How to Claim Car Insurance after Accident in India

A car insurance claim starts with a road accident. The nature of the event could be two cars colliding or a street accident that takes place due to driver negligence. This might probably take place due to interventions by third-party as a result of disobeying the traffic rules. Whatever the case, filing a car insurance claim has a lot of variables and isn't that easy as you may think.

When you're in an accident, you won't be thinking straight. A gust of emotions will be whirling through you and any injuries may lead to stress and aggravated thinking. This is when calming down with a clarity in mind will help you get out of it. There are various metrics involved in filing a car insurance claim but we'll be covering what you need to do to get the most out of your insurance company. If it's your first time dealing with this, keep reading.

What You Should Be Doing After the Accident

Remember the details of the incident vividly that took place and record every one of them. Keep an eye out for bystanders and jot down the license plate numbers, model, make, and details about the visual look of the vehicle or whatever information related to the scene that you can salvage.

Start by taking pictures of the scene. Record the extent of the damage caused or received and record details about the witnesses. Take their phone numbers and addresses so that they can solidify your evidence and back up your car insurance claim. Pictures speak louder than words, always remember that.

If you've suffered any injuries, snap a few pictures of your wounds as well. Don't hesitate about this no matter how gruesome or painful it may be because it serves as proof and is your testament.

Try to locate or contact police personnel around you. Ask them to register a new case and take down the case number related to the incident. Don't forget to take down the car insurance claim details of the other party as well.

Now for the next part; expenses. Think about the damages received or incurred on your vehicle. What do you see that needs to be repaired or replaced? Take pictures and note down those details now.

Here's the last part, filing your car insurance claim. Now that you have your evidence, key witnesses, and third-party details on your palms, forward it to the insurance agency. Meet up with an attorney who is well versed with insurance filing to help you out. If the accident turns into a car insurance court case, you'll need all the help you can get.

What Should You Not Do After an Accident

Running Away - Not only will this make you look suspicious, but you might also be charged with criminal activity. This will make it harder to file your car insurance claim and you might even lose out a lot of money in the process depending on the severity of the matter.

Fighting with the Third-Party - Fighting with the third-party or starting a scuffle with whom you collided is not just unhelpful but unproductive as well. In the worst case scenario, the third-party might drive away and you might lose the evidence needed to file your car insurance claim.

Not Filing Your Claim - This might not seem so obvious, but some people don't file their car insurance claim in the hopes of covering up the incident. Although you may get away with just a police report or pay for the repairs yourself, you risk losing your money and you lose credibility as a customer in the eyes of an insurance company. Take our word for it and don't do that. File your car insurance claim once everything is in order and close the matter before it turns into something legal you probably would've have expected.

Documents You Will Need to Submit with Your Car Insurance Claim

Whether it's a third-party incident or if it's your vehicle that has suffered the damage, your job as the owner of the car is to first file a report to the police and provide evidence to the car insurance company. Take your car to the insurer's garage to get it inspected and to get an estimate of the costs incurred due to the damages. Some documents you may be requested to provide the insurance company when filing your car insurance claim are the FIR, copy of insurance policy, medical receipts in the event of physical injuries, a copy of your driver's license, completely filled car insurance claim form, and an estimate of the costs involved for repairs. An 18% GST is applicable for car insurance policies with effect. Do not forget to assess the damages caused. Simply because, if it’s just a minor outgo, you can get the same repaired on your own without filing a car insurance claim. You can therefore save on your No Claim Bonus and continue enjoying its benefits as far as you have ‘claim-free years’.

Filing Your Car Insurance Claim

Once you've set up your cards and sent in your application with the documentation, FIR, and necessary evidence, you will be given a timeline of 10 to 15 days for the filing process to be authenticated and completed. Depending on the nature and extent of the accident involved, the insurance company may give you an option to either file a cashless claim or a reimbursement type of insurance.

Cashless mode of insurance involves doing a cashless form of settlement where you take your vehicle to any of the garages that are tied-up with the insurance company for claiming your repairs. The surveyor will take a look at the vehicle and you'll have to bear some nominal fees which have been outlined under the Terms and Conditions Section of your insurance policy. However, the quality of the repairs will depend on the service centres affiliated with the insurance company, so, do make sure to check which organisations or service centres the insurance company has tied up with, before deciding to file a cashless car insurance claim.

The reimbursement mode of insurance is another way of filing a claim. This is where an inspection of your vehicle is done by the surveyor and repairs are made once his/her observations are forwarded to the insurance company. You will have to make the payment to the garage or the service-centre where you plan of getting the car repaired. Once this is done, you may submit all the required documents along with the invoice copy, car insurance policy copy, your driver’s licence, etc. The insurance company ends up paying for your repairs and the process takes roughly 10 to 15 days.

Conclusion

Insurance companies are always on the lookout to provide exceptional customer experience and new ways of filing a car insurance claim are emerging. Websites these days let you take pictures and upload the documentation and images easily, making filing your car insurance claim instant and hassle-free.

If you’ve bought your car insurance from Coverfox.com and need help in filing your car insurance claim, you can always contact the insurance experts. They will guide you appropriately and let you enjoy your trips stress-free!