Special
Report . . .
Insurance Insider Reveals the Secrets
Everyone Filing a Claim Must Know
What
You Need to Do Before and After Filing an Auto Insurance Claim to Make Sure
Your Claim Is Paid in Full and Promptly
By Michael C Konopelski, CIC
Be thankful you’re
reading this now and not after you’ve already had an auto insurance claim.
Think ahead for a moment. You’ve just had an accident. You’re not badly hurt,
but you’re not in great shape, either, particularly mentally. Your car -- boy,
you loved this car -- has some significant damage, perhaps so much that you
won’t be able to drive it home.
There’s a lot to remember to
do, and very little time to do it.
What information do you need to have from the other driver(s)? Are there any
witnesses? Does someone need to call the police? Where do you take the car to
have it repaired? What do you do about alternative transportation? Who do you
call to make a claim? Your agent? The insurance company? The other person’s
insurance company?
You are
basically overwhelmed.
That’s
understandable, but there are steps you can take long before you
have an accident so that you are prepared and making a claim is not that
difficult at all. How?
You read this
report.
I want to share
this information with you because I know peace of mind is so important. I am
willing -- actually, I’m excited -- to reveal to you the secrets about making
insurance claims. Secrets that ensure your claim is paid in full
and as quickly as possible.
Why would I just
give these secrets away? Because it’s just as good for my business as it is for
you. I want to let you in on the knowledge I have accumulated as an insurance
industry professional and insider. I want to do this because I have found, time
and time again, that generosity and the willingness to provide really great
service come back to me. Tenfold. In fact, that’s how I have built my business.
My clients have
filed hundreds, even thousands of auto insurance claims. As a result, I know
what to do, and what not to do, to get a claim resolved to the satisfaction of
my clients. There are a few steps you should take right now, before you have to
file a claim. With the right preparation, the accident will be a less traumatic
experience because you’ll know exactly what to do right after it occurs.
Have you read
your auto insurance policy lately? Ever? Probably not. Few people do, in all
honesty. But whether you read the policy or not, you should know what your
policy covers -- and what it doesn’t. No policy can cover every possible situation, but most good
policies cover just about every one.
Sometimes, when they buy their policy, people decide not to have certain
coverage. Maybe it’s because some coverages are too expensive or not worth
having because their car is fairly old.
You should know
the situations in which you don’t have coverage. Call your agent, or whomever
sold you the policy, and ask him or her to explain what the policy covers, but,
most important, what it doesn’t.
But there’s more
to know than what the policy covers. Insurance companies have certain steps
you need to follow in the event you have an accident. In the
policy, these steps are called “Conditions.” You should know what these
conditions are.
You should also
try, ideally before you have an accident, to determine what you will do with
your car if it needs repairing. Do you know of an auto body shop that does
excellent work? If you do, great! But if you don’t, ask your agent or even your
insurance company to recommend a body shop near where you live. Most insurance companies have what they consider to be
“preferred” auto body shops -- shops that have good reputations
and that insurers trust. Find out from your agent or insurance company if there
are any of these body shops near you.
Ask your agent what to do and
who to call when you need to report a claim.
Now, your car.
Do you have anything in the car to write with and on if you have an accident? There’s plenty of
information you will need to have right at the scene. This is
not information you want to have written on a candy wrapper or a golf
scorecard. And what if you don’t always carry a pen or pencil with you? You
need to have a pad of paper and a pen or pencil stored in the car, just in case
you’re in an accident. In fact, keep at least two writing instruments in the
car in case one of your pens runs out of ink. Keep the pad and pen(s) in the
glove compartment or the console next to the driver’s seat. In addition, if
your insurance company has a form that allows you to provide details of an
accident, including a sketch of the scene, keep some of those forms in the car
as well. Another precaution is to keep a
disposible camera in you car. Shoot the
entire roll of film when you are involved in an accident.
Now, you are
prepared if you should have an accident.
You’ve just had
an accident. At the scene, you need to do the following:
1.
Stop
the car and get help for any injured drivers or passengers. Give whatever help
you can to the injured (covering them with blankets, making them comfortable), but don’t move them. You could aggravate the injury(ies).
Have someone call the police or highway patrol. Tell the police how many are
injured and the possible extent of the injuries (whether they appear serious or
not). The police can then notify the nearest medical units if they are needed.
2.
Protect the accident scene. Try to prevent further damage to the
vehicles involved be setting up flares or getting your car off the road.
3.
Give
the police officers whatever information they require, including your version
of what happened. Do not, under any circumstances, admit you
were at fault, either to the police or the other driver(s). Just give the facts as you see them. Ask the
investigating officer how you can get a copy of the police report. You might
need the report when you submit your claim to the insurance company. Stay at the
accident scene until the police have left. (If it’s a minor accident, the
police may not make a report. In fact, they may not even come to the scene if
there are no injuries or serious damage to any of the vehicles involved).
4.
Write
down the names and addresses of all drivers and passengers involved in the
accident, as well as the license number, make, model and year of each car. Make a note of
the driver’s license number(s) and insurance information of the other driver(s). Write down the names and addresses of as many
witnesses as possible, as well as the names and badge numbers of police
officers and any emergency personnel.
Take photos of all angles of accident scene, including individuals and
damage to vehicles.
5.
Write
down all the details of the accident that you can remember, either on the
accident form from your insurance company or in your notebook.
6.
If
necessary, have your car towed to a repair shop. (It’s a good idea to have a
repair shop in mind before you have an accident; this way, you already know
where you want the car towed).
7.
Call
your insurance agent or the local claim representative for your insurance
company to report the claim. Do this as soon as possible, including, if
possible, from the accident scene. (You should probably make a note in your
notebook, prior to the accident, of the phone number(s) to call to report a claim).
Actually, it’s a good idea to call your insurance agent in addition to the
claim representative. If your agent is involved,
it could help speed the claim process.
You should also tell your agent if you are not satisfied with how your claim is
being handled.
8.
Ask
your agent or insurance company representative how to proceed and what forms or
documents you will need to support your claim. Your insurer may require you to fill out
a “proof of loss” form, as well as supply documents pertaining
to your claim such as medical and auto repair bills, and a copy of the police
report.
9.
Keep
records of any expenses you have as a result of the accident, including any
related to a temporary inability to work or perform basic household functions. Your policy may allow you to be reimbursed for such things
as medical and hospital expenses and lost wages.
10.
Keep
copies of any paperwork related to the accident.
11.
Find
out, before the auto body shop starts repairing your car, what kind of parts
will be used. Will they be from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM parts)
or so-called aftermarket parts that are generic (and some believe they are
inferior to OEM parts)? If you want only OEM parts used, you need to tell both the repair
shop and your insurance company.
12.
If
you are not satisfied with how your insurer is handling/has handled your claim,
make your feelings known to the company and to your agent, and see how they
respond. Do not, at this point, use the word “lawyer.” Once you raise the prospect of seeking
legal help, that will change the way your insurance company deals with you. When you say
“lawyer,” you are basically threatening to sue your insurer. Don’t make this
threat until you are absolutely convinced that your insurance company will not
resolve the claim to your satisfaction. If you hire a lawyer, no one at the
insurance company will be able to communicate with you directly; they must go
through your attorney.
Remember, while
no accident is a pleasant experience, proper preparation and following certain
steps can assure that the claim process is resolved to your satisfaction. If your claim has the important documentation and all the key details,
there’s no reason it won’t be paid in full and promptly.
But if you have any trouble,
please contact your insurance agent.
We are here to help you and make sure your insurance policy takes care of you
as it should.
Hurst-Weiss Insurance & Investment
Services
485 Mansfield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
15205
(412) 922-8222