Sunday, June 8, 2008

How to Handle Car Insurance Claims

By Scott Nichols

Two personal dilemmas of a person who have a car accident are the unpleasant incident itself and the ordeal of making the car insurance claims. There is a not so pleasant feeling when you realize you have to make your car insurance claims hearing some negative stories about it. However, for whatever reasons one must not stop from making the claim. There is no reason to be uncertain in filing car insurance claims. Of course, if you have elected a reliable insurance company, your car insurance claims will be taken care of smoothly and trouble-free for the best.


Know What Your Policy Covers

First thing to do when making car insurance claims is to identify what covers your policy. This is to avoid inclusion in your claims items that is not covered and eventually become the reason of its rejection. Be careful and if there is something that you need to know, you can call the insurance agent and have them properly explained to you. It is also advisable for every policy holder to periodically review what is in the coverage so as to avoid the rush of re-examining the document in case of an accident.


Exchange Information With The Other Driver

It may be strange to do, but it is critical to exchange information with the other party or the driver of the other car involved in the accident. Information such as, the full name, address, phone number, insurance company, and the insurance company's be made available whenever preparing for a car insurance claims. Write down the license plate number of the other car to better help you identify the other party to your insurance company when filing your claim. The information you were able to gather will also assist in getting hold of an accident report from the police that normally is required in filing your claim.


Contact Your Car Insurance Company's Claims Division

Directly call and inform the insurance company your policy is associated with and let them know of your accident. Different companies have different procedures for filing claims. To make sure you are taking the correct steps in filing your car insurance claims, talk with the claims division after reviewing your policy and discuss them the exact procedure you will have to follow. Also, a claims adjuster is the person who will find out who was at fault and who should be liable for the cost of repairing the vehicles. Filing car insurance claims are very tiring but it is a better relief than paying all the liability or cost out from your own money.