What information you need to give your insurance company
Photo by Kindel Media
If you get in a car wreck, then you will need to take certain actions afterward. You will need to try to get your car out of the road if you can. You will then have to call the authorities. The police can get a statement from you, and you can also get a ride to the hospital if you feel like the crash hurt you and you need some medical attention.
At some point, after you’ve gotten any medical attention you needed, you must contact your insurance company and file a claim. You will need to give the company all the relevant information about the crash.
Understanding what information car insurance companies require becomes important when you file a claim. You should have the following details ready when you reach out to them.
Your name and contact details
When you look at the card for your car insurance policy and company, you should see a number on there that you can call to file a claim after an accident. You might also try to file one online on the company’s app or website.
However, since you’re probably going to have to speak to someone on the phone eventually, it’s probably best that you call. It will get the whole process moving. If you do not have a card for your insurance company, then its website should have a phone number prominently featured that you can use.
You will start by telling the person who answers the phone that you want to file a claim. They will take your name and basic contact details. Those might include your physical address and a callback number where they can reach you.
You will tell them the date and time the incident occurred
Next, you can tell them the date when the crash occurred. You should tell them the time it took place as well. If you can, try to give them the exact minute it occurred.
They will ask you where the crash happened, so you can give them that information next. Presumably, when you talked to the police after the wreck, they gave you a report with this info on there. The police report should state the street, road, highway, or intersection where the crash occurred.
You can tell them the other driver’s name
They will next probably ask about the other driver. Assuming the other driver stayed at the scene, then you should have this information as well. Maybe you talked to the other driver directly after the accident, or perhaps you got the necessary information from the police once they arrived.
Either way, you can tell the person you speak to the other driver’s name. You can give them the other driver’s phone number as well.
You will probably have to tell the person you speak to the name of other driver’s insurance company. Maybe they also gave you a policy number. You can pass that along.
Additional information about the other driver
You can probably pass along some additional information about the other driver. You can mention their license plate number. You should also tell the person you speak to about the other car’s make and model.
You might include any other information that seems relevant, such as if the other driver smelled like alcohol or marijuana. Something like that would definitely have relevance in this sort of situation, especially if you’re in an at-fault state.
In an at-fault state, you’ll probably want to have evidence proving the other driver caused the accident, if possible. Having that evidence makes it a lot more likely that you can easily get a payment to cover your vehicle repairs, medical bills, or lost wages if you have to miss work. In such an instance, though, the other driver’s insurance policy should cover the damages, not yours.
Information about the crash
Next, you can give the insurance company representative that you’re speaking to all the relevant information about the crash. You might mention how and where the other car struck your vehicle.
If the other driver seemed to exceed the speed limit when they hit your car, you should mention that. If it looked like the other driver had their smartphone out when they hit you, then you should certainly include that detail, since it might establish distracted driving. If you decide to bring a lawsuit against the other driver at some point, such details will matter.
You shouldn’t speculate with the person you speak to about whether you or the other driver caused the crash. That information will come out on its own.
What you shouldn’t say to the insurance company representative
Of the various things you don’t want to say to the insurance company representative who you speak to, pondering who caused the wreck remains at the top of that list. If the person you speak to asks you directly who you think caused the accident, don’t respond. Tell them you are not willing to speculate about that.
You also don’t usually need to give them something like your social security number, so if they ask for that, you can decline. For the most part, you can restrict your responses to what we’ve spoken about in this article.
In addition to what we’ve mentioned, you should try to get your insurance company any videos of the crash site that you shot or pictures that you took of it. You can’t give them those over the phone, but you can send them to the company, probably at an email address they stipulate.
If you turn over all of this information, then the insurance company should investigate promptly. You will not want them to waste any time. Ideally, you want to collect money for your claim as soon as possible, since you will probably need it.
If it seems like your insurance company or the other driver’s insurance company won’t give you the money you feel you are due, then contact a lawyer.