Filing an Insurance Claim - Do You Need a Police Report?

Accidents do happen. We don't even like to think about them. But we must be prepared to deal with them should they spring upon us when we least expect it. As any careful driver, you know you need to be informed of the procedures required in case you're involved in an accident.rnFirst of all, once you sign on with your insurance company, they send you pages upon pages of pamphlets describing what to do if... So read through all the information printed by your car insurance provider. And in it somewhere is the recommended steps to take in case of an accident. Keeping these pamphlets in the glove box of your car is a good idea.rnWhen in an accident, the first thing you should do is check yourself for injuries. Once you've given yourself the "all clear" call, then check any passengers in your car for the same. Then, check the driver and riders in the other vehicle. If everyone is apparently okay. Then call your insurance agent. Let them know you've just been in an accident.rnMost of the time, the police will need to be informed as well. Even if there are no injuries claimed at the time of the crash. The police will need to be called to investigate and provide assistance and, if need be, clean up the street.rnThere are very good reasons to have a police report filed:rnInjury assessment - Even if the drivers and passengers involved aren't complaining of any injuries at all at the time of the incident, they might try to seek false compensation in the days that follow. Have the reporting officer write down the conditions of everyone involved.rnDetermining fault - Make sure the officer hears, understands and writes it into his report your own account of the accident. The reporting officer is an unbiased opinion listening and writing down written statements given by all people involved as well as any eye witnesses not involved.rnAffected area of property damage - Sometimes cars that get into accidents already had dents, dings, broken head lights and tail lights, and so on. These car owners might try to seek false compensation on repair of other areas of their vehicle that were not part of your accident. A good recommendation is to take lots of pictures of the accident. Take pictures of both cars, take pictures of the traffic on the street or highway and photograph all the people involved in the crash. And yes, get your police department to file an accident report. Insurance Reference Resources | Auto Insurance Quotes