
You were involved in an accident, and you went on to file a car insurance claim. The next thoughts you will have will likely be, “how long before I can finally get my car fixed”. This question isn’t as simple as most car owners think it is because it is always dependent on where you live, who your insurer is, and what type of claim you filed for.
How long does a claim check take is what people want to find out and what the easy steps one can take when filing a car insurance claim?
How Long Does A Insurance Claim Check Take
In most states, customers or motorists are protected by laws which demands that insurers ensure that all claims are promptly and properly handled. There are specific time limits or days in some states, for example, thirty days where insurance companies have to pay out a claim.
During this thirty-day period, the insurance company will acknowledge the claim you have filed for, look into it, and finally offer you a fair settlement.
This specific time limit doesn’t work in all states, but the insurer is expected to handle a claim in a reasonable time. Below, we have three different examples of the time limit that we are talking about;
- In North Carolina, every insurance company is expected to handle a claim and make a fair settlement in about thirty days. Handling this claim actually involves denying or approving the claim, tabling a settlement offer to the insured victim, carrying out investigation, and paying out the claim. The insurance company should make a loss and calm payment within a period of ten business days once the claim is finally settled.
- California – In California, insurance companies have a forty-day time limit to either accept a claim or deny it. If the insurer needs additional time, he will notify the insured victim every thirty days of his claim status. Once both parties have settled, then you should make payment of the settlement within thirty days.
- Texas – In Texas, an insurer has fifteen days to acknowledge a claim. In this fifteen-day window, the insurance company should either deny or accept the claim, receive all the necessary paperwork. Still, the state also gives the insurance company additional forty-five days because you would notify the insured victim of the forty-five-day extended gap in writing. Finally, once a settlement offer has been agreed upon, the insurance company has five days to pay out the claim.
Every insurance company differs from the next when paying out a claim, but it is common for most insurance companies to complete the payment process within thirty days. However, this also depends on the specific claim and, for example, a personal injury claim.
It might take longer for such a claim to get resolved because it involves a victim’s health and several meetings with the doctor. In addition, you cannot easily resolve such a claim compared to that of bumper damage or scratched door.
Before making up your mind on any insurance policy, make sure you ask the insurance company about its payment window, and this is because most insurance companies also keep such records.
How To File A Car Insurance Claim
Once you are involved in a car accident, you should take the first step to ensure that everyone else involved in the accident is okay. It is also common for the police to arrive at the scene to make interrogations and make statements.
Even if you do not call the police, it is still okay for you to file a police report at the police station. Here is information you can exchange with the other driver involved in the accident;
- Drivers insurance company and insurance policy
- Drivers full name and contact address
You can also go ahead to get the names of phone numbers of witnesses because your insurance company might want to get useful information from them. You should take photos of the accident scene and that of the damaged vehicles as well, and these photos are beneficial because through them, insurance companies can tell you who is at fault for the accident.
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