A majority of citizens use vehicles as their main source of transportation. Cars, motorcycles, and quads are all examples of vehicles frequently used for traveling citizens with set destinations. With so much road traffic, unfortunately, it is inevitable that there are many vehicle accidents that occur in our everyday life. If an accident occurs, are there different claims depending on which vehicle was involved? With this in mind, when researching the different insurance claims needed for filing an accident, are there any differences between filing an insurance claim for an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or for a car? Thinking about various insurance claims and what steps need to be taken is not a thought that many have until it is too late.
A car accident is already a stressful and confusing situation for all members involved. If you or someone you know is in a car accident, the car insurance carrier must be notified as soon as possible to file a claim. You should include the details about what happened. Let them know if your vehicle was damaged and what type of damage was done. They will need your name and policy number, the day and time that the accident occurred, names and insurance information from the other parties involved (such as drivers and witnesses) and the driver’s license and license plate numbers. If the police were called and notified, they may take all of this information and give you a police report for your records. In some cases, your insurance company may ask the details on the events of the car accident such as the day and time, weather conditions, and whether it was daytime or nighttime. These details will prove to be crucial if they have to fight the other insurance company on who is at fault.
The basic steps of filing a claim for a car accident includes speaking to someone at your insurance company and getting your case assigned to a member who will work on the claim. Afterwards, speaking with or meeting the claims professional to talk about the situation is needed. Once the claims professional gathers the evidence and has an idea on what occurred, an evaluation will take place, which may include an inspection of your vehicle or obtaining proof of any claims of injury. In a positive outcome, the resolution of the case typically follows an evaluation that may or may not include payments as appropriately decided between the insurance carriers involved. If a resolution took place, then the final step is the closing of the case – thus the insurance claim is completed.
An ATV accident claim works similarly to a car accident claim. Like car accidents, there are a high number of ATV accidents every year in the United States. Because of the high volume of accidents, the type of insurance coverage you have would have an impact on the ATV insurance claim. While there are many similarities between filing a car accident claim and an ATV accident claim, there are different recommendations listed for those who have had an ATV accident.
There are several important steps to take when handling an ATV accident that involves another person. The first priority is to report any injuries. Calling paramedics immediately is the first step. After calling the paramedics, contacting the police department is the next step, especially if there are more than one vehicle involved and/or injuries. It is important to make sure a police report is filed in this case. Obtaining a copy of the police report or the police report number is recommended for use when you contact your insurance company.
Next, when speaking to the police or calling your insurance carrier, it is crucial to stick to the facts of the events. Placing blame on someone else or admitting fault is not recommended due to the number of factors in accidents. The police and the insurance companies are the ones to determine what happened based on the accident scene and the reports from the parties involved.
Another recommendation is to take photos of the accident scene. Damage done to the ATV, tire trails, and other evidence is important to document in order to determine what happened. It is also important to record insurance and contact information for other parties that may be involved in the accident.
Finally, calling your insurance agent to let them know of the events that took place is the final step. Include details such as what happened, any injuries (if there were any), where the accident happened, the condition your ATV is currently in, and contact information of other parties that were involved in the accident.
However, there is one clear distinction between car accident and ATV accident claims. For ATV insurance claims, they have a variety of coverages to choose from. Because of this, it is very common for claims to be denied due to not enough coverage. For instance, there is a liability-only coverage that will not help in the case where your ATV is vandalized, stolen, or damaged in an accident. For this reason, it is very important to determine what your policy actually covers. You may also want to consider enhancing your coverage to include a variety of situations to offer more protection.
Another reason a denial can happen is if you file an ATV accident claim against your auto policy if your ATV isn’t protected under that particular policy. For ATV’s, they must be insured separately. This is an oversight that many people make, believing that everything is protected under the auto policy they have.
Overall, filing either claim is fairly similar. In both cases, it is important to speak to your insurance carrier and explain what happened. Inform them of the details of the accident so they can begin researching your claim. However, the main difference to be aware of is how ATV claims may be more easily denied than car accident claims. Which coverage you have under your insurance policy determines if you can file a claim for a particular accident. If the policy you have doesn’t cover the type of accident you were in, any claim filed would be denied. Keeping these key points in mind will help you in the event of any type of vehicular accident.