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 adviser 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 the claims. If you find yourself in such a situation, do not get disheartened. Here are some suggestions regarding the 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 policy and ask either 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 availing the claims. Try to collect as many details about the accident as possible, such as taking down the contact details of the eyewitness, as these will help you when making insurance claims. If there are other people or vehicles involved in the accident, make sure of taking down their details too.

Things to do After an Accident
File for the 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.

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 agents, as lying 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 they 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 advice from him with regards to the settlement amount. A lawyer will assess whether the amount pertaining to the claims, offered by the company is fair. You may seek his advice too while making a counter offer to the insurance company with regards to your claim. The lawyer will be in a better position to negotiate with the company on your behalf.

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 a policy or when filing for your claims. Also, when the process of negotiation 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 your claims.