If you’re fortunate, you’ll never have an accident as a driver but millions of motorists, not as lucky as you might be, every year end up in a mishap. Be it a bumper bashing or a serious crash, a road accident is an upsetting situation that can put you under a huge financial loss. This is where car insurance comes to your rescue, covering your vehicle against risks associated with road accidents. As a minimum, it protects you against any damage you cause to others. However, to get your car insurance benefits in case of an accident, you first need to know the process of claiming a car insurance online.
1: Avoid initial blame games- It sometimes may go against you.
No one enjoys the inconvenience of being involved in a car accident. Therefore, the first thing some of us want to do is either admit their guilt or judge someone else to be at fault. However, rather than accepting or attributing blame at this stage, you must focus on collecting the facts.
- Take note of the situation, road names, intersections.
- Identify landmarks
- Click some photos
2: File an FIR-It’s mandatory
In case of a major road accident that leads to injury or death of the third party or if your car gets stolen, you should file an FIR to avail a comprehensive or third party claim. Also, you must keep a copy for the FIR with you securely. However, in case of minor crashes like dents, scratches and bums, avoid filing a case.
3: Connect with the car insurance company- Share the circumstances
Connect with your insurer immediately and intimate the accidental event. The car insurance company may collect following information from you:
- Details of injuries to anyone involved
- List of damage to cars and property
- Photos of the crash and damage.
- Make, model, number, colour of vehicles involved
- Exact location of the accident
- Date and time the incident took place
- Copy of the accident report
4: File a claim- You can claim car insurance online
Now that you have all the information related to the crash, you can go ahead and file a claim. As you can purchase car insurance online, you can also file a claim online through the car insurer’s website, email or mobile app. There, you will have to fill a form and mention the details of the accident, including uploading photos and other related documents, including-
- Duly-filled claim form.
- Copy of car insurance policy.
- Copy of driving license and RC.
- Copy of FIR.
- Medical documents in case of injury
5: Get Repairs Estimate-Seek quality estimate not an easy one
Make sure you get the repair estimates from a garage known for performing quality work or from places where you often visit to have the repair work done. You can also ask them for a detailed breakdown of the repairs including, the costs for parts and labor charges.
6: Complete vehicle repair- Ask for instant assistance
Do not allow the car insurance company to delay repairs unnecessarily. Depending upon the coverage you have, the insurance company will reimburse you or pay the repair shop directly.
The Bottom Line
In a nutshell, some of us may consider the car insurance claim process as tedious and time taking but following the above mentioned steps will make it easy and convenient. A car insurance policy from a reliable platform such as Finserv MARKETS can help cover any damages caused to your car or the third party in a seamless manner. Also, with the help of a car insurance calculator you can easily shortlist the best provider and an offer that best suits your requirements.