Car insurance claims usually occur out of road accidents which may result in accidental damage to one’s or any third-party vehicle damage, bodily injuries and worse- death. Thus, there enters the claim factor to get the coverage for all the losses brought up by the accident. If you don’t know where to start then you are at the right place. This section will help you with a step-by-step guide to understand how to claim car insurance policy in case of an accident. 

Car Insurance Claim Procedure

If your car has ended up colliding with another vehicle, you have been harmed with injuries due to a car accident or your car has damaged any third-party property/person in an accident , then it is time to claim the car insurance that you once had bought to face such mishaps with ease. 

Here is the step-by-step guide to claim car insurance after an accident:

1. Contact Your Insurer

The foremost thing you need to do after your car bumps into an accident is contacting the insurance company and intimating them about the accident. You can either file the claim by contacting your insurer via phone or by visiting them. You must ensure that the information you are intimating them is accurate. 

Apart from that, you should make sure this information is delivered to the insurer by you without taking a long time. It is best to inform  your insurer about the accident within 24-48 hours of the event. Following this step at earliest will help the procedure be carried out smoothly.

2. Lodge an FIR

Informing the police is an important step to take when it comes to the car insurance claim after an accident. If your car has met with an accident and it has led to any damage to the third-party property, bodily injuries to the third-party person then you need to lodge an FIR. 

You can visit the nearest police station after your car ends up in an accident and intimate the police about the incident. The police will inspect the entire situation based on the location of the accident, witnesses, and other available sources. The FIR will be required by the insurer for documentation.

3. Let the Inspection Run

As the procedure follows, you will be appointed a surveyor by the insurance company. The surveyor will go through the complete inspection of the damaged parts of your car. If you opt for a cashless claim, this surveyor will guide you to a network garage for car repair. 

4. Submit the Required Documents

In order to have a hassle-free claim settlement process, you must make sure you have all the documents that are required by the insurance company in check by your side. You should keep all the documents ready to be presented for documentation. 

You should also ensure that all these documents are valid. Submission of all the valid documents which you need to share with the insurance company helps ease the entire procedure and speeds up the pace of claim settlement. 

5. Get Your Claim Settled

Once the steps mentioned above are followed through and the claim you have raised is found to be genuine, you will be provided the settlement of your claim as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the policy. If you have opted for a cashless claim, the insurer will settle the claim with the mechanic and the hospital in case of medical issue. In case of reimbursement, the amount of bills/receipts will be reimbursed to you. 

Documents Required for Car Insurance Claim after Accident

The car insurance claim demands submission of some documents in order to be settled. Without these documents, the procedure gets complicated and it might get revoked by the insurer. 

The documents which you need to submit for your car insurance claim settlement in case of an accident:

• Copy of your insurance policy
• Valid driving licence
• Registration certificate of your car
• FIR 

Additional documents required for reimbursement claim settlement:

• Bills/receipts of repairs
• Record of medical expenses 
• Any other record of expenses

Also Know: Things to know before buying Vehicle Insurance

Contribute to an Easy Car Insurance Settlement Procedure 

Contribute by not hiding the facts. Contribute by recording every detail of the time of the accident. Contribute by presenting all the necessary documents. Contribute by being honest when you explain the incident. If you follow the procedure timely and meet all the requirements asked by the company, the chances of fast claim settlement will be higher. Apart from that, it will also save your time and sane mind. You can do this much.