Filing an Auto Claim

What to do if you have a loss:

• If possible, move your vehicle out of traffic, to a safe place.
• Contact the police; they will advise if they need to respond. Absolutely contact the police if it’s a hit and run, if the other party attempts to leave the scene without providing their information, if there are injuries, or if it is apparent that liability will be disputed.
• Check for injuries. If necessary, call 911 for medical assistance.
• If you have a camera, take photos of the damage to the vehicles, the accident scene, and the parties involved.
• Obtain the year, make, model and license plate number (including the state) of each car, and the name, phone number, address, driver’s license number and insurance carrier/policy number of everyone involved in the accident.
• Obtain any witness information to the accident.
• Do not admit fault. However, fully cooperate with the authorities and obtain their information and the police report number.
• If you have paper and pen handy, it’s a good idea to write down details about the loss while it’s still fresh in your mind. Include as many details as possible, such as the direction the vehicles were traveling and at what speeds. Did anyone brake, use their horn or try to avoid the accident? What were the road conditions like? Was the road wet? Was it foggy or raining? Was traffic heavy or light?
• Contact your company as soon as possible.

Information you will need when you file a claim:

• Your policy number.
• Date, time, location of the accident.
• If a police report was taken, please provide the name of the police department and the report number.
• Information on all parties involved: name, address, phone number, drivers license number (including the state), date of birth, owner of the vehicle, and insurance information (company and policy number).
• Information on the other vehicle(s) involved, such as license plate number (including the state); year, make, model and color of all vehicles; and the number of passengers in each vehicle.
• Description of the accident.
• The current location of your vehicle and whether it is drivable.
• Contact information for anyone who may have been involved, such as pedestrian(s) and witness(es).
• Description of the damage sustained by all vehicles – please be as detailed as possible.
• Were there any injuries?
• Was there damage to any property?