Reader question:

I’ve only been in one accident before my recent one, and it wasn’t my fault. This one was, though. What is the process for an at fault car insurance claim?

George

Good question.

Being in an at fault car accident is often a lot more nerve wracking than is being in one in which you are not at fault. The reason is that you have to worry about both drivers. You’re stuck with thinking about whether the other person is properly covered under your policy and whether they might come after you with a lawsuit, and then you have to go through the normal motions of getting your vehicle repaired or replaced and possibly getting medical stuff done. It’s crazy, and then there is the possibility of a rate raise for an at fault car insurance claim. Here are some tips to get through it.

• One thing that you might be hung up on is the the police report filed a the scene of the accident says that it was your fault that it happened. However, that does not mean it is the gospel truth. Your car insurance company will investigate the accident on its own, and their results might be different.
• Simple and sweet accidents aren’t going to have that much of an effect on your car insurance rates, even if they do get reported. The ones that you need to worry about are the ones with lots of damages and possible injuries.
• For your first at fault accident, most companies will let it slide without an increase in your car insurance rates. For the second, look out.
• If you rack up several at fault accident over couple of years, you might not be able to get your car insurance policy renewed.
• If your rate does go up, remember that you have the right to a decrease a couple of years after the accident.
• From the get go you need to know how your car insurance company does with first time at fault accidents. Many have accident forgiveness programs, and for some of them you might have to pay a few bucks extra for it.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.