What To Do After Being Involved In An Auto Collision
Being involved in a car accident can be stressful and it is often hard to know what to do. There are some steps you should follow, and if you need help, you should start with a call to the insurance company or your insurance agent, then get the car in for collision repair.
After The Collision
If you are involved in an accident, you must get a report from a police officer that details the incident. If there are injuries as a result of the accident, it may take longer to get all the information necessary, but the police department will have it in a few days most of the time.
Even before you have the report in hand, call your insurance agent or carrier to report the incident. They need to know what happened so they can start covering your medical bills, collision repair bills, and any other costs that come up as a result of the accident. It is vital to not wait too long to get checked out after an accident or the insurance company could deny coverage.
The Adjustment Process
When the insurance company assigns your case to an adjuster, they will contact you and set up a time to look over the car. You can meet the adjuster at the collision repair shop where the car was taken after the accident.
The insurance adjuster will go over the damage to the car and typically talk with a repair tech or the shop manager about the damage and the cost to fix it. If the car has minor damage to it, the insurance company may sign off on the repairs right away, but if there is a lot of damage, it can take time to determine if the vehicle will be a total loss or if it is repairable.
Collision Repairs
Once the insurance company approves the repairs to the car, the collision repair shop can begin working on the vehicle. In most cases, the shop will bill the insurance company directly for the job and can help you manage the payment process if the insurance company sends the check to you.
It is essential to discuss the repairs and any warranties with the collision repair shop manager so you understand what is covered. If the shop does the work correctly, it should last the life of the vehicle and the damage should be nearly impossible to see on the car.
When you pick up the car from the repair shop, check over the areas where repairs were made to ensure they meet your requirements. If there is anything that doesn't look right, ask about it before you leave or the shop could claim the damage occurred after it left the shop.