Even if you’re not to blame for an accident, it can still be really irritating to have to call up your insurance claims adjuster and go through the motions of filing a claim. You always have to wait on the line and then you’re bombarded with a series of questions that range from applicable to pointless. And what’s more, you’re being recorded during the conversation, adding another layer of annoyance to the whole affair. On top of that, you may be forced to deal with the local DMV and their requirements too. But there are some ways to make the process a bit less cumbersome.
If you have the chance to take pictures of the accident, it is recommended that you do so. Having pictures of the site and the scene of the wreck can drastically speed up the whole claims adjustment process. You’ll get your money faster or, failing that, you’ll resolve the whole mess much more quickly. Remember to take a picture of all sides of your vehicle. Get the two side views as well as the front and back. Imagine that you’re taking pictures to sell your car online and you should be just fine. Except, in this case, you of course want to highlight the damage rather than concealing it, you sneaky devil.
As soon as the accident occurs, and if you’re able, try to write down as much information as you can about all the people involved in the accident. It’s easy enough to remember who was riding with you but it is more important to get the information about the other party. Write down the number of people who were in the vehicle during the accident and then write down their age (you’ll naturally need to guess here) as well as their ethnicity, weight, and other important factors. The reason for this is because you don’t want to be susceptible to cheap auto insurance fraud down the road.
A “hop in” or “jump in” is a practice by skilled fraudsters wherein people who weren’t even involved in the wreck lie and say that they were in the car at the time so that they can get extra money. Other than that, just make sure that you remember the street and location of the accident and you should be okay. With this information in tow, the odds of you resolving this annoying claim quickly will be much higher.