Car Insurance Claims

Here it is, Friday night, and you and your significant other decide to take in the new Rambo movie now showing at the Movie-Plus Theater on the east side of town. You find what appears to be a safe place to park your new car and the parking space is even below a well lit streetlight. The two of you lock up the car and take a short stroll to the theater to watch the show.

A few hours later you return to the spot where you left your car only to discover it is no longer there. The loss of your vehicle can be an extremely upsetting and traumatic experience. I would like to take a few moments to let you know what you should do to validate you auto insurance claim in the event that you find yourself in this unfortunate situation.

In the chance that your car is stolen, your first act should be to contact the police and fill out a stolen vehicle police report. It is important to realize that a car insurance claim can not be processed for your vehicle theft unless a report is filed with the police department first.

After you have properly contacted the authorities and filed your police report, then you should immediately notify your car insurance claim office. You will want to report the theft even if you are not currently carrying comprehensive insurance coverage on your car. By notifying your car insurance claim agent of your recent vehicle theft, you could be protecting yourself in the event the thief causes any sort of damage to others while they are driving your car.

At the time that you contact your agent to file your car insurance claim, have the listed information below with you for ready reference:

  • You should have any paperwork relating to the Certificate of Title on the vehicle or the loan paperwork if it is not currently paid off.
  • They may ask you the location of any key for the car both prior to and after the occurrence of the theft when filing out the car insurance claim.
  • Any names and the contact information relating to those who may have had access to your vehicle.
  • A complete description of the stolen vehicle and the mileage, the installed options, and possibly even the service records for that car. If you have any sort of receipts involving upgrades and maintenance have them readily available.
  • They may inquire as to any person property that was in the vehicle at the time it was stolen. The exact coverage involved for any personal items tend to vary from one state to the next.
  • If you have it you should provide any finance company contact names as well as your account number.

Next, if your car is financed, you should report your stolen car to your financing company. In order to expedite the claim procedure, it is usually better to have the finance company deal directly with your car insurance claim agent.

Should your vehicle be recovered by the police department, make sure that you notify your car insurance claim adjuster immediately.

If you did not purchase the comprehensive policy coverage, find out if you can still be covered for the expense of a rental car and, above all, cooperate fully with your law enforcement personnel to recover your automobile and to find the people responsible for the crime.

An interesting side note is that the US vehicle theft rate has been declining recently. It has gone from 2.89 percent in 1999 to 1.83 percent in 2004. Your car insurance claim agent can be of great help to you should you find yourself in this situation. However, if you find that your car insurance claim representative, as well as his or her management is not willing to discuss any of this information with you, feel free to call upon a reputable car attorney or motorcycle lawyer today. They will ensure that you are treated fairly in this stressful situation.

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