A vehicle crash insurance claim generally begins with a crash. If you are involved in a car crash, there are some very important things you should do at the accident site to the best of your ability. At the first availability, you should report the collision with your insurance company and begin the process of filing a claim. After you have submitted your claim, an adjuster will either call, write or email you about your claim. She will then look at your agreement to determine the types of provisions you have, deductibles, and any coverage limits that may affect your claim.
If your claim is simple, the agent may have you get a quote for repairs and then send you a payout. You will have to fill out some documents, but you may not have to visit the adjuster in person. If your claim is more complicated, then the negotiation process will take more time.
In relatively complex injury accident claims, insurance employees typically must do some investigation in order to sufficiently determine the insurance company’s liability. The agent will comb through your agreement and possibly contact witnesses to the accident, the other party to the incident, look at the crash report if there is one, take pictures of the damages and scene of the crash and generally look into your medical records by sending out requests to your medical providers for information regarding your treatment. If you are seeking to have medical bills covered, the agent will send you a medical authorization instrument for the release of your medical history.
Once the insurance agent has investigated your claim and looked at your agreement, he or she will typically send you a settlement offer. The settlement offer will tell you what the insurance company is willing to pay on your claim. This first offer is usually on the low side. After all, the adjuster’s intention is to save his or her employer money. But the adjuster also wants to close a claim and thus is typically allowed a settlement range that offers room for discussion.
If you are confident about how much you think your claim is worth, you can preempt the adjuster’s settlement offer with your own settlement proposal. Your proposal would describe fault, damages and ask for a certain amount to settle your claim.
If you’ve already got an initial offer from the agency, keep in mind that initial offers for settlement are almost always on the low side. Then, unless you’re willing to agree to that first offer without an argument, you will ultimately need to negotiate with the company for a higher figure.
If your insurance claim is denied in whole or in part, there could be many acceptable and objective reasons. Most have to do with limits in your coverage. You can check the rejection letter against your agreement to see if the denial seems fair or not. If you still think your claim was unfairly denied, don’t wait too long to take action. If you sit on your claim for too long, you may lose the right to sue in court to get your recovery. Discuss your circumstances with an auto accident attorney who will be able to assist you.
If you’ve been the victim of a serious car accident in Baltimore, you need the advice of an experienced Maryland car accident law firm. Talk to a local Maryland car accident law firm about your options.