Experiencing any road accident is traumatic enough to put you in anxiety. Apart from taking care of your wounded body, you should also think of compensation eligibility. The second part seems more stressful than the first. If you find trouble in identifying the next steps you must take when you encounter any road accident; you are in the right place.
The car accidents can happen in several situations defensive driving techniques under different circumstances. It might include speed driving, bumper-to-bumper collision, and sometimes it may also occur in the parking lots. In such scenarios, you must be able to handle your car accident claim which helps you in compensating the vehicle damages as well as personal injuries.
At least a pinch of knowledge about such accidents and claims will aid you during the time of crisis. In this write-up, we will talk through the details of road accidents as well as claims involved in it. First, let us begin with different kinds of road accidents.
1. Single Car Accident:
The single car accidents are the cases where the only single vehicle is involved. That is, the car might hit external objects such as trees, poles, trees, walls, and sometimes even a pedestrian, bystanders or animals. Apart from vehicle damage, these accidents will result in personal injury.
2. Rollover of a Car:
In vehicle rollover, the vehicles flip over onto its side or the roof after the crash. It is one of the complicated as well as violent accidents among others. Some studies have proven that most of the rollover cases are because of a single-vehicle crash. Also, it is often caused by turning your vehicle at high speed. The sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are at a higher risk in such cases because of its body structure and a higher gravitational force.
This accident clearly states the behavior of the driver as well as the environmental conditions. Various factors help to determine the cause of this crash such as speed of the vehicle, alcohol consumption by the driver, and also the place of the accident. The rollover crash leads to severe injuries to the spinal cord and also may result in brain trauma.
3. Rear-End Crash:
It is the typical type of collision that happens in most of the roads. The primary cause of this accident is the sudden deceleration where you apply the brake suddenly or slow down your vehicle without any indication. Also, it happens if the other passerby accelerates more than your speed or tailgates by following your car closely. The person who is tailgating fails to identify the slowed traffic and hits the car in front of it.
In a few cases, the uneven road because of the weather condition will also result in a rear-end accident. The driver of the car in the behind will usually be at fault in most of the scenarios because of his failure to maintain the stopping distance, tailgating or distraction. Only if the impacted vehicle is in reverse gear, the above condition will be an exception.
4. Side-Impact Collision:
Also known as broadside or T-bone collisions, the side-impact accidents are the cases where the side of the vehicles touch each other and impacts the body. It occurs because of the intersection of the cars. The parking lots have also evidenced many side-impact accidents.
The damage of this collision depends on various factors. If both the vehicles are in the same direction and have the expert drivers, the cars may only undergo cosmetic damage. You can avoid side-impact accidents by carefully observing both the ways.
5. Multi-Vehicle Pile-Ups:
The multi-vehicle collision, also known as pile-ups is the type of accident that involves many vehicles. It is one of the deadliest kinds of road accidents, and you can find it in highways as well as freeways. Spilling of fuels might spark the fire in the accident spot causing more damage. The chances of harm caused to the passengers are more in a multi-vehicle collision.
In this case, the chances of escaping from the place are hard because of multiple vehicles crashing each other. Besides, it is difficult to judge the fault in this crash. Observe the cars and drivers around you to keep yourself safe on the road. If you find any distracted driver, you can move away from his vehicle to avoid the problems.
6. Head-On Accident:
When two cars hit each other on the front end, it results in the head-on collision get your driving license. It is also known as the dangerous and the deadliest accident. Due to the extreme speed, the safety features such as the seat belt or airbags fail to save the passengers from injuries. Like single car accidents, the head-on crash might involve trees, walls, road signs or animals.
The alcohol or drugs consumption, wrong-way or high speed might result in this type of collision. By obeying the traffic signals and understanding the street conditions, you can reduce the number of head-on crashes considerably. Also, you must avoid distractions as well as harsh driving to keep yourself safe from such incidents.
7. Merge Crash:
This crash occurs when two traffic merges, and one car causes the damage to the other vehicle sideways. The main reason behind this collision is when the driver fails to identify the blind spots while changing the lane. By being careful while merging such as checking to make sure the blind spots are clear or not speeding up in the merging areas can avoid this kind of crashes.
What Are the Things to Do If You Meet with Any Such Road Accidents?
If the accident involves injury, you have to visit the nearby hospital to get treated. Apart from that, you have to claim the insurance to ease your burden of repairing the damage caused to the vehicle. We listed a few steps you need to follow before you call your insurer.
- Record or make a note of the information you observed at the spot of the accident. All the minute details will help you while claiming for the insurance.
- If there were any witnesses on the place, collect their information such as name, contact details, and address as soon as possible.
- Click a picture of the accident spot. This method will add weight to your claim.
- If the accident causes personal injuries, you must record the nature of it.
- If at all the case is registered at the police station, it is your responsibility to collect the case number from them.
- Try to get the insurance details of the other party as well.
- Track all your expenses to compensate later.
- File the claim before it’s too late.
What Not to Do in Case of Road Accidents?
Along with the steps mentioned above, there are certain things you are not supposed to do when you meet with any road accidents.
– Do not involve in any fights with the third party.
– If you are not clear about the reason or cause of the accident, try not to give false or misguiding statements to the police or insurance agencies.
– Try not to take any harsh decisions that will put you into trouble later.
Hence it is always recommended to stay calm and take an appropriate action that helps you as well as the third party to resolve the issue quickly.
Different Types of Insurance in Case of Road Accidents:
If you want to receive all the benefits of the insurance, you must claim it within the time specified by the insurer. In the case of a car accident, you can make three different types of claims. They are:
- Own Damage Claim– You can claim this insurance if your car is the only one that was damaged in the time of an accident.
- Third Party Claim– You can go for it if any damage or injury is caused to the third party as well.
- Claim for Personal Injuries– You can claim it for the treatments you undergo due to any motor accident. To file this, you must submit all the details of the medical treatments.
It is always recommended to make a note of vehicle make, model, and the number plate information of the third-party vehicle involved in the accident. Once you realize which claim suits your accident type, you can proceed with the claim process.
Documents Required Claiming Insurance:
Once you follow all the steps mentioned above, you are all set to claim the insurance now! But before proceeding, it requires you must be ready with all the necessary documents. We have listed all the essential materials that you must carry with you while walking into an insurance company. Just make sure you take them with you!
– Copy of your vehicle’s insurance policy
– Registration copy of the car
– Copy of your driving license
– Appropriately filled Claim form
– FIR Statements
– Repair estimates of the damaged vehicle (Original)
– Payment Receipt
– Medical receipts for any injuries caused by the accident
– Photocopy of PAN card.
– RC/DL copies overlap with RTO docs
Steps to Claim Insurance for Your Car:
- You must inform the insurance company immediately after the accident. Do not take much time to do so. It may delay or affect your claim procedure.
- Next, you must bring your damaged vehicle to the garage of the insurance company. Most of the insurers maintain a garage for this purpose.
- Now get an estimate about the damage caused to your vehicle and also the approximate amount needed to repair it in the garage.
- You must be ready with the documents that are required to claim the insurance. We have already listed those documents above. Take a look at it once.
- After you register the claim, you will receive a claim registration number. Keep it safe with you because you must need it for future communications or references.
- You can repair your damaged car in the network garage or some other place.
- If you take it for network garage, you will be eligible for the cashless claim. That is, the complete claim process is cashless. You can take your car from the garage once you pay deductible amount.
- Whereas, if you repair your vehicle in some other garage, you must pay for claim amount. After it is repaired, you can apply for claim reimbursement to reimburse the amount spent on it.
How to Reimburse the Amount?
- Once you repair the car, submit duly signed bills or cash memos to the insurance company.
- Some insurance companies will have the surveyors who re-inspect the repaired car.
- You must pay the garage expenses and also obtain a proof of release document. This document is required to release your vehicle from the garage.
- Submit this duly signed proof of release document along with the original bill and cash receipt to the surveyor.
- Once the surveyor receives all of these documents, he will send it along with the claim file to the insurance company for the final settlement.
- Finally, the insurer will reimburse your claim after subtracting the deductibles from your total claim amount.
The Motor Insurance Policy Will Also Cover:
– Natural Disasters such as Lightning, Earthquakes, Floods, Cyclones, Storms, Tempests, Hurricanes, Frost, Hailstorm, Inundation, Rockslides, Landslides
– Fire
– Explosion
– Accidental External Sources
– Self-Ignition
– Housebreaking
– Strikes or Riots
– Theft or Burglary
What are The Exclusions for Claiming Insurance?
There is some exclusion for a motor insurance policy in India. We have listed such constraints below. Check whether you fall under this category before visiting the insurer directly.
- The person who is responsible for the accident has no valid driving license.
- The car driver is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any such intoxicating objects.
- The accident was caused because of some mechanical or electrical breakdowns in the car.
- The vehicle was used for any illegal reason.
- The accident spot is somewhere outside the geographical area mentioned or covered under your policy.
- The policy lapses.
Take Away
Hope the contents mentioned in this article has helped you in knowing more about the road accidents and the claims you can make if you experience any of it. You can take the help of any attorneys to discuss the compensation involved and guide you through this complicated procedure legally. By being alert and exercising caution on the roads, you will not only save multiple lives but also save yourself from going through lengthy legal proceedings to claim the insurance.
Avoid reckless driving and reach home safely!
Move to safety if possible, check for injuries, call for medical help if needed, photograph the scene and vehicle damage, collect witness details, and file an FIR at the nearest police station before contacting your insurer.
Rear-end collisions are among the most common, typically caused by sudden braking, tailgating, or failure to maintain a safe following distance.
You should inform your insurer as soon as possible ideally within 24 to 48 hours to avoid delays or complications in claim processing.
You’ll need your insurance policy copy, vehicle registration certificate, driving license copy, filled claim form, FIR statement, repair estimates, and payment receipts.
A cashless claim lets you repair your car at a network garage where the insurer settles the bill directly; a reimbursement claim means you pay upfront and get reimbursed later after submitting bills.
An FIR is mandatory for claims involving theft, third-party injury, death, or significant damage, and is strongly recommended for any accident to support your claim.
Claims are typically denied if the driver had no valid license, was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the vehicle was used illegally, or the policy had lapsed at the time of the accident.
Yes, this falls under an “Own Damage” claim, which covers damage to your own vehicle even when no other vehicle or party is involved.
