An auto accident settlement letter is a letter that you write to the insurance company that outlines your case and asks for compensation for the injuries that you sustained as a result of someone else’s negligence in an auto accident. It is also known as a demand letter because it closes demanding the company for compensation for your injuries. A lawyer can help you write on of these, but will either charge you a hefty fee or take a large chunk of your settlement money. Because of this, it may sometimes be in your best interest to write the letter yourself. Read the rest of this entry
There are several important steps that you should take when you are filing a car accident claim. If you are entitled to any damages, either from bodily injury or property damage, from the crash, it is vital that you get these steps right so that you can create an airtight case when you try to negotiate auto accident settlements.
What You Should Do as Soon As Possible
As soon as possible, make sure that you contact your insurance company and inform them of the crash. Also make sure to record any details of the crash that you can. This includes both writing down details and taking pictures as the scene of the accident if you are able to. If you feel injured, make sure that you head to a hospital or doctors office right away to get checked out and keep the receipt. Also make sure to keep a copy of the police report from the accident. Also make sure you write down the the contact information of any witnesses to the accident, especially if they can prove there was no driver alert at the wheel of the other car. Finally, whatever you do, never ever admit any liability in the accident whatever you do. If you admit guilt, you’ll more than likely be given fault for the accident. Not only will this preclude any settlements that you can claim, it will also prevent you from being able to save money on car insurance in the future. The more you do at the scene of the accident, the easier it will be to get the compensation from the car accident you deserve.
Property Damage in a Car Accident Claim
If you were driving, its most likely that you have sustained at least some degree of property damage to your car. To ensure that all the damages to your car are properly paid for and repaired, you need to take the following steps:
- Keep all receipts related to towing and storage
- Get two estimates of the cost of the damages to your car
- If it’s possible, take your car to a certified dealer from the insurance company you are dealing with
- Talk to the insurance company about obtaining a rental car
- When the damages are repaired, keep the receipt and send it to your insurance company.
Dealing with Cases of Bodily Injury
For cases dealing with bodily injury claims, make sure you keep all your records relating to any hospital or doctor’s visits related to the accident. Also make sure that you sign a medical release to the insurance company can view your medical records to review them for their purposes. If you’ve sustained any kind of serious injury, you should strongly consider hiring a lawyer. The lawyer will better be able to represent your case, make sure you submit paperwork correctly, and make sure that you are properly rewarded for the time that you spent injured.
Filing a car accident claim is not incredibly difficult on the surface, but you must be sure to get it right. Any oversights or mistakes that you make, especially in larger cases, can be pounced on by the insurance company to undermine your case. Make sure that you get your claim right!
Filing a car accident injury claim with an insurance company can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. How difficult the whole process will be is determined by how much of the paperwork documenting the cause and fault of the accident as well as the damages caused to your body and property you have in your possession. Most of us will experience an accident sometime in our lives, so if you make sure to keep these tips in your mind, it will make reaching any auto accident settlement with an insurance company much easier.
At The Scene of the Accident
When you are at the scene of the accident and after you have made sure that everyone involved is safe and not seriously injured, make sure to take a few pictures of the accident. They don’t have to be perfect and the camera on your phone will most likely to more than enough. This will help document the damages to your property and also if your car is in particularly bad shape, can be used at a trial as evidence if the need should arise. Every piece of evidence you collect will many any insurance settlement you try to reach later much easier. Call both the police and the insurance company.
When the police arrive make sure to get a copy of the accident report and keep it in a safe place. It should show who is at fault for the accident. If you feel that you may be injured in any way, shape, or form, make sure that you inform the officers and immediately get treatment for it. You may be able to ride in an ambulance or you may need to drive yourself to a doctor’s office or emergency room.
After the Accident
If you did sustain bodily injuries, it is just as important to keep records of all the medical treatments that you receive afterward as it was at the scene of the accident. Keep track of both the time you spent in the doctor’s office and the time you spent traveling to and from the office. If you missed work as a result of your injury, also make sure to keep track of your lost pay stubs as well.
If your car needs repaired, the easiest option is to take it to a dealer certified by the insurance company, if they have them. The parts that they repair will be certified. If this isn’t an option, take the car to your mechanic, you should be able to choose, and then have the car inspected again by a different mechanic after the repairs are made. This will ensure that none of the parts are repaired improperly and if they fall apart a few days after the accident, you won’t be liable for the repair costs.
Recap: The Six Tips to Filing a Car Accident Injury Claim
- Take pictures of the scene of the accident
- Make sure the police and your insurance company are informed
- Immediately seek treatment
- Keep records of all documentation dealing with the crash
- Take your car to a certified repair shop
- Have your car double checked at another shop once it is repaired
Everybody needs a challenge once in a while. It gives you the adrenaline rush and sense of urgency that really makes you day much, much more interesting. And what better way to truly test your mettle than to test it against a large insurance company with a dedicated legal department. If you want to make your auto insurance claim as difficult as possible, follow these easy steps.
#1 – Don’t Immediately Get Medical Attention
In the insurance industry, it is considered that an auto accident injury is sustained when you go to seek treatment at a professional medical facility. This is usually the emergency room, but can also be a chiropractor or massage therapist. Many people seek attention directly after the accident, but you shouldn’t. By waiting a few days you give the insurance company a loophole where they can say the injury was suffered in the days following the accident. This will put the burden of proof on you to prove that the injury was sustained at the crash and not later.
#2 – Don’t Take Pictures of the Crash
If you don’t take pictures of the crash, you can’t threaten to use them in court if an insurance settlement falls through. You also don’t have a record of the property damage to your car. This puts you in a much weaker bargaining position where you can truly test how tough you are against those big, bad boys over at the insurance company.
#3 – Neglect to Write Down the Details of Accident and Persons Involved
This tip will really test what kind of a person you are. Make sure that you don’t write down any of the details associated with the crash. This ensures that every time you are questioned by the insurance company during their investigation into your injury claim you have to remember every detail of the crash, no matter how long its been since the accident. The real test is making sure that all your details remain exactly the same sot that the company can’t cast any reasonable doubt on your story. Not for the faint of heart to be sure.
#4 – Admit Guilt
What better way to put yourself at a disadvantage at the bargaining table than by admitting guilt? Make sure you are adamant about it and admit that it was your fault to the police officer, bystanders, and other passengers and drivers involved in the crash. It will definitely give you several interesting conversations with the insurance company when you try to recover some damages. Not only that, once the police report the accident as your fault, your insurance premiums will skyrocket. For womens car insurance this is a great way to close the gap with men, who regularly pay a much steeper price in insurance.
#5 – Throw Away the Police Report and Other Papers Related to the Auto Accident Claim
Paper documentation is for the weak of heart. Throwing away the papers that are relevant to your accident may allow the insurance company to say there’s no way that you can prove that you are owed the amount of money you say you are. But this just gives you a chance to play the ace that you’ve literally been keeping up your sleeve and say “I got your proof right here” and flash the guns.
#6 – Stay Silent to Your Insurance Company
Sure, you could tell your insurance company that you’ve been in a crash so that they assign someone to investigate it, but that would just defeat the purpose of taking on the insurance company yourself. Besides, they’ll be happy to hear about it from the other driver’s insurance.
#7 – Don’t Hire a Lawyer for Big Cases
This seems almost like its implied if you’ve followed our advice so far, but this is where many people falter. If you’ve been actively trying to screw up your auto accident claims, don’t let some fancy, smooth-talking lawyer convince you that you need his help to get a fair settlement to your claim because he has experience in negotiating with them. You’re doing just fine on your own, thank you.
If you followed our advice, you no doubt are about to have many sleepless nights wondering how you are going to pay for the medical or property damages related to your auto accident. It may seem like you will never get the auto accident settlement you want. But what you’re losing in sleep you’re gaining many times over in excitement!