When you’re in an auto accident or something disastrous happens in your home, you’ll likely need to file an insurance claim. You pay insurance for both and when you need it, they should be there for you.
Filing an insurance claim isn’t difficult, but there are many steps involved and you want to make sure you have the best outcome. If you’ve never done it before, you might ask yourself, “What is an insurance claim”.
Don’t worry, we’ve outlined the insurance claim process, so if the need arises you’ll know exactly what to do. You’ll be able to file with confidence.
What Is an Insurance Claim: Automotive
Accidents happen on the road and sometimes hail can damage your car. Whether it’s your fault, someone else’s or Mother Nature’s, you need to think quickly and file your insurance claim. If the accident is minor, then you can call the police, exchange insurance information, take names, etc.
You’ll also want to take pictures of the damage to both cars. Call your insurance company and talk about what they need and what forms you’ll need to fill out.
They’ll ask you questions and discuss what happened. Once that’s complete, they’ll use insurance claim adjusters to determine how much the insurance company will pay for the accident. If it wasn’t your fault and the other driver was properly insured, then you’ll get the money from the other driver’s insurance company.
Insurance Claims for Homes
If something happens to your home such as severe damage from a storm, you’ll want to file an insurance claim to help with repairs. The insurance company will send out an adjuster to look at the damage.
They’ll make an assessment to determine how much the insurance company pays. They may offer you an advance on the total amount so you can begin repairs or they may offer a settlement right there.
The adjuster may ask many questions about what was damaged and want specifics such as model numbers, etc. If the damage extends to not only the home but also specific appliances or other items, then you might receive two separate checks.
One check covers only the damages to the home while the second check covers the damage to the contents of the house.
Insurance Claims with Injuries
When you are involved with an accident with injuries or home damage with injuries, then things can become complicated. Injuries or death can be a major litigation point as the insurance companies wrestle on who should pay the claims.
You may also find the insurance company only covers a portion of the medical bills and you believe they should pay more. This is where you need a lawyer to properly fight for what you deserve.
You Can Handle Filing the Claim
When you’ve gone through something traumatic, it can be daunting to file a claim, but follow these tips and it’ll be approved in no time. You may have started out asking “what is an insurance claim,” but you’ll be an expert when the time finally comes.
If you want to learn more about insurance claims, please feel free to explore the rest of our site.
