Auto insurance claims can be frustrating. You might’ve been injured or had your car damaged, and the other party is trying to weasel out of paying for it. Auto insurance claims don’t have to be so complicated. If you want to know how to file an insurance claim with ease, we’re here to help. Hear our advice by the lawyers of Pinnacle Law, A South Florida based legal firm that specializes in insurance claim litigation.

When Should You File An Auto Insurance Claim

When should you file an insurance claim? That’s a question that comes up often. It may come up as a surprise but some policyholders are not knowledgeable as to when to file a claim or not.

Many people are also afraid to file a claim because they don’t want to pay more for their auto insurance, but there are several reasons why you might want to consider making a claim.

You should file a claim as soon as possible if you got into these incidents:

Road accident – You should file a claim if your car was damaged beyond repair in an accident, or if someone else damages it. 

Storm or calamity damage – hail storm, flooding, snow storm and other natural calamities are also a subject for you to file a claim. However, this will be depending on your insurance coverage.

Liability – this also covers when the counterpart in the accident is the one who got the bad faith.

Failing to file insurance claims on these incidents immediately will result in a higher chance of denied claim and might be a ground to use for the reason.

When You Should Not File An Insurance Claim

You don’t have to file a car claim insurance for every accident you’re involved in. There are times when you should not file an insurance claim. These include:

• If You were not injured – If you were not injured in the accident, there is no reason to file a claim. You can save your time and money by simply reporting the incident to your insurance company and paying the deductible yourself.
• If You were driving on a suspended license – This is considered a criminal offense in most states, so if you are caught driving on a suspended license, you may have to pay fines and will be charged with auto insurance fraud if you submit a claim.
• If You caused the accident yourself – If your car was hit by another driver who was at fault, then filing an auto insurance claim is usually okay — but if you caused the accident yourself (e.g., by running through a stop sign or speeding), then it’s best to pay for any damages out of pocket rather than risk being charged with insurance fraud later on down the line.

Step By Step Guide On How To File An Insurance Claim

There’s a lot of steps involved in filing an Insurance Claim. It’s important to get all the details right or you could end up losing your claim, or worse — be put in legal hot water.

Car Accident Insurance Claim

Knowing how to file an insurance claim is a necessary part for a smooth claims process. Here’s how to file an auto insurance claim.

Step 1: Call your car insurance company as soon as possible after an accident. Your agent can walk you through the next steps, or help you with the paperwork if they are not available.

Step 2: Report the accident to the police, even if it was just a fender bender that caused no damage and no injuries. If one driver left the scene of the accident and did not report it, that person may be charged with failure to report an accident.

Step 3: Collect information from witnesses who saw what happened, including their names and phone numbers s o that you can get in touch with them later if necessary. Write down their names and license plate numbers, too.

Step 4: Take pictures of any damage done to your vehicle and any injuries sustained by anyone involved in the crash (including yourself). Make sure there is evidence that shows where your vehicle was at fault if you were responsible for causing the crash or injury; this will help prevent others from claiming damages they didn’t actually incur as a result of your actions or negligence.

Step 5: Contact your insurance company and file a claim. If you do not have coverage, contact an attorney immediately to help you get the proper compensation for your damages.

Third Party Auto Insurance Claim

Filing a car claim insurance for third party damages can be confusing and stressful. However, there are certain steps you can follow to make sure your claim is processed properly.

1. Report the accident to your insurance company as soon as possible. The sooner you report the accident, the better. You should also provide them with all of the details surrounding your accident and any witnesses who may have been involved.

2. Collect information from others involved in the accident. You should also get the name and contact information for any other drivers involved in your accident. This information can be used to help build a case against the at-fault driver as well as gather evidence such as witness statements.

3. Take photographs of the scene and vehicles involved. Capture the damage done to both vehicles involved in the crash as well as any injuries sustained by yourself or your passengers. You’ll need these photos when filing a claim for damages from an at-fault driver.

4. Wait for instructions from the insurance company. Once you’ve filed a claim with the insurance company, they will begin processing the paperwork and collecting any evidence needed to help with your case. This may include getting police reports, witness statements or medical records.

Insurance Claim Settlement Time

For Accident Insurance

In the event of an accident, you may be entitled to compensation from your insurance company. However, it is important to note that the time period between filing a claim and receiving a settlement varies from company to company.

The time it takes before you receive your settlement depends on the type of insurance policy that you have and also the nature of your claim. The time taken for settling a claim is usually based on the following factors:

• The type of insurance policy
• The nature of your accident or injury
• Injuries sustained by both parties involved in the incident
• Time taken for medical investigation and assessment

3rd Party Accident Insurance Claim

The insurance claim settlement time for a 3rd party accident insurance claim can be anywhere between 1 month to 1 year depending on the type of policy, the nature of the accident, extent of damage and other factors.

The insurance claim settlement time for a 3rd party accident insurance claim is normally 7-15 days from when you submit your claim to your insurer. However, if there are any disputes or issues with your claim such as an expensive repair bill or disputed amount then this can prolong the process considerably.

Auto Insurance Claim Denial: What To Do?

You just had a fender bender and immediately called your auto insurance company to file a claim. You made sure you got an adjuster on the scene to take care of everything, and felt good about your insured status.

But now they are denying the claim based on their “independent investigation”. This is when your net worth takes a hit, not because of the physical damage, but because of the emotional toll that is taken. You need to know how to file an insurance claim, or make an insurance claim litigation. We’ll talk about what happens next, and how to seek justice for your damaged vehicle.

Possible Reasons Of Insurance Denial

There are many possible reasons for auto insurance claim denial. Some of them are:

1. You have not met your deductible.

2. Your car is a salvage-titled vehicle.

3. The claim is fraudulent or fabricated.

4. You did not make the claim in time or within the stipulated time frame by your insurer, which may vary from company to company.

5. There was no coverage under your policy at the time of accident and hence no claim can be made at all.

6. The policy has been canceled by you during the period of insurance due to non-payment of premium or any other reason.

However, not all insurance denial is justifiable and fair. There are times when you need to fight for your right.

Hire A Lawyer For An Appeal

When you have been denied insurance coverage for a claim, it is important to hire a lawyer for an appeal. The reason for this is because the insurance company will try to make it as difficult as possible for you to win. They will often try to get rid of any evidence that would help your case or even deny you access to records that would help your case.

In addition, the insurance company has lawyers on their side and they can easily get away with things like this because they know that most people don’t know what they are doing when it comes to appealing an insurance claim.

Suffering from an accident is bad enough, don’t let these corporations take advantage of you. Now you might be asking yourself “my auto insurance claim was denied, what kind of lawyer do i need?”. Well, you need a professional lawyer that can help your case. If you ever encounter this situation, don’t hesitate to contact us. We have highly experienced and qualified lawyers available to support you.

Wrap Up

Car insurance claims can happen to you at some point. When they do, you’ll be glad you took time to read this guide to help you get your claim filed as quickly and easily as possible!