the fact that the insurance companies have a particular time period within which the insurer has to file the claims. If that time period expires, for any reason, the insurer will not be eligible for making any accident insurance claims.

Once the accident insurance claim procedure has begun, remember to make written notes of all the dealings that you might have with the insurance company in the future. Be very honest in your dealings with the insurance agents, as lying when making accident insurance claims can be considered very negative and you may be even denied the claims. Also, retain all the bills of expenses incurred on account of the accident, such as bills pertaining to the repair of the damaged vehicle or bills of the various medical treatments that have been undertaken on account of accident injuries.


In all accident cases, it is the insurance company which assesses the losses and accordingly makes an offer to the policy holder with regards to the value of his claim. However, be very careful while accepting such offers. This is because the insurance companies would want to settle the claims for a much lower amount. They often provide lesser estimates of the losses occurred than what have actually been incurred. So, it is suggested that you hire an accident lawyer and seek car accident insurance claims advice from him with regards to the settlement amount. A lawyer will assess whether the amount pertaining to the claims, offered by the insurance company is fair. You may seek his advice too while making a counter offer to the car insurance company with regards to your accident insurance claims. The lawyer will be in a better position to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.

These are a few guidelines which should be followed when filing for accident insurance claims. Another thing to remember when dealing with any insurance company is not to sign on any document which you have not completely understood, whether at the time of purchasing an insurance policy or when filing for accident insurance claims. Also, when the process of negotiation for accident insurance claims with an insurance company is going on, do not accept any payments from them which are referred to as full and final payments. Here's hoping that with the above information, you will be in a better position to deal with the insurance company and seek accident insurance claims.