Things you should know when processing an automobile accident insurance claim.
You can copy and print this out and put it in your glovebox for at the scene info reference. Or go to contact us and request "At the scene info" and we will send you the printable word document or you can request we mail you a copy for your glovebox.
After you have collected all the information at the accident scene you will have to:
1. Have your car towed
if it is not drivable, your insurance company will pay for the tow to a storage yard and then to the collision shop of your choice. You shouldn’t have to pay anything out of your pocket for these tows as the collision repair shop pays for the tows when the car arrives at the shop and gets reimbursed from the insurance company. Although a small group of insurers may require you to pay for the tow and they will reimburse you for the costs.
2. Pick a shop to do the repairs.
Remember it is your legal right to choose who will work on your vehicle. An Insurance company cannot force you or badger you into going to one of their direct repair shops for repairs. Insurers save millions of dollars processing claims at these claims clearing houses so they will do or say everything they can to get you to go there. (See Direct repair below).
3. File a claim with your insurance company.
When filing a claim you have to make sure you have the “At the accident scene” information as the claim rep will ask for this information. If you think you may not want to file a claim because the damage may be less than your deductible or your at fault accident may raise your rates higher than the cost of the repair you need to do the math at this point and we at Keena’s Collision can help you with figuring that out, this free service is included in the repair process, there are certain times that an insurer can raise your rates and /or cancel your policy we know when and how much. You need to know that when you have broad collision coverage your deductible will be waived if you’re less than 50% at fault and also all deductibles pertain if you have standard collision. The claim rep will ask where it happened what happened and what time and date. This is what is called a “proof of loss statement” and you have sixty days to file a proof of loss statement with your insurance company or they can deny your claim. We offer a free claims representative service at Keena’s Collision, all you have to do is appoint me as your representative and I’ll do all the work for you, No Charge, just have your vehicle sent here and we together will make the statement to your insurance company. The claim rep will require you to make a choice at this time as to where you want to have your car repaired if you don’t already have it at a repair shop (it is your legal choice to go where you want to). Claim reps sometimes try to persuade you to go to their DRP shops by stating that they can’t guarantee any work done by any other shop except their DRP shop, The reason why is that there is a law that states if they’re going to send customers to their DRP shops to save money that they have to warrant the work of that DRP shop. Insurers tried in the past to slam cars together at DRP shops as cheap as possible and didn’t want to take any responsibility for the shoddy repairs ; the government stepped in and forced them to be responsible by law to warrent the discounted work performed by DRP shops. The purpose of a DRP hasn’t changed; it’s all about saving money in the eyes of an insurer. The fact is that all shops with a State license and liability insurance fully cover the quality of the repairs performed by that repair shop. Another ploy is that they may say you may be responsible for costs over and above the insurance estimate if you go to a non preferred shop, not true at Keena’s Collision you will only be responsible for any cost that you may be responsible for if you went to their DRP shop such as deductibles and no more, guaranteed. Remember Keena’s Collision has a lifetime warranty as long as you own your car.
4. Repair Process
after you have selected a shop you can call the tow company to release the vehicle and have the vehicle towed to the repair shop. The shop will cover all the tows and storage and add it to the claim. At this point you can get your rental car if you have the coverage. Getting rental coverage is a good idea if you don’t have another car to use in case of an accident. Your insurance company will insure any vehicle you borrow for full coverage with a $500.00 deductible when you’re having your car repaired even if you do not have full coverage on your personal vehicle. This insurance is included in you policy and is no extra charge. So if you have a friend with a car and you want to borrow it, it’s insured for full coverage as long as your car is in for repair and being repaired. They will also insure any rental cars you rent for the same period.
Direct repair /Preferred shop
is a collision shop who has a contract with an insurance company and the contract lists what labor rates will be charged what parts will be used (aftermarket Chinese parts or used), what procedures will be used, what percentage of discount on parts and materials. DRP is nothing but cut rate claims processing centers. The DRP shop usually has two price structures, one for the insurance company and one for the general public.
Selecting a Quality Repair Shop
Any shop that has been in business for a good amount of time, which has a clean record with the State Bureau of Automotive Regulations and has liability insurance would probably be a good choice. As far as DRP insurance preferred shops go, they put the insurance company first and the customer second because after you’re gone they still have to deal with the insurance company over and over again on other claims. You will be none the wiser when you leave as they will tell you the least as possible concerning your claim. Most DRP shops have to process twice the amount of work for the same profit as a non DRP shop. Drp puts the insurance company in control of the whole repair process, we at Keena’s Collision put all parties on the same level with Knowledge, education and experience, we know what they can and can’t do
At the Accident Scene Checklist
1. Who did I have an accident with?
Be sure to get complete information from the other party(ies) involved. This means copying down their address, driver’s license #, date of birth, and ask for their phone number. In addition, obtain their insurance information including, the company, policy #, agent if there is one, the policy begin and expiration date and their phone #. You need to make sure that you have as much info as possible to give your insurance company; this will help get your claim resolved as fast as possible.2. Were there any witnesses?
there anyone who saw the accident happen? You want to make sure that you get information from anyone who saw the accident. This will assist the insurance companies to determine who is liable for the accident.3. Were the police called?
If the police called or showed up, make sure to get the name and badge # of the officer and a report number. It may take your insurance company up to 3 months to get a police report, so be sure you take the information but don’t rely on the insurance company getting the information.4. What kind of vehicle or vehicles were involved in this accident?
You want to make sure that you get the vehicle year, make and model, the license plate #, and VIN number for each vehicle involved.5. Where did this happen?
Get the intersection or street that the accident happened on. Also, you want to make sure that you know how many lanes are on each side of the street, if the street or streets are 1 way or 2 way, the type of striping on the pavement within 100 feet each direction of the loss, i.e. is it a solid, double yellow line, a white line, etc. Also, you want to know where each vehicle impacted, what lane you and the other car were driving in just before the accident, the direction of travel for each vehicle, and if there were any signs posted that control traffic flow.6. How many passengers were in each vehicle?
Take note of how many people were in each of the vehicles involved. Once you know, make a brief note of their description or name including: ethnicity, gender, weight, height, etc. This will help if you are the victim of a staged accident or other type of insurance fraud since people sometimes mysteriously are reported as an occupant of the vehicle when they were not present. This is not common, but if it ever does happen, this will help you avoid being a victim.7. What type of condition was the car in right after the accident?
Was the vehicle drivable? Where is the damage? Is there any additional damage on the vehicle not related to the accident? If there is additional damage on the vehicle not related to this accident, be sure to tell your insurance company.8. Where do I want to get my vehicle repaired?
If you have a shop in mind, have that information with you. If you don’t, ask around, your friends might have a good recommendation.9. Write down all the information.
Record all the information that you have gathered and keep it in a safe place. This is to assist you if there is a problem with the claim. When you report it, be sure to write down who you spoke with, your claim #, and what if any promises were made. This will make your life easier if someone says something and then it doesn’t happen.10. Take pictures of the accident right after it occurred.
Take a photo of your vehicle and the other vehicle(s) involved including all 4 corners. Also, if you can get the other party in the photo, that will help in the event that either insurance company needs help identifying the other party involved.If you have a claim that needs to be filed, the above items are good to gather since it will make the process easier and assist your insurance adjuster to resolve your claim at a faster pace. The insurance adjuster(s) you will deal with each have a job, it is to resolve as many claims as they can in the least amount of time possible. As a result, the more information you can give him or her, the smoother the process will be.
