The Info You’ll Need to File an Automobile Insurance Claim

Filing an automobile insurance claim is rarely an enjoyable process. You’ve just been through an incident, may have incurred an injury or car damage, and now must deal with resolving the issue to your satisfaction. While it may not be your favorite way to spend your free time, there are things you can do to help facilitate the process.In general, the more details and data you have, the more efficient the process may be. Here is some of the info you will likely need to file an insurance claim.

1. Incident basics. This includes day, date and time of incident, where it happened, vehicle and drivers involved and the police agency that responded to the incident and filled out the accident report. It can also be beneficial to have the name and badge number of the reporting officer.
2. Your personal information. Be prepared to provide your personal information including drivers license number.
3. Insurance providers. Knowing the insurance companies involved and policy numbers can prove to be helpful.
4. The police report number. It is likely the insurance company will want to acquire a copy of the police accident report. You can help by providing them the reporting agency, incident report number and contact information for the reporting agency.
5. Any citations issued. The police report will usually indicate if any citations were issued in the incident.This will indicate who is at fault.
6. VIN numbers and automobile descriptions. The make, model and year of the vehicles involved along with their VIN numbers are usually required.
7. Damage descriptions. Even in an initial report, an insurance company may want a general description of the damaged areas of an involved vehicle and how extensive that damage may be.
8. If there were any injuries. One of the key components to reporting an automobile accident is that if there were any injuries. Be cautious about minimizing any personal injury descriptions you have sustained, especially when talking with an insurance company representing the other driver.

It can be helpful to acquire an estimate to repair your damaged vehicle quickly after an incident, so at least you have a baseline for your expectations for a claim. A claims adjuster will be assigned to your case, however, you’ll want to be assured any settlement claim is reasonable.

An insurance claim is a detailed process that can take time and patience. When filing any type of a claim, this is the time you will be glad you have an Insurance agent. Agents are always there to assist in these situations. Being prepared can help facilitate a smoother claim.