What to Expect From Your Insurance Company After a Crash

Have you just experienced a car crash? Are you confused about what you should expect from your insurance company, and what steps to follow after everyone involved in the accident has been ruled as being safe from harm? This article is going to help guide you on what is to follow and what your insurance company is expected to do. If anything seems out of place, or you are unable to obtain your claim, then taking external help is the way to go. 

Let’s have a look at what these steps are. Keeping them in mind can help you make the right decisions and get your claim from your insurance company faster than expected. 

What You Should Do After A Car Crash 

But, before we dive into it, let’s have a look at what you should do immediately after a car crash. These steps below are essential for helping prevent any unwanted risks and loss.

To start, you want to call for help and check if anyone is injured. This could be passengers in your vehicle or the passengers in the vehicle with which the accident has occurred. Calling an ambulance in such a situation is sure to help. It can help mitigate and prevent any further injury from taking place. 

Next, move your vehicle to a safe location. If the car is too damaged to function properly, call a tow truck to transport it to a safe location. From then on, you can exchange the relevant information from the other driver to help with the insurance claims process. Here is what all you should ask for:

• Contact details include names of passengers and other parties involved
• License plate number
• Divers license 
• Insurance policy number
• Where the accident has taken place
• The model and make of the vehicle
• Contact information of any witnesses 

If you are unable to obtain any of the above information or are hesitant to give out your information, you can wait till the police or help has arrived. They can then help in facilitating the exchange of information and file the police report. Also, it is wise to not discuss who has been at fault. This is something the insurance company will determine after careful analysis of the accident along with police reports and damage to the vehicle incurred. 

What to Expect From Your Insurance Company after a Crash 

Collection of relevant information

Once you have gotten through the initial steps, the next on the list is getting in touch with your insurance company and attorney. You can call them to get started. The representative would then ask you some questions. These include your personal and contact details. 

If the insurance company representative asks you to walk them through the accident and mentions that the call would be recorded, ensure that you have spoken to your attorney before this. This is important, especially if there have been serious injuries in the accident. 

The Investigation and Negotiation 

After this, the insurance company will begin an investigation of the claim filed by you. It is a common practice for the insurance company to ask for evidence related to the accident. These include photographs of the vehicle, any injuries incurred, medical bills of treatment in case of injury, and names of any witnesses who may have been present during the accident. 

This information is used to evaluate and analyze the value of the claim. Different approaches are taken for this, after which a settlement check is issued. Insurance companies usually offer a settlement amount that is comprehensive and sufficient. But, if you feel that it is below the expected amount, you can negotiate with your insurance company going forward. If this option is not available, you can appeal the decision of the insurance company as well. For this, additional examinations and documents may be required to further investigate the accident. Having an attorney by your side for this process can help make things a lot less stressful. 

Tips To Keep In Mind

To ensure that your insurance claim process is streamlined, there are a few tips you can follow. 

• Get in touch with your attorney and insurance provider as soon as possible. The longer the gap is between the occurrence of the accident and the filing of the claim, the lower the chances are of your claim being accepted. 
• Avoid giving out any information to the party involved in the accident. This can be used against you when the time comes to settle claims

The Bottom Line 

So, there you have it. A breakdown of what to expect from your insurance company after a crash. If you are unable to get access to any of these benefits, or face discrepancies in claiming the adequate amount of settlement from your insurance company, you can get in touch with our car accident lawyers. Be sure to do your research and hire one that is certified and experienced in dealing with car crashes and insurance claims. This is going to help you sit back, take a sigh of relief and recover from the traumatic experience.