After an automobile accident, you can make an insurance claim without a police report. Although having a police record helps make the claims process go more smoothly, it is not essential to file or authorize a claim. However, whether or not you are legally compelled to file a police complaint is determined by the laws of your state.
If anybody is wounded, you are required by law to submit a police complaint in most states. If property damage reaches a specific value, you may be required to make a police report, however the actual amount varies widely by state.
How do I claim car insurance without police report?
No insurance company will consider your claim without a FIR, and no FIR will be issued if you do not notify a cop. As a result, you must receive your FIR copy as soon as possible. Lack of critical information After an accident, most individuals are preoccupied with gathering information such as the driver’s name, license number, and so on.
Is police report necessary for insurance claim?
Due to the sheer amount of vehicles on the road in India, traffic density can be extremely high. Even if you drive cautiously and follow all traffic laws, accidents might happen. The procedure for filing an automobile insurance claim after an accident has changed throughout time. Certain procedures have become easier to follow thanks to advances in technology and the digitization of key transactions. Continue reading to find out what you should do if you are involved in an accident in India.
Procedure For Making a Car Insurance Claim After Meeting an Accident:
After an accident, claiming automobile insurance requires a thorough understanding of the procedure for filing a claim with your insurance carrier. A step-by-step approach to filing an automobile insurance claim is provided below:
Inform Your Insurance Company:
Make a call to your insurance carrier to report the collision and provide specific details about the damage to your vehicle. Make sure you don’t withhold any information from your insurer, as this could make resolving claims more difficult.
File an FIR with the Police:
Notify the police right away about the accident and, if necessary, file a First Information Report (FIR). In the event of theft, traffic accidents, or fire, a police report is required. If the dents and scrapes are minimal, you may not need a FIR. You’ll also need it if there’s a third party involved in the collision.
Take Pictures:
Make sure you take plenty of photos of the damage and the accident site. Ensure that the images are clear and that the damages are evident so that the insurance company can assess the degree of the physical damage and settle the claim appropriately.
Submit Required Documents to the Insurer:
The insurance company will need certain papers to process the claim, such as a copy of the insurance policy, a copy of the FIR, the owner-license, driver’s driver’s a copy of your car’s registration certificate, and so on. For a stress-free journey, make sure you submit these paperwork and engage with your insurer.
Get Your Car Repaired:
You can have your vehicle fixed at a garage. You might also request that the car be repaired through your insurance provider. If your claim is approved by the insurer, you will be refunded or compensated for your loss.
In The Case of Theft:
If your car is taken, notify your insurance company and submit a police report at the nearest police station. Send the insurance company documentation like the RC, your driver’s license, your FIR, and so on. If the police are unable to locate the vehicle in a reasonable amount of time, a non-traceable certificate will be issued. Following that, the insurance will resolve the claim and pay you the current market value of your vehicle.
Documents Required To Make a Car Insurance Claim:
Submitting the required documentation is one of the most critical components of filing a claim on your car insurance. The following is a list of papers that must be submitted when filing an automobile insurance claim:
Additional Documents in Case of Reimbursement Claim:
You will need to supply additional papers to the insurance provider if you want your automobile fixed with your money and then file a claim for reimbursement. The following documents are required in the event of a reimbursement claim:
What happens if there is no police report for a car accident?
Many accident claims require determining fault without a police record. Insurance firms gather information and evidence from all parties and any accessible witnesses when they don’t have access to police records.
That’s why, in addition to taking other efforts to safeguard their claim, motorists should gather their own evidence after an accident by taking photos and/or video, getting copies or photos of identification and insurance documents, and obtaining contact information from other drivers and witnesses.
The law sometimes assigns blame based on the sort of accident that occurred. Consider the following scenario:
Rear-end collisions: The driver who collided with the back of another car is almost always at blame.
Left-turn collisions: The driver making the left turn is usually always at fault in these collisions.
How do you explain a car accident to insurance?
Don’t guess on anything, especially what the other driver was doing at the time of the crash; just give the facts as you remember them.
Even if you believe you caused or contributed to the accident, never acknowledge fault. Being involved in an automobile accident reduces your ability to view and grasp the accident’s general dynamics, and you may be mistaken about your involvement. Even if you believe you were not injured, do not tell the police or the insurance company that you were uninjured.
Many accident victims do not experience symptoms straight away, especially if they have suffered a traumatic brain injury, soft tissue injury, or internal injury. Even if you feel OK, it is critical that you get medical assistance as soon as possible following the accident. You may not be experiencing symptoms right now, but you may in the future, and you’ll want to be able to prove that your ailments are related to the accident and not anything else.
Can I claim insurance if I damage my own car?
- Call your insurance carrier as soon as possible after the accident to report the damage.
- Make a claim with your insurance company and request that a surveyor be assigned to assess the damage.
- If your insurer allows it, you can also submit your claim online.
Documents required to make a claim:
The insurance provider may need certain documentation from you in order to validate and approve your claim. You must submit all required papers for the claim as well as complete the claim form. The following is a list of papers that you must present when filing an automobile insurance claim:
Formalities for making a car insurance claim
In the event of an automobile accident, the policyholder has two options for filing a claim: third-party and own damage. After an accident, follow these steps to file a claim:
- Third-party claim: In cases where a third-party vehicle has caused damage or harm to you or your vehicle, you can file a third-party claim against the other vehicle owner. If you are unable to work as a result of the accident, you may be eligible to recover medical expenses as well as compensation for personal injury, property damage, and loss of earnings. If there is a death, compensation can also be requested.
In the case that your car collides with another vehicle and causes damage to a third-party vehicle, on the other hand, your insurance will cover the damages, loss, injuries, and deaths that you caused to the other party.
- Obtain the insurance information for the vehicle that caused the damage to your car and notify that vehicle’s insurer of the occurrence.
- Immediately notify your insurance carrier of the situation. Make sure you notify your insurer about the accident within the time limit.
- Then, with your insurer’s help, file a third-party claim. If you’ve been injured, you’ll need to file a third-party claim against the vehicle’s owner. In the event that your vehicle causes injury, death, or property damage to a third party, you must file a claim with your insurance provider.
- Call the police and register a First Information Report by contacting the police helpline number (FIR). In the FIR, make sure to include the following information:
- After that, you must make a claim with the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in the region where the accident occurred, or with the tribunal in the area where you (the claimant) and the third-party (the defendant) both live or conduct business.
- Own damage claim: If your insured car is damaged or lost as a result of an accident, you can make an own damage claim. The medical bills and repair costs incurred as a result of the accident will be covered by your insurer. You will, however, need to verify the extent of the harm or loss caused by the accident. Only if you have a comprehensive insurance will you be entitled for this claim.
Points to remember:
- Make a thorough examination of yourself and your vehicle to see if any significant injuries have occurred. You’ll have to determine whether or not to seek medical care based on the severity of the damage.
- Make your claim within the time window set by your insurance carrier, which is usually 24 hours.
- In the event of a delay, the claim may be rejected.
- Take down the license plate number, model, and color of the other vehicle involved in the collision.
- Speak with any witnesses who were present at the time of the accident and take down their names and contact information.
- You might need to contact them again in the future to figure out who caused the mishap.
- You can avoid filing a claim if you discover that the damage is limited to the car and is minor. Make a thorough assessment of the issue and make an immediate call.
- Avoid getting into a dispute with the third party, since this will only add to the confusion.
- If you’re not sure what you’re going to do next, don’t say anything to the cops or the insurance company.
- Only move the car from the accident scene for repairs or other purposes if the police and insurance company agree.
- You must submit all required papers for the claim and complete the claim form. An inspection of the vehicle may also be required.
- If your automobile insurance policy includes a cashless claim option, drive your vehicle to a network garage for repairs and take use of the cashless service to avoid paying for insured damages out of pocket. The insurer will cover the cost of the workshop.
Inform Your Insurer
As soon as the accident occurs, you must notify your insurance company. The sooner you notify us, the faster we can resolve your claim. It’s important to remember that you may only file a claim for the coverage within a certain number of days of the accident. Any claim submitted after that time is deemed ineligible. To get the details, you must either confirm it with your insurer or read the policy documentation.
File an FIR
As quickly as possible, file a First Information Report (FIR) with your local police station. The accident report is required in order to make a claim on an automobile insurance policy. If at all possible, register a FIR on the day of the accident, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Evaluate the Status of Damage
The damage or loss appraisal is carried out by the surveyor sent by the insurance company after you’ve filed a FIR and informed your insurer. Your insurance company will satisfy claims for damages under the cashless settlement claim or reimbursement settlement claim, whichever you prefer, based on the surveyor’s final report.
To avoid any potential damage, it is also recommended that you do not tow the car alone.
Claim Settlement
The repair fees are directly reimbursed with the network garage when the surveyor submits the final report. If you choose the reimbursement settlement claim process, claims are resolved once you submit repair amount invoices to your insurance.
You should be aware that, while your insurance company will cover the majority of the repair costs, you will be responsible for a portion of the overall charges.
Do I need to inform my insurance company after an accident?
Even if you don’t intend to file a claim, notify your insurer as soon as possible after an accident.
Because the other driver may file a claim against you, it’s essential to first tell your insurance your side of the incident.
The claim should now be handled by your insurance. If anyone else involved in the accident or their insurer contacts you directly, simply ask them to contact your insurer instead.
Can I claim off my own insurance?
If you have comprehensive coverage, you can make a claim on your own insurance. If the motorist is uninsured, the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) may be able to help you pay your claim. This covers situations in which the driver has violated the terms of their insurance policy.
If you are an injured passenger of an uninsured motorist and you knew, or should have known, that they were uninsured, you will not be allowed to file a claim.
How important is a police report in a car accident?
While a police report is not required when submitting a claim for compensation for your injuries in a vehicle accident, it does provide crucial information to the insurance company. Furthermore, it is an independent third-party description of what happened from a police officer qualified to investigate automobile accidents, which can be highly persuasive to an insurance adjuster handling your claim. Similarly, not having one damages your claim because it makes the accident appear trivial and unlikely to result in serious injuries.
Furthermore, a police report offers a plethora of data. Here is some of the information that a police report might provide to assist you prove your case:
- The incident is documented. The date, time, and location of the accident will be recorded in a police report. If the careless driver tries to dodge blame by denying the collision occurred, this can assist you in documenting the incident.
- This page contains contact information. The police report will supply you with contact information for the other motorist and his insurance company, which you’ll need to make a claim, as well as information regarding witnesses to the accident.
- Statements. The police officer will record your and the other driver’s remarks and incorporate them in the police report. This will tell you how the other motorist believes the accident occurred, and it may include incriminating admissions in which he confesses fault. Furthermore, the officer may include witness testimony that could substantiate the other driver’s negligence.
- What happened was described in detail. The police officer will give a description of how the accident happened as well as his conclusions on who was at fault. The report will also detail any vehicle damage, injuries sustained by victims, meteorological conditions, and any relevant variables that contributed to the incident.
- Diagram. A diagram of the accident scene and the point of impact during the crash is frequently included by police personnel.
- Photographs. In significant incidents, the police report may include photos or video taken by the officer of the accident scene, car damage, and other details.
- Citations. Any tickets issued to any of the drivers involved in the incident will be noted in the police report.
How long can police charge you after accident?
Generally, prosecutors can charge you with hit and run one to three years after the incident. In most misdemeanor hit-and-run instances, the offender must be charged within one year. A suspect must be charged with felony hit and run within three years.
Depending on the facts of the case, a prosecutor can charge hit and run as a misdemeanor or a felony in most jurisdictions. If the crime results in property damage, it is usually charged as a misdemeanor. In most cases, a prosecutor will file felony hit and run charges if an accident results in:
- Leave the accident scene without offering any contact information or appropriate help to anyone who has been hurt.
The “statute of limitations” refers to the deadline by which a prosecutor must file criminal charges. This is the maximum amount of time a prosecutor has to pursue criminal charges. If he or she does not do so within the statutory time frame, no charges can be filed.