At Saffren and Weinberg, Marc Alan Weinberg, Attorney and Kenneth Scott Saffren, Attorney are partners. The firm’s tagline is “The People’s Voice In Court.” They make themselves available via phone at (215) 576-0100 or by email on the Saffren and Weinberg website. Saffren and Weinberg provides a no-charge, complimentary case review and answers questions for prospective clients.
What to Expect From Your Insurance Claim After a Personal Injury
We all avoid getting into accidents. We take as many precautions as we can to prevent them from happening. So what happens when you do meet with an accident? You will probably not be able to think straight, right? You won’t know what to do, or how to handle the situation. Even if you are not physically injured, the job at hand can leave you quite shaken.
Act Promptly
If you or a loved one is ever involved in an auto accident, you have to try and stay alert. The first thing you must do is retain as much information as possible. Take pictures of the accident scene if you can, take photos of the other vehicle involved if there is one. Make a note of the license plate number of the other car. All this evidence will come in handy when you want to seek insurance against your damages.
Report the Accident Immediately
You must report the accident to your insurance company without any delay. Usually, the insurance agency should be notified within 24 hours of the accident taking place. Once the crash has been reported, you can start the process of filing an insurance claim.
Types of Insurance Claims
If the accident involved you and your car alone, you would have to file a first party claim with your insurance company. If another vehicle was involved and the accident was caused due to someone else’s negligence, you will have to file a third-party claim with that person’s insurance company.
If the accident was caused by a business or an establishment, you would again file a third party claim with the insurance company of the firm responsible. For example, if you meet with an accident due to construction material left on the road by a shop under renovation, the shop’s insurance company will have to cover the damages for your accident.
Insurance Company’s Protocol
Once the claim is filed, the insurance company will investigate the accident. They will assess the damages to property and injuries sustained by people involved, due to the crash. The insurance cover should typically include compensation for injuries, loss of wages due to missing work, damages to your car and medical expenses. All these factors will be taken into account.
The insurance company will look into the reasons behind the accident and try to determine who is at fault. Submit all the accident-related information that you have at this point. Give them the pictures you have or any other details that you can provide.
If you are injured, the insurance company will want all your hospital records and receipts of any medication that you purchased. They might even ask you to get checked by their doctor.
After the insurance company has followed all the procedures, they will come back to you with an acceptance or rejection of your claim. They will send a compensation check if they accept your request. The amount will be based on factors like the extent of damages, because of the accident and so on.
What if the Claim is Denied?
If the insurance company denies the claim, you have the option to appeal further. It might be a good idea to hire an accident lawyer in case there is a rejection of your insurance claim or if you are not satisfied with the settlement being offered to you. A lawyer can also help you file a personal injury lawsuit if they think you have a high case.
Insurance companies will try to get away with giving as low a settlement as they can. After all, that serves their interest. So remember, there is always room for negotiation.
Saffren & Weinberg is a law firm that wants to help you deal with insurance companies. Our dedicated attorneys will help you with your case. Contact us today at (215) 576-0100 to speak to one our attorneys or to receive a free case evaluation!
