Car accidents can be prevented but not absolutely. Anything can happen, once you are out there sharing the same road with other drivers. No matter how careful you are when driving, some things are truly beyond your control. In other words, being on the road exposes you to a lot of risks. Your car could be damaged, you could be injured or worse could suffer from a fatal accident. Being in a car accident can be such a traumatic experience. It leaves you not just injured physically. It will also have you completely shaken both mentally and psychologically. Not to mention the shock of knowing that your car is also heavily damaged. This may not be a huge issue if you know that your car is insured. However, not all compensation claims are granted. There are times when car accident compensation claims are rejected for some reason. What will you do if you are in the same situation? The following tips will prove to be helpful.
Know The Reason For Rejection
Once you’re told that your claim has been rejected the immediate reply would be “Why?”. It is only when you know the reason for rejecting your compensation claim that you will be able to know the next best thing to do. There are many reasons why a car accident compensation claim is rejected. Some of these include unlicensed or unspecified drivers on your policy, not up to date premiums, using the wrong vehicle for road conditions, and reckless driving. These are just a few of the many possible reasons why a car accident compensation claim gets rejected.
Consider Hiring A Lawyer
If the insurance company rejects your compensation claim they would consider it as a success on their part. This is true if you do not do anything to fight back. Therefore, you need to hire a car accident lawyer who will thoroughly review your case. Keep in mind that insurance companies will only reconsider their decision if new facts and new evidence are provided. They will also reconsider it if you present a new legal theory which would convince them to have a second look on your case. Don’t just let them close out your case. Otherwise they will also just wait for the statute of limitations to run. The insurance company would believe that you find the whole process too complicated and challenging so you don’t fight back anymore. You should fight back with the help of a lawyer who is experienced in this field to increase your chances of recovering what you have lost in the car accident.
Learn About Your Insurance Policy’s Terms And Conditions
Take the time to review your insurance policy’s terms and conditions. Read about any exclusions and see if there are drivers who are not covered by your insurance policy. You need to check the details that have been stipulated in your insurance policy. This will help you determine if the facts presented there match with the reason for rejecting your claim. Check every detail if it is accurately written. Write down on a separate paper the exact words written on the policy that indicates you are covered. Note it down even if the words are a bit vague or ambiguous for you. Your insurance provider has the duty to thoroughly explain these statements to you.
Get In Touch With Your Insurance Company
You may contact your insurance company’s complaints handlers. You may also write a formal letter of complaint and address it to the staff who takes charge of complaints. Generally, the contact details of the complaint handlers are written in the complaints procedure. This can be found in the company’s website or you may ask them via their customer service. You may check out the internet for steps on how to craft a formal letter of complaint.
Seek Independent Assessment
An independent assessment would be helpful especially if the insurer rejected your claim saying that damage to your car was caused by wear and tear. If you want to insist that it is not the case then an independent assessment should be warranted. Find a reliable loss assessor who will look into the damage that your car has. The loss assessor will give you a report about their findings. But, you will be the one who will send this report to your insurance company as proof that it was accidental damage. Be prepared to pay the loss assessor a certain amount of fee for representing you. Be careful not to confuse the loss assessor with the loss adjuster because the latter also works in your insurance company. An independent loss assessor is helpful in providing unbiased assessment of the damage that occurred to your car.
Escalate The Issue To The Ombudsman
You may escalate the issue to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the insurance company still rejects your claim despite providing reliable evidence. Note that you can only proceed with this step soon after your insurer sends you their “final response”. You may also escalate the issue to the Ombudsman if your insurance company fails to send you a response after eight weeks. The Financial Ombudsman’s office provides free services to people who have complaints about a financial institution. If you forward your complaint to their office they will look into the matter objectively. They will look at the issue on both sides by looking at the documentation and the facts presented. They will then release a fair judgment based on the facts presented and common sense. The Ombudsman’s office has the power to ask the insurance company to apologise, explain their actions and grant your car accident compensation claim.
If you ask for help from a lawyer who specializes in car accident compensation claims you have greater chances of being successful. Do not leave plenty of money on the table by being content with the insurance company’s decision. If you are lucky to find a good lawyer chances are also high that you will be compensated even for the non-economic damages. These non-economic damages are subjective by nature but a good lawyer sees to it that everything is valued properly.
