Sometimes the attorney for a person that has become the victim of an accident-caused injury will urge that client to refrain from rushing to file a claim. Still, it does not make sense to delay that process for a long time. During that delay, valuable documents might get lost.
What an insurance company must do after a claim has been filed.
That insurance company has 30 days in which to settle the claim. Alternatively, it can send the claimant a notice, saying that it needs more time for investigating the specific facts that are associated with a particular claim.
An insurance company must contact a claimant 10 days after a claim has been filed. That contact must be made no more than 7 days after the claim’s filing, if the insurer plans to send an adjuster, in order to inspect a damaged vehicle.
Situations in which it is alright to avoid filing a claim:
You are driving the car when you hit an object other than another vehicle. You note that the amount of damage is not very great. If repairs for that damage would not cost more than $1,000, then you should not feel obligated to file a claim. Of course, you must plan to cover the repair costs on your own.
You hit another car and do just a slight amount of damage. You have the right to ask that the other driver not file a claim, but you should offer an assurance that you are ready to cover the cost of the repairs. Follow that offer of assurance with an offer to follow the driver of the damaged vehicle to the repair shop. Naturally, you must provide that same driver with the information on your automobile insurance.
Suppose that you get hit, and then the other driver asks you not to file a claim. What should you do? The other driver must provide you with the name of his or her car insurance company, along with the policy number. You must provide the other driver with the same sort of information.
The other driver might offer an assurance that he or she will pay for any needed repairs. If the other driver has not offered such an assurance, then you have slight reason to go along with the request that you refrain from contacting your insurance company. Personal Injury Lawyer in Cambridge is of the view that you need to feel free to go ahead and to contact your insurance company.
Plan then to get a call from the other driver’s insurance company. Do not be surprised if you find that the other driver has suggested that you were responsible for the accident. Do not hesitate to dispute that claim. Ideally, you can add some detail that confirms your statement.
