If you’ve had your insurance claim rejected by your company, you must be pretty mad and quite confused. After all, it’s enough that you got into a car accident in the first place. But, unfortunately, in this world, it’s only about money, policies, and contracts. That’s why, at some point, you’ll have to comply. We’re here to explain why a claim could be refused and what you can do about it. So, take a breath, calm down and read on. You’ll find all the answers you’re looking for in this article. We guarantee it.
Why Was Your Claim Denied?
Before you start freaking out and taking a series of random and pointless decisions, you need to take a moment and find out why was your claim denied in the first place. By doing that, you’ll be able to know what exactly it is that you need to fix before appealing the denial. One thing you have to be aware of is that there are a lot of reasons that could ultimately lead to your claim being rejected. Most popularly, we have these:
If soon after the accident, you weren’t able to contact your insurance company in time, the company has every legal right to refuse your claim, and for a good reason. Waiting for a while before reporting an accident would mean that the evidence might have been affected. As a result, an insurance investigator won’t be able to accurately investigate their case. That’s enough reason for a company to refuse a claim.
We’re your insurance premiums paid at the time of the accident? Despite it being an obvious cause for rejection, it often manages to go unnoticed. Of course, if you don’t pay your coverage fees, there’s no need to explain why a company won’t reimburse you for any damages.
Before you purchase coverage, it’s essential that you carefully go over your contract line by line because every policy has exceptions and conditions that they don’t cover. Some won’t cover the personal belongings inside a car. Others won’t reimburse you for any unlisted passengers in your car, and so on. The point is that if you file for a claim because of something that lies outside policy bounds, you will get denied.
When applying for coverage, you must be as accurate as possible when picking a policy, and when reporting an accident. We all know how literal legal affairs can be, and more often than not, simple inaccuracies can be used as loopholes by insurance companies. So, make sure that you don’t provide any faulty information in your accident reports. If you’re not sure what happened, say so, but don’t try to fill the blanks from your imagination. Anything viewed as false information might cause your insurance company to deny your claim.
What Should You Do?
If you were told that your accident was not covered by your policy, you should probably go back and take a second look at your contract. If you are, in fact, in violation, it’s better to stop fighting and save your time and money. However, it’s not always guaranteed that you’ll be at fault. Some contracts are vaguely worded just enough for your appeal to get accepted, but this depends on how good your lawyer is.
We understand that crashing your vehicle can be quite a traumatic event, mentally as well as physically. However, time is always of the essence when it comes to these things, as it is important for the insurance company to note the immediate aftermath of a situation. The more you wait, the more difficult it would be to recall the events of an incident, and the more difficult it would be to find witnesses who can provide accurate accounts. So, it’s better to contact your insurance provider as soon as you possibly can.
Again, moments after getting your car hit, you’re going to find it extremely hard to focus on things like getting witness accounts, taking pictures of your car and the scene in general, and just overall documenting what happened. Yet, to get your claim accepted, you need to have sufficient proof of what happened because, if the company isn’t convinced, they won’t reimburse you. If your claim has already been denied, what you should do is gather enough proof and file an appeal. The more details you have covered, then the better your chances are of getting reimbursed.
Some people, especially those living in areas like Oklahoma, where car accidents are quite common, hire a lawyer right after getting their claims denied. It’s an attempt to seek help when appealing to their claim. Not to mention that expert attorney Doug Terry, when talking about why some get their car insurance claim denied, states that it could simply be due to unjust treatment by an auto insurance provider. In other words, if you’re going to appeal, it’s better to have a lawyer by your side so they can help you build a strong, infallible claim.
Your state’s Department of Insurance can act as a last resort for when you’ve tried everything but to no avail. All you need to do is ask your insurance company for a letter that explains why does your claim keeps getting denied, then contact the department and file a formal complaint. They should help you get everything in order.
As you can see, getting your claim denied, while being a disheveling and unpleasant experience, it is not such a tough thing to get over. As long as you’re acting within your rights, you’re bound to get the reimbursement you deserve. Next time, though, gather as much information as possible right after the accident and then contact your providers. This will help you avoid all the unnecessary hassle of having your case rejected. And remember, if you feel like you won’t be able to handle it, just hire an attorney. They do this for a living.
