Leading Up to Your Accident Claim...

A lot of things lead up to your accident claim. Some are obvious, but you might never have thought of others.

First and foremost is your health. Once you've made sure you're ok, you'll want to concentrate on documenting everything and keeping things organized. As we’ve said before, and will say again, making notes on your accident is very important.

The next thing to do with your accident claim is: nothing. Or at least, do as little as possible. Chances are that after your accident you'll be angry, shaken and otherwise distracted. This isn't the frame of mind you want to be in when dealing with any part of your claim.

However, as soon as you can, make some initial notes on the accident. Even a brief outline of things you remember will do. Later, when your mind clears, fill in the details of your original notes. You'll probably remember other important things as you read through your notes.

By this time you should've contacted your own insurance company about the accident. And you should also be thinking about your actual accident claim.

Who's at fault? Where will you make your claim? There may be several potentially liable parties. And you'll need to write a letter of notification to each parties' insurance company.

This notification letter will not limit, or lock you into, any specific claim. It merely tells them an accident has happened and, at a later time, you may make a settlement demand. This is important because you don’t want them to be blindsided later when you do make your claim.

You don’t need to give out any details on the accident. Your letter should just let them know who you are, a general accident location and that you were injured. Be sure to also request a return letter confirming that your notification letter was received. It's also important to date your notification letters and to make copies for yourself.

When you don’t have the insurance company information for sending your notification letters, send it directly to the parties involved in the accident. Ask them to redirect your letter to their insurer. You should also ask for the name and address of their insurance company.

After this, assuming that you're going ahead with your accident claim, you'll begin collecting evidence and building your case. Once you have all of that information, and all of the damages have been tabulated, you can go ahead and write your demand letters.

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