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Traffic Accident Insurance Claims Article
By: Dan Baldyga
Auto insurance is a “Contract” between
a driver and their car insurance company. So, it's assumed,
his insurer is responsible for paying you for your damages.
In theory, all we have to do is to notify the other party’s
insurer of our damages, take the car to a body shop and the
insurer will pay your bills.
ALL TOO OFTEN THE ABOVE IS A HUGE “HO-HO”
- - “HA-HA”
“Why is that”, you ask? Because
insurance companies more often than not say, “You must
obtain our authorization to proceed with vehicle repairs“!
So, if you assume to take matters into your own hands, you’ll
have created a huge payment problem if the claims adjuster
tells you, “Hey man, I never authorized that!”
SO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? You must have the insurance
company you’re dealing with accept responsibility before
proceeding forward.
NEVER FORGET: ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO PROPERTY
DAMAGES: The at-fault driver’s insurance company can’t
force you to take your motor vehicle to a specific repair
facility. Most states allow auto insurers to recommend auto
body shop’s but are not allowed to demand a certain
repair shop. That choice is yours.
WHEN THE OTHER DRIVER DOES NOT TELL THE TRUTH
You may have evidence of the other drivers fault yet your
claim is denied by their insurance company (because they told
a story of how the accident happened that does not agree with
yours) and their insurer is standing behind their story all
the way ! Why ? So they don’t have to pay your claim.
This is especially true where no official police
report was made. This indicates the importance of calling
the police to the scene of the accident. In many states, if
an officer determines the damages are minimal he will not
make an accident report. HOWEVER: The body shop estimates
your damages might run into thousands of dollars. So, now
you ask, “What should I do” ?
The answer to that one is, “You can’t
make the police write a report” The best advice, in
a situation like that, is to get all the information possible
from the other driver, write down the other drivers address
and policy information plus whatever contact info from any
witness at the scene, and then get your motor vehicle to a
repair shop immediately.
Let’s say you took the policeman’s
visual estimate that “Your property damages are minimal”
so you drove from the scene feeling relieved that nothing
serious had taken place - - later to discover that it will
take over a thousand dollars (perhaps even more) to fix what
was alleged by the police to be a “Minor dent”.
HOWEVER: You didn’t think to get a witness’s
name and you’re positive the other driver ran a red
light, or Stop Sign (whatever?) to cause the accident. Now
it’s your word against theirs. Not only will their insurance
company side against you, but you have NO PROOF that will
support your story.
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE’S
“PROPERTY DAMAGES” THE BOTTOM LINE IS AS FOLLOWS:
You absolutely must obtain the other drivers insurance company’s
authorization before you proceed to get your vehicle repaired.
>> Return
to traffic accident insurance claims articles
DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this article "UP-TO-DATE
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT FACTS" is for all readers to understand
the motor vehicle accident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga,
Scott Baker, I GOT HIT, LLC, and/or the Accident Resource
make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever, NOR do they purport
to engage in rendering any professional or legal service;
NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or
claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help
is desired it is THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to
obtain said services.
Dan Baldyga’s third and latest book,
AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate
And Settle Your Loss) can be found on the internet at http://www.caraccidentclaims.com
or http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com.
This book reveals “How To” handle your property
damage claim so you won’t be taken advantage of. It
also goes into detail regarding BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident
Settlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA explains
how to determine the value of the “Pain and Suffering”
you endured - - because of your personal injury !
Copyright (c) 2005 By Daniel G. Baldyga.
All Rights Reserved.
Dan Baldyga - Author
dbpaw@comcast.net
AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM
(How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss)
http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com
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