How To Settle A Car Accident Claim

How to settle a car accident claim

We’ll go over the car accident claim process with you. We’ll advise you on the settlement amount, how long it takes to settle your claim, and what you can expect. People are free to start the car accident claim process by themselves, but you have to keep in mind that the insurance company will require a lot of detailed documentation from you to file the claim initially. That means police reports, hospital and doctor reports and invoices, car repair damage bills, eyewitness accounts, and so forth. It can be a daunting task to gather all the documentation.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident and need to rest, recover, and heal before you want to get all the paperwork started in filing a car accident claim, don’t wait too long. Instead, call a car accident attorney in Las Vegas who is your advocate handling all the paperwork for you. Not only will an attorney handle the claim details, but they will negotiate on your behalf for the highest amounts possible from the insurance company.

How soon should I file a claim after an accident?

There is no specific deadline to file a car insurance claim right after an accident. It depends on the time limit of your insurance company. It can be in the 30 to 60-day limit, but it usually states in the policy you should file within a reasonable amount of time. The insurance company needs plenty of time to investigate the accident to determine who was at fault.

Note: A car accident claim does not have the same deadline as a car accident lawsuit.

What happens after you file your car insurance claim?

First party claim

Contacting your insurance company after a car accident is usually one of the first things you do, thinking they will handle everything in your best interest. This is called a first-party claim. They will assign a claims adjuster to your case to get it resolved. It’s possible they may not resolve the claim to your satisfaction, in which case you should contact a car accident claim lawyer to work with you.

Third-party claim

You will contact the other insurance company when you know the accident wasn’t your fault and want the guilty party’s insurance company to pay you for all the damages involved. However, working with you or paying you fairly is not in their best interest. They may even try to assign you all or part of the accident claim. It can be tricky. Your best bet is to hire a car accident claim lawyer to handle the communication for you. This is where an experienced attorney can negotiate for you, saving you the trouble of talking with an insurance adjuster directly.

Negotiating a car accident settlement

Oftentimes, an insurance company will want to settle with you as soon as they know about the accident. They do this because it works in their favor to offer you a low amount upfront. They may cite that you only had minor injuries, or there was less damage than you claimed, etc., and just want you to take their offer. This can become problematic for you if you take the first settlement offer because you may still experience medical issues down the road for which they haven’t accounted for. Or you haven’t yet given them all the documentation, and they know that gathering evidential paperwork can be tedious, so they’ll want to give you a low amount upfront, absolving them of any future payments to you. 

Another issue we’ve seen in car accident claims is that the insurance companies will not want to pay out higher than the limits even though you incurred expenses from all the damages. At that point, you can file a car accident lawsuit to negotiate a settlement or go to trial. This may spur them to realize settling for a higher amount is better than going through a lengthy court process.

How long does a car accident claim take to settle?

Generally, it can take around three months to settle a claim in Nevada. A claimant should expect to allow up to 90 days for an insurance company to reach the settlement point of payout. However, it depends on the complexity of the case and the phases. It will also depend on the backlog of caseloads the insurance company already has in the pipeline. In the meantime, we understand you have bills to pay and losing income from time off work if you’re injured. Thus, we will do everything possible to speed up the process without compromising the detailed work needed to present a thoroughly vetted claim. 

Can you claim a car accident without a police report?

Nevada law requires a person to file a police report even if the at-fault driver has run off. It’s in your best interest to call the police immediately after an accident so they can process an accident report. That report determines how much your car accident claim is worth because it will show all the details at the scene. A police officer on the scene can also call for first responder aid and help bring order to what could otherwise be a chaotic scene. If you were involved in a downtown Las Vegas car wreck, you can get a copy of the accident police report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

That said, no law prevents you from filing a car accident claim without a police report. However, a claim without a police report will not sit well with the insurance companies, and you may not be able to get the just and fair compensation you deserve.

Get help from experienced car accident claim lawyers

If you’re still in doubt as to whether to call a Las Vegas car accident lawyer to handle your car accident claim, we want to assure you we have the knowledge and experience in all facets of the process. Our personal injury attorneys specialize in other areas as well and are noted Las Vegas slip-and-fall attorneys. You can rely on us for our skill in managing insurance claims.