With the many accidents happening every minute of every day, it is possible that one of those accidents could involve you. Knowing the process and length of time for filing an auto insurance claim is important to understand. After recording all the accident information, along with the damage to vehicles and persons with the police, it is most imperative that you first get as much information about the other driver involved. Try to get as much information as possible, like a copy of the police report, even if your insurance company says they will get a copy faxed to them. You always should get a personal copy for your own records. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible and most have a 24 hour claim telephone number.

When the other party is responsible for the accident you should let the other driver’s insurance know you intend to file a claim and seek reimbursement for whatever applies to your accident, like collision insurance deductibles, diminished resale value, time off work, auto rental, and personal injury. At this point in time there is no amount of time by law that an auto claim has to be settled in. Most auto insurance companies try to have auto adjusters settle claims in thirty days because that is how long rental car companies give them a quoted deal on the cars rented. Once all the requested documents reach the adjuster they will negotiate a settlement for your claim.

Finding fault depends on the amount of evidence, if there are any witnesses that saw the accident, if there are any photos taken of the accident that show the cars upon impact, and the police report can all affect the determination of fault. The best way to speed up process for proving fault on the other driver, is keeping the Auto insurance claim phone number in the car, and keeping a disposable camera in your car for taking photographs of an accident. That may seem like you are too prepared, or even expecting an accident, but those things could really help you in the long run. Get all of the information about the other driver and their insurance, have two to three witnesses that can and will later testify to how the accident happened, and make sure you get a copy of the police report.