TIP OF THE DAY NO. 1: AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT, YOU MUST…

By Ben Sessions on June 14th, 2017 in Tips of the Day

Day No. 1: After a car accident, you must…notify the at-fault driver’s insurance company of the accident and notify your own insurance company of the accident. After a car accident that is not your fault, you should notify your own insurance company in order to make sure that your uninsured motorist coverage is not denied. Every insurance policy that provides coverage for car wrecks requires that the insurance company (or their claims representatives) be given notice of the accident. Failure to timely notify an insurer of a claim that would otherwise be covered by the policy may mean that coverage could be denied. When coverage is denied, you will not paid for your injuries incurred as a result of the car accident (at least in the short-run).

It is not your responsibility to notify the at-fault party’s insurance company of the covered incident (a car wreck), but you are the beneficiary of the policy as a result of the car wreck. Therefore, it is a best practice to ensure that the at-fault party’s insurance company is aware of the car wreck and that you have been injured so that coverage will not subsequently be denied on this basis.

The notice to an insurer of a covered incident is not complex or difficult. Typically, we send the notice to car insurers by certified mail with return-receipt requested. Below is a sample letter of representation and notice of a covered claim to a car insurance company:

SENT VIA CERTIFIED U.S. MAIL and
FACSIMILE TO (800) 531-8669

June 17, 2016

USAA Insurance
P.O. Box 3490
San Antonio, TX 78265

Re: Your Insured: ————
Injured Parties: ———-
Date of Loss: —–
Claim No.: ———-

Dear Sir/Madam:

My firm represents ———– with regard to the accident that occurred on or about April —-, 2016, in Thomaston, Georgia. The at-fault driver was your insured, Mrs. ————.

Please provide me with a statement of the available coverage provided to Ms. —— by USAA Insurance.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. With kindest regards, I am

Respectfully,

Ben Sessions
——————
If you have questions regarding your responsibilities after a car accident, contact Sessions & Fleischman for a free consultation. Do not let an insurer use a loophole in a policy to beat you out of the compensation that you deserve following a car accident.