Steps to Claim Car Insurance After Meeting an Accident in India

Accidents are always unfortunate. Nobody expects or wants one, yet they’re inevitable – can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere – like on the road. You may be driving your car with extreme caution but before you realize it, someone takes a wrong turn or comes speeding from behind and gives you a hit. Your car bears the maximum effect of the accident. But you have one good thing to be thankful for at that moment – your wise decision to have bought car insurance online at the time of purchasing your vehicle.

Yes, this is one of the wisest decisions to make if you’re a car owner. It helps you stay prepared (even when it isn’t always possible) to meet unexpected emergencies like car accidents. You can easily claim car insurance from your insurance provider to help cover the huge expense involved in car repair. 

This post details the exact steps to claim car insurance online if you’re ever a part of an unfortunate car accident. PayBima helps support you financially at this time by offering car insurance services online.

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How to Make a Car Insurance Claim in India After a Car Accident?

Just follow these simple steps and you can easily get your damages reimbursed by your insurer:

  • Inform your insurer at once – The very first step to follow after you’ve had a car accident is to phone up your insurance company with which you’ve taken a car insurance policy. Let them know of the unfortunate incident. The claim settlement duration provided by insurers is generally 7 days. This means that you should ideally inform the insurance company within a week of the accident.
  • Inform the police – It might sound scary to involve the police in this matter; however, it is obligatory by law in case you wish to claim your car insurance. Intimating the police is also necessary in case of car theft, fire accident, or even damage to a third-party person or vehicle. As such, in case of a car accident, you’d be required to file an FIR immediately at the nearest police station. 

Note: FIR may not really be necessary in case of minor scratch or dent on the car; only in case of heavy damage during the accident.

  • Take pictures for proof – Your car insurance company would require valid proof of the accident before you can proceed with making a claim. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take relevant photographs to help your case – pictures of the accident site, damages to the vehicle, any physical injuries, if applicable, etc. These would serve as proof during your claim-settlement process.
  • Furnish relevant documents to the insurance provider – The next step in filing your claim for car insurance online is to submit certain specific documents as required by your insurer. Check with the company on what documents they would need to start the claim-settlement process. You may be required to submit photocopies of important documents such as your car driving license, registration certificate of the vehicle, copy of the FIR filed, etc.
  • Coordinate with a surveyor sent by the insurer – Before your insurance company can begin proceedings to settle your claim, they would like to perform a thorough check of the damage caused. For this reason, they might want to send a representative to survey the accident site and vehicle damage. The inspection might be carried within a day or two of filing the car insurance claim online.
  • Get your car repaired – This is the last and final step in the car insurance claim process. You can go ahead with getting your car fixed and then proceed with claim settlement. There are generally two ways of going about settling the claim for car insurance. 
  • Cashless Claim Procedure: In this case, your insurer will bear the entire cost of car repair. The company might ask you to get the car repaired at one of the garages under the coverage network of the insurance provider and you wouldn’t be required to bear any expenses, barring the deductibles.
  • Reimbursement Claim Procedure: In this case, the policyholder may be required to bear the cost of car repair on their own but can get all expenses reimbursed from the insurer later. You would however need to submit all original relevant documents such as the bill and receipt, along with photographs of accident details and medical reports (in case of physical injury) to the insurer. Also, you’re free to get the car fixed at a garage of your choice. 

Car accidents can be stressful but getting a car insurance policy does bring a sigh of relief to the affected party. PayBima offers car insurance online at good premium rates for both cashless and reimbursement claims. Visit the website for more details. 

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