Filing an Accident Claim – What You Should Know
Mar 22, 2010
You’re sitting at a traffic light, drumming your fingers waiting for the light to change when your Ford Focus lurches forward. Embedded in the rear bumper is another car whose driver apparently wasn’t paying attention. Now the fun begins.
Luckily, you’ve only sustained car damage but it could have been much worse. But that’s not to say there won’t be some tough times ahead because you’ll have to deal with an insurance company. Few people find it pleasant dealing with a claims adjustor but it has to be done to get your car up and running.
Here are some tips on when and how to file an insurance claim.
How to File a Claim
Before you leave the scene of the accident, make sure you get all of the other driver’s insurance information, name, address, phone number and the tag number. This is important because you’ll be going through the other driver’s insurance company.
Take pictures of all the damage sustained by both cars and the positions they were in after the accident. These pictures can help support the information you give to the other driver’s insurance representative. And make sure you call the claims adjustor as soon as you can, even while you’re still on the scene as possible. That insurance representative will take down all of the necessary information, talk to witnesses, and get the different versions of what happened.
The next step is to wait for your compensation to come in the mail. It can take several weeks or months before you get the money, so making repairs to your automobile may be difficult or even impossible. You may end up driving around town in your beat up for a while. And when you get that compensation check, it may be for much less than what it would take to fix your car. You’re at the mercy of the insurance company, right? No you’re not. You have options, and one of those options is hiring an attorney to fight for all the money to which you are entitled.
Even with the lawyer and the eventual lawsuit you may have to file, it may be a long time before you get your money. Or can you get your money sooner? Many people are turning to lending companies to get the money they’re owed much faster.
Lawsuit Funding
It’s unfair to expect people to go through a scary event like a car accident and then endure the frustration of dealing with insurance companies and the long wait for a compensation check.
There’s a way to make the latter part of that equation a little easier to cope with. If you were injured as a result of your accident and you hired an attorney, you may qualify for funding. One of the most seasoned lawsuit funding companies can help guide you through the process.
First of all, you take about two minutes and apply on Lawsuit Hotline’s web site. Your application will be reviewed by Lawsuit Hotline staff before it’s sent on to its investors’ underwriters. These investors pool their money to help offer accident victims advances on their pending and settled lawsuits from $500 to more than $1 million. Once you’re approved and you sign an agreement, you could get the money within a day.
Today, there are so many more options for people patiently waiting for their insurance checks. For more information on your options, check out Lawsuit Hotline.com to learn more.