When you’re involved in a car accident it is necessary to make a car accident claim with your insurance company. Rarely do car accidents occur when no damage results and no injuries have been sustained. Rather, property damage and injuries occur but in varying degrees. In order to restore property to its original, unadulterated condition, and to get compensation for injured parties, one must make a car accident claim. In the past doing so required time and a lot of effort on the part of the car owners. Modern technology today, however, has greatly reduced the amount of time and effort that is required in order to inform your insurance company that an accident has occurred. In fact, making a car accident claim with your insurance company can be done in three easy steps.
After the accident has occurred, you may want to ensure the damaged vehicles are moved to the side of the road and away from traffic. If there are injured persons, or you cannot safely move your vehicle out of traffic, stay buckled-up and wait for help. The first phone call you should make after a car accident is to the local authorities. They will arrive at the scene of the accident and provide aide. They will also file a report that will be useful when you make the car accident claim. A quick phone call to your insurance company can be made after the police have been notified of the situation.
The first step involved in making a car accident claim with your insurance company usually starts with a phone call when you get home. This initial report will open a claim for you. It is likely that you will have to contact your insurance company a few times, especially if you report the accident directly after it has occurred. It takes time to get all the information they might need in order to file and close the claim. Some insurance companies require police reports before they will release funds to parties of a car accident, and it can take a day or two for the police report to become available.
If you are able you may want to take a few photographs of the damage with a mobile phone camera. Many insurance companies require photographs of the damage so they have a better idea of how extensive it is. Later on you can get the photos printed so you can submit them via mail.
Finally, if injuries are sustained from the accident then find yourself a good personal injury solicitor for your case. Note that there are many personal injury solicitors out there so finding an expert for your exact case can be a little tricky. Each personal injury solicitor specialises in different areas of the personal injury law. They can specialise in personal injury law such as military accidents, sports accidents, industrial accidents, criminal injury etc. so ensure you select a good personal injury solicitor that specialises in car accident claims, also referred as road traffic accidents. Our advice is to never let an insurance company dictate your claim as compensation claims can run into thousands if not tens of thousands of pounds so always get the advice of an independent personal injury solicitor, as the insurance companies will always try to save money and maximise their own profits even if it means they undervalue someone’s car accident claim.
Unfortunately, getting involved in a car accident is one of the risks we take on as drivers. There have been advances, however, in the process of reporting a car accident claim in recent years. Online submission of photos and information can expedite the process and help you receive the compensation you need to pay for repairs or medical expenses. If you require further information then please visit our other car accident claim dedicated pages which will explain these in more detail.