As if being in a car accident wasn’t scary enough, we know that dealing with your car insurance can seem overwhelming. The truth is you get car insurance to protect yourself but many of us don’t really know what the next step would be once you find yourself in a car accident. Therefore, today we are sharing in a few simple tips on the insurance steps you should take if you unfortunately find yourself in a car accident.
- Call your agent. Even though the situation is overwhelming, be sure to call your insurance agent and tell them all the details of the accident. They will be able to give you the best advice regarding your accident and remind you of the next step when it comes to filing your claim, which would be to contact your carrier.
- File your claim. Once you call your carrier, they will ask you basic questions regarding the accident.
- Claims Adjuster. Towards the end of your call, your insurance carrier will assign a claims adjuster who will be in charge of your claim from there forward. Their job is to verify all the information and asses the damage of all vehicles involved. Even while the adjusters work, medical treatment and vehicle repairs typically start immediately.
- Reimbursement. After the insurance company assess fault, they will negotiate to determine which one will reimburse the other for claims paid. Fault assessment is not a cut-and-dry process since there are no laws to help govern assessment of fault. Typically,the standard is that the party who is responsible for over 50% fault will have their insurance company pay for everything. In some cases, the insurance companies will determine that their client was 60% at fault and will only cover 60% of the claim.