How to report an accident to the insurance company: understand!

Have you already purchased car insurance, but still have questions about how to make a claim if you are involved in a collision? Read this article and find out how to make a claim if you crash into a car.

Having a car and not having car insurance is practically crazy these days, however, even if you have this service you may end up encountering difficulties at certain times.

Among these difficulties, the most common are doubts about how to activate insurance if you crash into a car.

After all, no matter how much guidance the insured receives at the time of contracting, at the time of the claim there is an emotional tension that can end up making things more complicated.

To help in these situations, we have prepared an article explaining, step by step, simple and easy to remember, how to proceed in the event of a vehicle collision.

This way, if you get into a car accident and damage your vehicle or someone else's, you won't be left stranded.

Image: Getty Images

What to do in a vehicle collision?

The first thing you need to do when you are involved in a car crash is to stay calm and check to see if you or anyone else has been injured.

If there are any injuries, call for medical help as soon as possible and, if the person is very injured, do not touch them.

If there are no injuries, at least seriously, check whether the vehicles are in a condition to be removed from the path and do so.

If it is not possible to move it from its place, it is essential that you signal the accident area with the triangle and keep the hazard lights on.

Once this is done, the next step will be to establish peaceful communication with the other driver involved in the collision and begin taking steps to resolve the situation.

Try to reach an agreement on who was responsible for the collision, see how serious the damage was, whether you both have car insurance and who will claim it.

If you are responsible, or it is decided that you will activate the insurance, start the procedures to do so.

If you notice that the damage to the vehicles was not serious, try to resolve the repairs with the other driver privately.

It is often cheaper to pay for the repair privately at a garage than to use insurance and pay the deductible.

However, if you think the damage will cost a lot to repair, it is best to take out insurance.

Unlike the previous case, in this situation it is essential to contact the responsible authorities and file a police report, even before contacting the insurance company.

It is very important that all people involved in the collision file a police report, telling their part of what happened, so that the police officer can describe the accident in detail.

After that, those involved will need to sign the police report, showing that they agree with what was detailed in the document.

If you are responsible for the collision, you will need this report to activate your insurance coverage.

After registering the police report, get all the contact details of the people involved, and if possible, some witnesses who were present at the time of the crash.

You will need this information, in addition to the police report and the vehicle repair estimate, to activate the insurance.

Activating insurance in the event of a collision

Now that the first steps have been taken, it is time to activate the insurance to request the necessary repairs.

This can be done through your insurance company's call center, the company's website, email, or in some cases, a mobile app.

You will find all the contact details for the insurer in your insurance policy or on your policyholder card.

When contacting the insurance company, have your policy number and personal documents such as driver's license, car registration, etc. to hand. These details will be requested.

Report the accident, providing all the information collected, the police report number, the contact details of witnesses and photos of the accident, if you took any, and the repair quote.

It may be that, even after receiving this last piece of information, the insurance company will ask you to provide a quote for repairs in one or more workshops accredited by it.

Don't be surprised, this is a common procedure for insurance companies.

Once this is done, a claim number will be generated and you will be informed of the waiting period for the insurer to analyze the open claim and approve or deny the necessary repairs.

Documents required to open a claim

The request for documents necessary to open a claim may vary from one insurance company to another, however, in general the documents requested are:

In cases of partial loss claims – where there is the possibility of repairs

• O. of the Civil Police (if there is a victim);
• O. of the Military Police (when necessary);
• CNH – National Driver’s License;
• DUT – Single Transfer Document.

In cases of total loss – where the value of repairs is equal to or greater than 75% of the vehicle's purchase value, according to the FIPE table:

• O. of the Civil Police (in an accident with a victim);
• O. of the Military Police;
• CNH – National Driver’s License;
• Proof of residence;
• CPF and ID;
• DUT – Single Transfer Document;
• Copy of the last installment paid for alienated vehicles – purchased through a consortium.

Insurance company claims analysis

After following all the steps so far, you will need to wait.

The insurance company will have a period of time to analyze the documentation provided and carry out a technical inspection on the vehicles to be repaired, if you have also damaged the other vehicle and have third-party coverage.

This technical analysis will mainly evaluate three aspects, which are:

1. Confirmation of damage caused by the accident;
2. Repair forecast according to necessary repairs;
3. Analysis of the type of loss, partial loss, if the damages can still be repaired, or total loss, providing full compensation, as stipulated in the policy.

After the analysis period, the insurer will contact you to inform you whether the claim request was accepted or not.

If the answer is yes, it will be necessary to take the vehicle to a workshop, which may or may not be accredited by the insurance company, and pay the deductible.

Who chooses the workshop to carry out the repairs?

Please note that the insured is the one who chooses the workshop where the repairs are carried out.

Most insurance companies have a list of workshops that are accredited to them and therefore offer services with discounts or with guarantees of meeting the deadline.

Just choose one of them and take the vehicle to the workshop.

However, if you prefer, you can choose a workshop or mechanic you trust, even if they are not accredited with your insurance.

Generally in this case, there are no guarantees that the deadline for repairs will be met.

What to do if the insurance company does not accept the claim?

It is common to find cases in which the insurance company refused to repair the damage or even pay full compensation in total loss claims.

If this happens to you, the first step to take is to analyze the policy and see if the reason for the refusal, informed by the insurer, is included in the contract.

Check whether the cause of the loss as determined by the insurer is correct and whether it is actually covered by the insurance you have taken out.

If the answer is yes and the insurance company still refuses to pay for the repair, you will need to file a traffic lawsuit.

How does third party insurance work in the event of a claim?

If you have third party coverage on your insurance, there is nothing to worry about.

This insurance, also known as RCF-V – Optional Civil Liability for Vehicles, serves exclusively to cover damages caused to other people in accidents for which you are responsible, whether material, physical or moral.

But it is important to mention that this coverage is only valid when the insured is responsible for the accident.

In other words, for the insurance to be activated under these conditions, the insured must accept fault and this must be proven in the analysis carried out by the insurer.

It is interesting to know that, when activating third party insurance, you will not need to pay the deductible for repairs to the other vehicle.

You will only pay the deductible if you use your insurance to repair your vehicle.

We hope we have clarified all your doubts regarding a car crash and how to make a claim on insurance if you crash into a car.

But, if you still have questions, contact our team and ask for more information.