Have you been involved in an accident that was not your fault? This can be a tricky issue to navigate. When dealing with your insurance company after an accident, it can take time and can be a hassle. This can be even worse when you have to communicate with the other involved person’s insurance company, possibly an insurance company you are familiar with.
In the event of a crash that was not your fault, you are entitled to do the following:
Acquire Information That You Will Need
The person driving the car that caused the accident is the responsible party. He or she is responsible for reporting the accident to his or her insurance company. The most important thing to remember, however, is that you should always take it upon herself to contact the company as well. Therefore, you are entitled to gather the driver’s insurance information so that you can contact their insurance company. Furthermore, simply gathering their insurance information is not enough, you are entitled to gather the drivers’ complete information:
– Name and address
– Policy information and insurance company
– Witness statements and contact information for these witnesses
– Photographs of the accident, including the number plate of the responsible vehicle
All this information will assist you should you meet resistance from the responsible driver and/or their insurance company.
Some insurance companies actually offer handy apps that assist you in documenting all this information in one seamless place, so check if your insurance company does and download the app if it does. You can even make use of the National Insurance Commissioners’ WreckCheck app. This handy app can assist you in the case of an accident and can be downloaded for free on most smartphones.
Notify the Necessary People and Companies
You are entitled to inform the responsible party’s insurance company that you have been involved in a vehicle accident and with one of their clients. Even though their client was responsible for the accident, you are not necessarily entitled to say so, and you should stick to relaying the facts.
While the police and relative law enforcement will determine the cause of the accident, bear in mind that the insurance company can make their own decision on the matter as well. While the insurance company will take the police report into account, they can determine a different cause should they see fit. The insurance company will consider all factors, including the police report, witness reports, photographs as well as actual physical evidence.
This can benefit you if the responsible party’s insurance company does not claim full responsibility for the damages where you would then need to make a collision claim. If you run into trouble with either the responsible party’s insurance company or your own, call a lawyer.
It is important to remember that even when you are not the cause of an accident, it is wise to contact your insurance company.