How to Write an Insurance Claim Letter Following a Car Accident with Injuries
If you got hurt and believe that you are covered by your insurance provider or someone else’s, you are going to have to show to them that you are, in fact, entitled to that coverage. One thing that helps do this is an “insurance claim letter.” Essentially, this is a letter that explains to the insurance company why you believe you are entitled to coverage and includes a description of the car crash, your injuries, and why you believe the defendant is at fault.
Writing an insurance claim letter is a complicated process that is best left to legal professionals. Although there are sample and template letters available online, even a minor or silly mistake can upend the entire process and make things much more difficult than need be. Therefore, it is always better to let experienced legal counsel handle creating these documents so that it is more likely they are done correctly and your claim is successful.
For professional assistance with your insurance claim letter, call the New York car accident lawyers from The Carrion Law Firm at the number (718) 841-0083.
What Are Insurance Claim Letters?
An insurance claim letter, or “insurance demand letter,” is a formal letter you send to an insurance company explaining why you want them to provide coverage for a car accident. Depending on the circumstances, you may be in a position where you need to explain to an insurance company that their policyholder is in the wrong. This can be a tough thing to do, so it is almost always better to have our Brooklyn car accident lawyers interact with insurance companies in your stead.
Depending on the state you are in, you may be dealing with “no-fault” or “at-fault” insurance. “No-fault” insurance will provide some coverage from your own insurance policy, regardless of who is responsible for the crash. By contrast, you have to file a claim with the other driver’s policy to get them to provide coverage in “at-fault” systems.
If you are in a “no-fault” state, you will be working with your own insurance company first. That does not mean, however, that they are going to play nice. Additionally, if your injuries cost more than your insurance covers, a claim with the other driver’s insurance might still be possible to cover the rest of your damages, meaning you will need to convince them of how much your case is worth.
Should You Write Your Own Insurance Claim Letter after a Car Accident?
It is generally not advised that you write your own insurance claim letter after a car crash. True, there are forms available online that offer templates that you can work off of, but the fact of the matter is that these letters become extremely specific, extremely complicated, and extremely easy for non-legal professionals to screw up.
Because you will likely need to talk to an insurance provider that has interests opposed to yours, regardless of the state you are in, there are tons of opportunities to inadvertently hurt your claim. Insurance providers are listening very carefully to everything you say or send them. Even something as innocent sounding as “my bad” or “I could have done a better job” can be used against you to hurt your claim and try and diminish or disprove the liability of the insured in the insurance company’s eyes.
Contents of Car Accident Insurance Claim Letters
There are specific pieces of information that need to go in insurance claim letters to successfully show to insurance companies that you are entitled to coverage for your injuries. Many of the pieces of information in this letter will mirror information that you would include in a car accident lawsuit, so a demand letter may be able to form the basis of other legal claims you make later down the line.
Facts of Your Claim
Your insurance demand letter needs to include the facts of your case as you understand them. This section should explain everything that happened right before, during, and right after your car accident as if the reader has no information whatsoever. For example, the letter may start with what you were doing just before the accident – running an errand, picking someone up from school or work, and so on. It may then say what you were doing right before the accident – stopping at a stop sign, driving through an intersection, and so forth.
It is important to explain the accident as clearly as possible, and our lawyers can help you make sure that no important details are left out.
Your Damages
The insurance claim letter should also include the expenses and damages you incurred because of the accident. This can include the cost of repairing your car, the cost of any medical treatment you underwent because of your injuries, and more.
As with anything involving insurance claims and legal disputes, it is almost always better to have more information than not, so if you have extra things to support claims in your demand letter that you can show to insurance companies as supplemental information, you should have those things ready to go as well.
Your Hardships
You should also include how any injuries you sustained in your car crash affected you. For example, if you experience chronic pain brought on by injuries sustained in the car crash or if your injuries prevent you from doing recreational activities you enjoy, that information should be in your insurance claim letter. In this section, you can also include things like explaining how you deal with the effects of your injuries every day. The idea is to get the insurance company to understand how the accident has affected you.
If You Have Insurance Claim Issues, We Can Help
Contact The Carrion Law Firm’s Bronx car accident attorneys at (718) 841-0083 and we can start helping you with your case right away.