Ensure Your Insurance Claim is Unstoppable
You may be the greatest driver of all time. It’s pretty unlikely, but let’s just talk hypothetically for a moment. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter how skilled or safe a driver you are; when it comes to car accidents, it only requires someone else to be a lesser driver. Your skills aren’t going to be able to prevent all the types of car accidents that could occur to you.
Of course, sometimes there isn’t another driver involved. Sometimes the accident occurred due to some flaw in the road that you couldn’t reasonably have accounted for or seen. Maybe you had to take sudden evasive action because wildlife or even another person suddenly ran out into the road.
Basically, the point is that you can’t always avoid car accidents. And it’s with this knowledge that most people know they need a good car insurance provider. Unfortunately, car insurance providers are usually pretty eager to find any excuse to not pay the money to which you feel entitled. When you’re making an insurance claim, you need to make sure it’s as watertight as possible.
If you want to make sure your insurance claim is strong, then here are a few tips you’ll find useful.
Research your policy thoroughly
This is a common error; after all, people seem to have a tendency to not fully read the things they sign. Such a mistake can turn out to be very costly indeed when it comes to making an insurance claim. It’s vital that you make sure you fully understand the coverage you’ve purchased – preferably before you get into an accident. (Time is of the essence when it comes to filing a claim, so having to spend a lot of that time going through your policy documents with a fine tooth comb probably isn’t ideal.) Consider contacting a representative and going over your policy in detail. Make notes to which you can refer if you do get into an accident.
Get legal assistance
If the law don’t get involved in some capacity, then it’s really going to weaken any claim you want to make. The best thing to do is to call the police and file a report with them; without that report, you’ll have little official backup when it comes to times and fault assessments. Getting an attorney involved is also crucial, especially if you’ve been injured. A lot of people wonder “do I need a personal injury attorney after a car accident?” and get it into their heads that it’s not worth the hassle. This is a mistake; an attorney can help you with an insurance claim, or can help you get compensation from the other driver should your insurance provider not cough up.
Photographic and video evidence
A lot of car fans are aware of the growing popularity of driving videos taken from the point of view from the dashboard using a dash cam. They’re pretty cool at providing driving enthusiasts with great eye candy, but there’s something even more useful about these dash cams – as you may have seen online, they’re also good for capturing footage of car accidents. This makes them excellent when it comes to providing evidence to back up your car insurance claim, especially as it provides the closest approximation possible of what you could actually see at the time.
Of course, most people aren’t willing to pay for these dash cams and record incessantly in case they crash. But a lack of video evidence doesn’t mean you should skimp out on photographic evidence. Get out your smartphone and start taking pictures of the scene. These photos should give a clear indication of the damage caused, the weather conditions, nearby road signs, and traffic conditions.
The investigation process
It’s also worth finding out as much as possible about how your car insurance provider will investigate the issue. When you get in touch with them, ask them for more details about how the investigation will take place. The depth of the investigation, as well as its length, will take several things into account, such as the extent of the damage to both cars and other property, what injuries are present, and other circumstances.
Seek medical advice
Finally, you need to ensure you get as much information about your injuries as possible. The best way to do this is to seek medical assistance immediately, and then to keep track of your condition over the coming weeks. Any changes and additional injuries or pains should be reported to and verified by your doctor, as they can help you strengthen your insurance claim by highlighting the suffering caused.