How To Process A Car Accident Insurance Claim?

Written By: Graham McKenzie on December 7, 2009 2 Comments

Filing a car accident insurance claim is a very easy affair, but processing it correctly becomes difficult because of the thrill caused due to the accident. If all information is furnished in the right manner then the claim shouldn?t take more than a week to get processed, even if getting the check for the damage and expenses may take almost a month to reach by mail.

After an accident, the first thing you must do is ensure that everyone is safe. In case of a grave accident, you must immediately ask someone to cal at 911 for assistance. You must also remember to not rush into admitting your fault. If it gets proved that the accident was not caused due to your mistake, you may still have to have the compensations. Try to get control over the situations, calm people around you and then approach the other driver or drivers

Really the only contact you must have with the other driver is to get their information. You need to get their name, number, address, and insurance information. If the other driver appears to be upset you can have a police officer do this for you. The police officer will start writing up a report about all the information they can gather.

You must quickly take a few pictures of the accident spot before anything else. If the accident took place in a busy area then they would want to get the vehicles moved out at the soonest, so you must click pictures before the mess is completely cleared up. You must click pictures that of the show the damage caused to both cars and the surrounding area.

Remember to call your claims representative as soon as you can. If both parties agree to wait a little, then may be the representative can arrive at the spot. They assist in taking pictures, talk to the witnesses, and get all the information required. The agents will also assist you in filling out the claim form, either in person or over phone. The agents want to know the exact time and place of the accident. It is recommended that you get a police report copy and send it to the insurers if required.

After you call your claims agent, take pictures, and get the other driver’s information you will be able to leave the scene. If you hit someone’s car and leave without leaving any information it is known as a hit and run. A check should come to you through the mail for the damages, but this can take a long time. You will probably have to pay for repairs out of your pocket before you are reimbursed for them.

You can ask several things to the claims agent to clearly understand the claims procedure. You may ask things like your coverage details, as different types of plans offer dissimilar coverage. You may question the agents as to when the remaining paper work is due, though its generally done in less than a week. In case of grave accidents, you may get your lawyer have a look at your legal formalities and paper work.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.