There are more than six million car accidents each year in the United States. Roughly two million of the people injured in auto accidents each year suffer permanent injuries. If you have been involved in a vehicular accident of some kind, you are required to file a car accident compensation claim with your insurance provider. Depending on the type of insurance coverage you have, the amount of compensation you receive can vary substantially.
The Claims Process
There are a variety of steps you must take when filing a claim for compensation. You should contact your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident. It is important that you gather all documents related to the accident that may include:
- Any expenses and receipts related to your injuries, such as taxi or rental car expenses
- Police report with details and diagrams of the accident
- Any photos of the accident and pictures of the damaged vehicles
- Witness statements and their contact information
- Medical reports from any healthcare provider that treated you for your injuries
- A letter from your employer if your injuries left you unable to work
Insurance companies must determine the degree of fault to be assigned to each driver. If the at-fault driver does not have automobile insurance, the policyholder may file an injury claim with his or her own insurance company for uninsured motorist coverage. If the driver found to be at fault has insurance, but the coverage is not enough to compensate the victim for their injuries, they may file a claim for underinsured motorist coverage. Both uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage are usually optional types of coverage.
What You Should Never Do After Filing a Claim
Many people are unaware that the insurance companies are in the business to make money. They will carefully scrutinize each claim and attempt to pay out as little compensation as possible. The goal of the claims adjuster is to get you to sign a full release of all claims. Therefore, it is important that you don’t do the following:
- Never admit to any kind of liability on your part. It is the job of the insurance investigators to gather all the necessary facts and evidence and then determine liability.
- Do not give anything in writing to any insurance officer, whether it is your own company or the other party’s insurance company.
- All insurance companies require you to file an insurance claim within a specified period of time. Do not let the time limit to file your claim run out.
- Never take what your insurance agent tells you as the last word, especially regarding the value of your claim or settlement. Insurance companies will always give estimates of losses that are lower than the actual loss.
- Do not sign any document that is a release or waiver of any kind.
- Do not feel obligated to take a check as final payment unless you are certain that it is fair compensation for your injuries and losses.
How a Lawyer Can Help
If your claim is denied by the insurance company or is not reasonable in compensating you for your losses, it may be time to hire a lawyer. A skilled attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf in order to obtain the damages you may be entitled to receive.
