Insurance Claim Tips

When you are involved in an accident, it can really be a frightening experience. It does not matter if it's yours or someone else's fault, at the very least, you will be a little shaken up. As such it is important to have presence of mind and make sure you have all the necessary information to file an insurance claim. We have put together a list of important insurance claim tips that will help you expedite the insurance claim and maximize the benefit from your insurance policy.

Here we go:

Insurance claim tip #1 - Gather simple yet vital facts.

After an accident, everything is fresh in your mind. As such it is important that you jog your memory and write down all the critical facts about the auto collision. Things like which street were you on? What direction were you driving in? Weather conditions, posted speed limit, how fast were you going? What time to the day did this happen? What were you trying to do? How about the other driver? These insurance claim tips will assist the insurance claims adjuster in their report.

Insurance claim tip #2 - Note down any information on the other involved party

Along with these important facts, you need to recall any information on the other driver. This can include stuff like:

What is their name? Other contact information, What kind of automobile were they driving? What action did they take? In addition, you definitely need info on their insurance company to file the insurance claim, items like what type of insurance do they have? any policy numbers, contact information for the insurance company or the agent involved.

Do you live in the US of A?

Other Tips and Tricks on Insurance Claims

-Research body shops before fixing the car
-If there are bodily injuries, do not settle quickly
-Stay in contact with the Insurance Claims person
-Focus on deadlines for submission of any info

Insurance claim trick #3 - Were there any witnesses??

This tip on insurance claim can be a lifesaver if you are involved in a hit and run type of car accident.

True Story: A few years ago, back in Phoenix Arizona, I was sitting at a stoplight. My fellow driver behind me decided to rear end me! Then she managed to back into another car and finally lucky for all of us fled the scene! If there were no witnesses who noted her license plate, and the fact that she was driving a Mercedes, we would be all screwed! Without this significant information for the insurance company, it would be impossible to file a claim with the insurance company. Remember witnesses as a vital insurance claim tip.

Insurance claim tip #4 - What exactly did happen in the auto collision?

After the dust settles, the insurance companies related to all the drivers will try to sort out different aspects of the accident. As such it is imperative to know and note down what actually happened. This could be quite helpful when filing claim for insurance and can involve things like:

What were you doing at the time of the accident? What lane were you in? Severe weather conditions that may have played a role, What did the other driver do? How fast do you think you were going? Who made the mistake?

Recall as much as you can even if the details are not crystal clear in your mind. Definitely an important insurance claim tip to remember.

Insurance claim tip #5 - Was the Police called to the site of the accident?

If your auto accident is a fender bender, and the other involved party is cooperating, you may not need to call the Police department. However if it is a multi car accident with heavy damages, we would definitely advocate dialing 911 and asking for law enforcement assistance. This critical insurance claim tip can be the deciding factor as the factual information unfolds about the accident. Typically the police will ask the individual people one at a time what happened, then they will write down everything and file an official Police report. This report becomes essential for the insurance companies especially the other driver decides to dispute who was at fault. If there are no witnesses, the police report is vital in determining which party is ultimately responsible for the accident.

Insurance claim tip #6 - Take pictures of the automobile and the accident location

With all the new camera ready devices and smart phones, you should be able to take pictures of the accident scene if you can remember to do that. The insurance company will invariably send an insurance claims adjuster to get all the detailed damages to your vehicle; however it is a good idea to have your own pictures on hand just in case.

Insurance claim tip #7 - Document everything to assist in the insurance claims procedurey

After you have gotten all the facts, pictures and insurance information you need to do one last item. It is critical that you write all this down on a piece of paper or an electronic document for your records, this is insurance claim tip #7. Over the next few days and weeks, an insurance claims representative will be assigned to your case. They will be contacting you to get all the facts about the accident and may have to get a hold of you a few times before all the issues for the insurance claim are resolved. If you have everything documented, there is no room for error and you will be able to give the same story over and over again. That is a good thing!.

Insurance claim tip #8 - Review your insurance policy coverage

As the two insurance companies duke it out to find the liable party, it does help if you know what exactly is covered under your insurance policy. If you have full coverage, you should have a combination of liability coverage, comprehensive and collision coverage. Not too long ago my wife had an accident where the other party was at fault. My wife's Volvo was totaled and she had medical bills which were covered under our insurance policy also. In this manner, we were able to get some money from the other driver's insurance company and then file a claim with our insurance company for the medical bills! Pretty cool insurance claim tip.

Insurance claim tip #9 - Where would you like to get the auto body work done?

Let us say that you are not at fault and the other involved party is held liable. In this ideal scenario, your insurance company will assess damages to your vehicle, try to get reimbursed from the other insurance company and you will get a check for the amount. At that point after the insurance claim is settled, it is really up to you to decide where to get your automobile fixed. It is even possible that you may find a auto body shop that is willing to fix the car for a price less than the insurance check. In this manner, you are able to keep the difference between what the insurance company pays you and what you pay the auto body shop. Perfectly legal!