Once you have had a car accident, you should be sure to get a police report, and contact your car insurance company as soon as possible to file your claim. At this point, an insurance adjuster will generally be assigned to figure out just what happened.
What Happens After a Car Accident
After you have made initial contact with your insurance company, the following will most likely occur:
- You will be contacted by an insurance or claims adjuster, who is the person who works for your insurance carrier and whose job it is to investigate claims like yours. They may contact you in any one of a number of ways, so be sure to respond to them promptly in order to expedite your claim.
- The adjuster may request additional facts about your accident, but they will also closely examine your particular policy. This will allow them to educate you about what deductibles you may have to pay, what may or may not be covered by your policy, etc.
- For relatively simple claims, such as ones involving no fault, little or no damage, or no need for medical care as a result of the accident, your adjuster may be able to offer you a repair estimate, and even send your check for those repairs in a relatively short period of time.
- If your claim is more involved, as in cases where you may be liable in whole or in part, or if you lack sufficient coverage, or if you don’t agree with your adjuster’s original repair estimate or offer, then you may need to begin a process of negotiating with your insurance carrier. This will typically involve an investigation of some sort.
As part of this investigation, the adjuster may:
- Examine of your particular policy to determine precise coverage language
- Gather testimony from witnesses to the accident or even from the other party or parties to the accident
- Examine of the accident’s police report
- Photograph the accident site and your damaged vehicle
- Have you complete forms allowing for the release of your medical records, if you are filing to have medical expenses covered.
Upon completion of his or her investigation, the adjuster will send you a settlement offer, which will include what the insurance company is willing to pay you towards your claim. The original offer may not be as much as you feel like you should receive (the adjuster is trying to save the insurance company money after all), so be prepared to negotiate with your carrier further if necessary.
Getting Help
If you want to make sure you are protected during this entire process, it is a good idea to hire an experienced car accident attorney. Your attorney can assist you in interfacing with the insurance adjuster and in protecting your right to recover damages post-car accident.
