When and how to file a car insurance claim

If you have an accident you should report it to the police even if it is a minor accident. You should also inform your car insurance agent in case of an accident even if you do not want to file a car insurance claim. When you file a car insurance claim then the cost of your car insurance goes up. You should know when and how to file a car insurance claim.

Was another vehicle involved in the accident?

You should file a car insurance claim if any other vehicle is involved in the accident. In case of minor accidents sometimes damages may be expensive to fix and there could be heavy medical expenses if someone got injured. So in this situation, it is good to file a car insurance claim. If the expenses to repair the damages are high enough then you should file a car insurance claim otherwise you would have to pay all the expenses from your pocket.

Was someone injured in the accident?

If someone got injured in the car accident then you should file a car insurance claim. You should take photos of the injuries. You should immediately visit the doctor if you got injured in the accident. You should also inform your car insurance company if another driver or passenger got injured. You can be sued by another driver to cover the damages it will negatively affect your car insurance rates if you did not inform your car insurance agent about the accident. Filing an insurance claim protects you from personal injury lawsuits.

Have you recently filed other insurance claims?

If you recently filed other insurance claims then the car insurance company can cancel your car insurance claim. If you file a car insurance claim then it does not affect much on the car insurance rates. You will be considered as the high-risk driver for the car insurance company if you have filed more than one car insurance claim.

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Have you had any speeding tickets?

If you have any speeding tickets and you want to file a car insurance claim then it will increase the cost of your car insurance policy. You should avoid filing a car insurance claim if you have had recent traffic violations.

Do you have accident forgiveness?

You should file a car insurance claim if you have accident forgiveness. Accident forgiveness will not increase your car insurance rates if you file a car insurance claim even if you are at fault in an accident.

Was the damage caused by weather or animals?

You can file a car insurance claim if you have comprehensive coverage in your car insurance policy. In this situation filing an insurance claim will not affect the cost of your car insurance policy. You can file a car insurance claim through comprehensive coverage if the damages to your vehicle are caused by hail, bad weather, vandalism, natural disasters, hitting by animals, etc.

Is the cost to repair the damages lower than your deductibles?

If the cost to fix the damages is less than the deductibles then you should avoid filing a car insurance claim because it will increase your car insurance premiums.

How to file a car insurance claim

You should follow the following steps to file a car insurance claim.

Assess the scene

If you have an accident, check yourself and your passengers. If anyone gets injured immediately call an ambulance. Move to the safest place it can be dangerous to stop on the road.

Call 911

You should immediately call the police if you have an accident. Call 911 to report the accident because it is against the law to leave the accident place without informing the police. Give all the information about the vehicles and parties involved in the accident.

Gather documents related to the accident

You should gather all the documents related to the accident that can be used at the time of filing a car insurance claim. You should take photos of the accident site and damaged vehicles. Note down the name, contact number, and address details of the witness if any.

Contact your car insurance agent

If you have an accident it is necessary to inform your car insurance agent. You need to contact your car insurance agent to file a car insurance claim. A claim adjuster is assigned to you who calculates the cost of damages due to an accident. You need to pay the insurance deductible to the car insurance company. After that the car insurance company pays you for the recovery of losses.

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