Nobody in this world in his fair senses would wish an accident upon himself. However hard we may try or how much ever careful we may drive, we all still end up being involved in an accident at some point of time in our life. They can be really stressful and with the resulting physical and vehicular harm, the overall situation can get very stressful. Having auto insurance in place can take out a significant amount of stress from the whole situation. At least you won't have to worry about the hefty auto repair bills.
Whenever you meet with an accident, the primary matter to focus upon must be the well being of the passengers. Once the passengers are taken care of, you must report the incident to the police, to get further assistance in the matter of claiming the damages.
Thereafter, get in touch with the auto insurance people, who'll send their executive to assess the whole situation and help you to file a claim. There'll be a great number of forms that'll need to be filled, however, if you submit your claim immediately after the accident, the whole procedure can be expedited considerably.
Prior to approaching the auto insurance people, you must do a self-assessment of the true worth of your vehicle, considering its age, model and efficiency. This will help you well in discussing the matter with them and filing an appropriate amount of claim with the auto insurance executive.
In the event that your vehicle has been damaged beyond point of repair, you can claim the true value of the vehicle and not the amount you have got financed on it. Hence, if the vehicle is over financed, you may owe far more than the true worth of the vehicle.
On the contrary, if you'd like to retain the damaged vehicle and prefer to get it repaired, you can do that as well. But, in that case, you might not be able to claim the complete covered amount on the vehicle. This is plainly due to the reason that it holds no value in its present condition other than it's actual salvage value.
It is recommended that you don't admit any fault while filing any auto insurance claims since you may not be at fault in the eyes of the law, in spite of your thinking otherwise. The most feasible way is to put your case in front of the concerned authorities and let them come to an independent professional decision. In all likelihood, the auto insurance company will deploy a specialized claims representative to carry out a comprehensive investigation into your claim. You must also approach the other party to obtain more information, regardless of who was at fault.
Please note that you must have your auto insurance policy number handy while filing your claim. In case the other party too is insured, their name, phone numbers and residential addresses may also be required. Also mention their vehicles make, year and license plate number. Adding the names of any witnesses with their signature will make your case even stronger.
