Issues with Insurance and Auto Injuries

Many issues arise following an automotive accident that results in injuries and filing a claim with an insurance company. A minor car accident can cause a lot of stress for the vehicle's driver as well as the other driver involved in the crash. A car accident that causes an injury to the driver at fault or the driver in the other car can be especially stressful. Dealing with insurance claims, the other driver's insurance company, medical bills and repair costs can be overwhelming if the motorists involved in the auto accident do not know how to handle the issues that arise with insurance companies. More than 80 percent of all injury insurance claims are car accident injury insurance claims.

Accident Tips

When an automotive accident occurs, the parties involved should follow the tips outlined below to ensure that their insurance claim does not get mixed up during the filing process.

The tips are as follows:

• Never apologize when an accident occurs, even if one of the motorists knows that the accident is their fault. Apologizing to the other motorist will show an admission of guilt.
• Do not talk a lot at the scene of the accident. Speak a little and observer a lot more. By observing what is taking place at the scene of the accident the motorist will be able to answer all of the police officer's questions.
• Keep a car accident information form in the glove box of each family member's car in the event of an accident. If and when an accident occurs, use the form to fill out everything that occurred.
• Obtain the contact information for every witness that stopped to talk to the police about the accident that occurred. A witness is a key cog to an automotive injury insurance claim.
• Take photos of the accident if at all possible. Use a normal camera or a camera on a cell phone. If someone else took pictures, obtain their contact information and request copies of the photos for records.
• Obtain as much physical evidence at the scene of the accident as possible. For instance, if a tree branch fell into the road and hit the vehicle, present it to the officer.
• Record the name of the responding officer and the method to obtain his or her accident report.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently released a study in which they estimate that over $230 billion are spent on automotive accidents each year in the United States. The Administration also estimates that the insurance companies of motorists pay half of that amount to settle auto accident claims and other auto accident related expenses. The Administration also estimates that nearly 2.2 million motorists are injured in automotive accidents each year while over 40,000 people are killed on the roads of the United States each year.

Before an Accident Occurs

Prior to an accident occurring, a motorist will pay their insurance company premiums, which will cover the cost of damages to their vehicle or to the other vehicle involved in an accident. Such issues that arise with insurance claims involving auto injuries are false injury reports, false damage reports, and false at-fault reports. People file false insurance claims quite frequently, which is why all motorists involved in an auto accident should take notes at the scene, take photos, and obtain every witnesses' contact information whether that motorist was at-fault or was the victim. By covering all the bases, the motorist will be able to protect him or herself from false claims that could cost thousands of dollars in insurance premiums. Always be weary of what occurred at the scene of an accident to cover all the bases of the motorist so that no false claims are filed against them.