Generally, any car accident claims process begins when a report of the accident has been made to the insurance company. However, this process varies from one insurance company to the next. That being said, there is general information regarding the process worth knowing.
Some critical information that every driver ought to know with regards to a car accident claims process includes the following:
- Assigning a claims adjuster - once your claim has been filed, an insurance adjuster is assigned to your case. The adjustor will contact you with regards to the accident. Some may want to meet in person; however, the majority may deal with the entire claim over telephone conversations. Depending on the insurance company, you may be asked that you provide a written statement where you are required to sign and swear to. Further, the insurance adjuster will describe your insurance coverage and how the company plans on covering the claim.
- Indemnity - generally, your insurance company covers injuries and vehicle repairs, up to the point that they assess which party is at fault for the accident. Once this is determined, your insurance company may negotiate with the other party’s insurance company for reimbursement for any monies that they initially provided you by way of indemnification. Thereafter, your insurance company will seek reimbursement from the other insurance company through a process referred to as subrogation.
- Vehicle repairs - your insurance company has a certain policy with regards to having repairs done. However, options available to you are that you use an approved body shop for repairs, get multiple quotations from different shops or choose your own repair shop. If you choose a shop that costs more than the amount that the adjuster decides it should cost to repair your vehicle, you may be required to pay the difference. Other insurance companies simply issue a check to you for the amount they have determined will cover the vehicle's repair, less any deductible. However, not all vehicles will automatically be repaired. The insurance adjuster will determine whether the vehicle is worth being repaired or is a write-off. If the vehicle is said to be a write-off, the option of repairing it comes off the table.
- Medical expenses - it is of the utmost importance that you provide the claims adjuster with evidence of all the medical expenses you incurred due to the accident. The claims adjuster may ask you to sign a waiver for them to have access to your medical records. However, before doing this, you may want to consult your personal injury attorney. This is because the insurance adjuster may gain access to records that you may not want them to have, which may decrease your claim's value. For example, medical information linked to a prior injury to the same portion of your body could greatly decrease the value of your claim.
