We are destiny’s child and can never predict when we can come across an accident!

In the days of my youth, car racing was a passion for me. I often used to drive my father’s car while going out with my friends. One day on my way back home I was driving very fast and suddenly I lost control and landed up with an accident. With God’s grace my injuries were not major but the car was severely damaged. But as we had insurance done for the car we saved ourselves from a huge blow of draining money behind the car repair. We followed few simple steps to file for car insurance claim and then it was just a cake walk.

Without a proper insurance on hand,repairing cost may escalate which may lead to debt & then you might even have to go for debt settlement.

Easiest steps to file for car insurance claim:

• Read the policy carefully:

Giving a thorough reading to the policy paper can be of real help but this study should be done before you incur any loss. If you fail to understand then immediately call your agent and inform him about your queries.

• Exchange of information:

If you have met with an accident try to exchange information with the party involved in it. Get the drivers name, address, phone number, insurance carrier and insurer’s phone number. Give all the related information to the other driver. On proof of insurance cards you can look for the contact number, this should be carried along with you while you are driving a car.

• Note down contact number of the witnesses:

If you met with an accident then spot the witnesses and ask them for their contact number as well as their respective names. If any witness of the accident is required for the claim then these information would be quite beneficial.

• File a report of the accident:

An accident report should be filed and request a local law enforcement officer to prepare a report on the accident. If you can't reach to a law enforcement officer then the accident report would be available at the following places:

1. all police departments
2. local department of motor vehicles office
3. Local department of motor vehicle's web sites.
• Inform the insurance company about the accident:

Contact your company and inform the insurer regarding the accident immediately. The insurance officer would reexamine the accident report to find out the reason behind the accident. If you are not the cause for the accident then the insurance company or the driver who is at fault his insurance company would pay for loses you incurred. This could be done either repairing or replacing your car. If you claim for compensation from the perpetrator’s insurance company then you might not have a claim on the automobile policy and won't have to pay for the loss.

• Keep in touch with the insurer:

Unless you come to a settlement regarding the damage caused to you, try not to release the insurer. If you are satisfied with the work of the insurance company regarding the settlement then you can relieve them otherwise keep in constant touch with the insurer. Contact your own insurance company if you find that the guilty party’s company is ignoring the matter.

• Do not go for unacceptable settlement:

If you see that if the culprit’s insurance company gives you an undesirable offer then hand over the matter to your insurance company. They would have a grip over the situation. So it would be advisable before you achieve a desirable dealing with the opponent party do the release your insurer.

If you remember these few simple steps before you claim for a car insurance then it would be easier for you to claim your desired amount and the process would be much faster. Always remember to take help from an experienced financial advisor before going in for any kind of car insurance.