Contacting Your Insurance Company After an Automobile Crash

You've been in a car accident. Whether it is a minor fender bender, or serious one, you need to get in touch with your car insurance carrier. Whether you are at fault or the other driver caused the accident, your decision to get in touch with your car insurance company is always in your best interests.

Getting Started

The first thing you should do is get in touch with your car insurance agent. He will guide you through getting in touch with the company's claims department. You should make sure that you give details as accurately as possible. Let them know about the specifics of the automobile accident, the damage to your vehicle, and any injuries stemming from the accident. Request confirmation from the person you report the accident to, as to when you will receive a formal letter that documents your claim.

What Happens After You Have Made the Call?

Once your claim is reported, ideally, your car insurance company opens a claim investigation. The following are a few pointers to keep in mind during the course of your claims investigation.

1. Make sure you re-read your claims policy and the fine print after you file a claim. This will keep you well informed of the procedures and there will be no painful surprises.
2. Inspect your vehicle – Before you start seeking payment from the opposing drivers insurance, you should know that first you can often claim compensation from your own insurance for the damages that your car sustains, if you have collision coverage. In order to do this, your insurance company will inspect your vehicle in order to estimate damages and the cost of repairing.
3. Cooperate – Once your claim investigation is opened, you are under obligation to comply with the investigation that the insurance company might want to conduct. You should provide them with complete and accurate details on how the accident happened, who may have been at fault, the extent of the damage to your vehicle, your injuries, the course of your medical treatment, and any other information that might be relevant to your claim.
4. "Reasonable" requests – Your insurance company should conduct a "reasonable" investigation and your obligation to cooperate can be limited. For example, you need not give a recorded statement if you don't want to and you do not have to put up with repeated requests for information you have already provided (or information you're not privy to) either.
5. Examination of records – Your car insurance company has the right to examine your medical history and records, if they are relevant to your claim. You could have to sign a form that authorizes the company to access your records.

Apart from the aforementioned procedures, depending upon the severity of your accident and damages, there are certain legal protocols that you need to follow in order to receive the full amount of compensation you are entitled to under Missouri law. To ensure that your legal rights are protected right from the start, contact an experieneced St. Louis Auto Accident Lawyer AS SOON AS POSSIBLE following a St. Louis auto accident. Call (314) 361-4242 to schedule a free and private consultation with an experienced attorney at The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C.