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Car Accident Claims 101

Many people are involved in car accidents every single year. It can be a very horrifying experience to go through so it helps to be as prepared as possible to handle the accident properly.

People should be familiar with the type of car insurance that they have. Most people do not know what amount of monetary coverage they have if they are involved in a car accident. It is important to know this information because it impacts a person’s financial responsibilities when they are involved in an accident. Here are some tips on what to do when involved in a car accident.

The first tip is to notify the authorities as soon as a car accident takes place. It is important to call the cops so that they can help to document the situation. Some people might lie and say that they were hurt in the car accident when they really were not in order to commit insurance fraud. Drivers need to protect themselves by making sure they and the other driver are checked out by medical professionals if required and that a police report and photographs are taken of the accident scene. Never abandon the scene of a car accident even if you are the only person involved in the crash. It looks bad to law enforcement agents and insurance adjusters.

The second tip is to notify your insurance company the same day that a car accident takes place. Many people debate whether to file an insurance claim if they have a minor accident because they fear that their monthly premiums will go up.  It is important for every car accident to be documented regardless of how minor or severe a person deems it to be. The term “the sooner the better”, applies when dealing with an insurance company. Make sure to call and speak to an insurance agent to get advice about how to proceed with filing a car insurance claim. The process can be confusing so it is important to speak to the agent and have a list of questions prepared so that you know exactly what happens next. Ask the agent for your case number so that you can follow the process of your insurance claim even if the agent is busy or absent from work.

The third tip is to be honest with the insurance agent about how and why the car accident occurred. Insurance agents hear stories about car accidents every single day so they know when a story does not seem to ring true based on the written accounts of an accident. Lying to an insurance agent and changing the events of an accident is illegal and people who do this can be charged with insurance fraud.

The fourth tip is to make sure that any insurance claims papers that you receive are thoroughly read and signed in a timely manner. This helps the claims faster go much faster because even having one document unsigned can really delay the release of any necessary funds.

The fifth tip is to stay on top of the situation. Insurance claims adjusters often are inundated with car insurance accident claims to go through. Make sure to stay in touch with the insurance company a few times per week just to make sure that things are going according to schedule. Most people who have cars that are seriously injured or totaled have to wait a long time for their claim check which can impact how they get around. It is important to try and get the insurance claim settled quickly so that life can get back to normal.

Source: The Westerly Sun

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 11th, 2011 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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