Car accidents are messy situations. There are so many things to sort out. There's the damage to the car, injuries suffered by drivers and passengers, and then there's insurance. Insurance is supposed to protect you when accidents happen, but sometimes companies don't want to pay out. So what can you do to make sure an insurance company approves your accident claim?
File a Police Report
When there's an accident, you need to make sure a police report is filed. If an officer responds to the scene, they'll take care of that for you. This is part of why it's important to call emergency services when there's an accident. This ensures that there is an accurate, unbiased record of the accident and what happened. According to Safety Insurance, if the accident is a minor fender bender, there may not be a need to call the police, but there are still some good reasons to file a police report. Insurance companies will review police reports as part of their decision-making process.
Get Medical Treatment
Even if you don't think you're injured, you should get medical treatment after an accident. In the immediate aftermath of an accident, your body is likely producing a lot of adrenaline and you may be in shock. This can make it difficult to determine if you've been injured or not. According to Strong Law, you should seek medical treatment soon after an accident or the insurance company may argue your injuries weren’t a result of the accident. This can make for a difficult situation, as some injuries don't present until days after the accident. Insurance companies often communicate with healthcare professionals during your recovery process to determine what sort of compensation you should be getting for accident-related treatment.
Be Careful with What You Post
It's not uncommon for insurance companies to use social media to check the veracity of accident claims. You should expect them to look you up on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. According to Edmunds, denials have come from posts from less-than-careful social media users. It's best to not post anything related to the accident at all on any platform. You should also be careful about what you post regarding activities you participate in afterward as well. If you're claiming injuries as a result of an accident, posting about activities that someone with those injuries likely wouldn't participate in is, at best, unwise.
Accidents are expensive things. That's part of why you have insurance. To improve your chances of your accident claim being approved, make sure you file a police report, get medical treatment, and be careful with what you post on social media. You don't want to deal with your claim being denied because you made a simple mistake.
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