It's no fun to submit a car insurance claim. You've probably just been in an accident, which is a frightening experience, and the claim process causes many people to worry. Really, though, it doesn't have to be as bad as you might imagine, as long as you make sure you take care of everything carefully and completely. Since most of us are pretty rattled after an accident, it can be helpful to keep a checklist in your wallet or purse.
Now, the very first thing you need to do after an accident is to make sure that you and anyone else involved receives medical attention, if necessary. The adrenaline is flowing, but you need to take stock of your body, take some deep breaths, and make sure the car is the only thing damaged. If that's the case, then take another moment to be thankful for everyone's good health. If there is a medical need, get that taken care of immediately, and then turn to the next step.
* Note the make, model, and license number of every car that stops at the accident, even if they were not actually involved. Write this information down; don't trust your memory. And don't leave anyone out; even a car that was far from the actual event may turn out to hold a valuable witness.
* Write down the insurance, contact and license information for each driver involved in the incident. Make sure you have their name, address, phone number, and all of the information listed on their insurance card. Especially important is the company name, policy number, and company phone number.
* From the witnesses, get names, addresses, and phone numbers, and find out what it is that they saw. Not every witness will have a full view of the incident, so knowing who saw what is very helpful. Jotting a few notes about each witness will come in handy later.
* Write down your own account of the accident, giving as much detail as you can, and working through the events in order, if you can. You can start with the date, time, and where the accident happened. Important details include which lane you were driving in, whether there were any unusual conditions, such as construction or heavy rain, the level of traffic, and so on. Then try to recall the events before, during, and after the accident as accurately and completely as you can.
* If you have a camera available, take as many pictures of your car and the incident scene as possible. Take pictures of damage to any vehicle, skid marks, obstacles in the road, obscured road signs-anything that might be relevant to the accident. Keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment for this purpose; if your phone has a camera, you can use that as well.
* You should talk to your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident. They will ask you a lot of questions, but their process is very efficient and based on thousands of accident reports, so all you have to do is answer carefully and completely.
* If there are police officers at the scene, they will also have a list of questions for you, and will fill out an incident report, either at the scene or shortly thereafter. You should get a copy of this report, and make sure a copy is sent to your insurance company.
After the accident, it is important to follow up with your insurance company. The claim process is largely automated, so there may not be much for you to do, but you should check in anyway. A once-a-week update isn't unreasonable. And, of course, if they should contact you, return their call as soon as you can. Finally, once the claim is settled, you'll want to talk to your agent about any changes it may cause to your insurance.
Accidents are always distressing, but you can relieve much of the stress if you stay calm and follow these steps. Just make sure you check off each one, and soon it will all be taken care of.
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