Car Insurance Coverage for Pets in Car Accidents

Pets ride in cars all the time, but what if they’re injured in a car accident? Whose car insurance company pays to treat their injuries? The answer depends on the cause of the accident.

Riding in cars can be dangerous for pets (as well as distracting to the driver), especially because they ride without the benefit of seat belts. If someone crashes into you and causes injuries to your pet, you’re entitled to make a “third-party claim” with their car insurance company for your pet’s medical bills. That’s because their liability car insurance policy must put you “back where you were” before the accident.

If you are at-fault in a car accident in which your pet is injured, you’ll want to check your car insurance policy for exclusions. Say you crash into another car or a fence: Collision insurance pays for the repairs to your own vehicle. But you may have an exclusion on your collision insurance coverage for damage to personal property that you are transporting, whether it’s your antique vase or your pet. If your car insurance policy has such exclusions, you won’t have a valid claim. For example, State Farm says that its policies don’t provide coverage for pet injuries. Car insurance coverage may vary depending on the car insurance company, so be sure to carefully check your policy.
In this scenario, if you don’t carry collision coverage at all, you must pay for all damage from the accident, including your car and pet.

Auto Life Insurance building


Image by regional.modernism
Curtis and Davis, 1963
4140 Canal Street
29.974985 -90.101417
Colm Kennedy

Auto Insurance Faqs: Accidents Happen

With over 6 million auto accidents per year in the United States alone, there’s a good chance that you or someone close to you will be involved in an auto accident at some point. Having auto insurance is a great way to be prepared for an auto accident. When shopping for auto insurance, it’s important to look at auto insurance rates and quotes and do some comparing. Knowing how to proceed in the event of an auto accident can save you time, money, and headaches, especially if your car is damaged.

Q: What should I do if I’ve just had an auto accident?

A: Assuming there are no injuries, here’s a checklist of how to proceed:

1.Call 911 to report the auto accident. You’ll want a copy of a police report for any future claim, especially if the accident was not your fault. If the damage is minor and the other driver wants to negotiate a settlement on the spot, be wary: You could have unseen damage. 2.Don’t bother engaging the other driver in an argument about who was at fault – the police will handle that. 3.Write down the other driver’s name and insurance information. 4.If you have a camera in your car, get some shots of the damage and general accident scene. 5When you get home, call your auto insurance company to report the accident if there will be a claim on your policy. If the other driver was at fault and you don’t live in a “no-fault” state, contact their auto insurance company to start the claims process.

Whether

Nobody in this world in his fair senses would wish an accident upon himself. However hard we may try or how much ever careful we may drive, we all still end up being involved in an accident at some point of time in our life. They can be really stressful and with the resulting physical and vehicular harm, the overall situation can get very stressful. Having auto insurance in place can take out a significant amount of stress from the whole situation. At least you won’t have to worry about the hefty auto repair bills.

Whenever you meet with an accident, the primary matter to focus upon must be the well being of the passengers. Once the passengers are taken care of, you must report the incident to the police, to get further assistance in the matter of claiming the damages.

Thereafter, get in touch with the auto insurance people, who’ll send their executive to assess the whole situation and help you to file a claim. There’ll be a great number of forms that’ll need to be filled, however, if you submit your claim immediately after the accident, the whole procedure can be expedited considerably.

Prior to approaching the auto insurance people, you must do a self-assessment of the true worth of your vehicle, considering its age, model and efficiency. This will help you well in discussing the matter with them and filing an appropriate amount of claim with the auto insurance executive.

In the event that your vehicle has been damaged beyond point of repair, you can claim the true value of the vehicle and not the amount you have got financed on it. Hence, if the vehicle is over financed, you may owe far more than the true worth of the vehicle.

On the contrary, if you’d like to retain the damaged vehicle and prefer to get it repaired, you can do that as well. But, in that case, you might not be able to claim the complete covered amount on the vehicle. This is plainly due to the reason that it holds no value in its present condition other than it’s actual salvage value.

It is recommended that you don’t admit any fault while filing any auto insurance claims since you may not be at fault in the eyes of the law, in spite of your thinking otherwise. The most feasible way is to put your case in front of the concerned authorities and let them come to an independent professional decision. In all likelihood, the auto insurance company will deploy a specialized claims representative to carry out a comprehensive investigation into your claim. You must also approach the other party to obtain more information, regardless of who was at fault.

Please note that you must have your auto insurance policy number handy while filing your claim. In case the other party too is insured, their name, phone numbers and residential addresses may also be required. Also mention their vehicles make, year and license plate number. Adding the names of any witnesses with their signature will make your case even stronger.

With over 6 million auto accidents per year in the United States alone, there’s a good chance that you or someone close to you will be involved in an auto accident at some point. Having auto insurance is a great way to be prepared for an auto accident. When shopping for auto insurance, it’s important to look at auto insurance rates and quotes and do some comparing. Knowing how to proceed in the event of an auto accident can save you time, money, and headaches, especially if your car is damaged.

Q: What should I do if I’ve just had an auto accident?

A: Assuming there are no injuries, here’s a checklist of how to proceed:

1.Call 911 to report the auto accident. You’ll want a copy of a police report for any future claim, especially if the accident was not your fault. If the damage is minor and the other driver wants to negotiate a settlement on the spot, be wary: You could have unseen damage. 2.Don’t bother engaging the other driver in an argument about who was at fault – the police will handle that. 3.Write down the other driver’s name and insurance information. 4.If you have a camera in your car, get some shots of the damage and general accident scene. 5When you get home, call your auto insurance company to report the accident if there will be a claim on your policy. If the other driver was at fault and you don’t live in a “no-fault” state, contact their auto insurance company to start the claims process.

Whether the car damage is minor or extensive, your main goal is to get enough information in order to protect your best interests later. And remember that honesty is the best policy in reporting the circumstances of the auto accident.

Q: What coverage pays for damage to my car?

A: If you’re at fault in an auto accident (whether you’ve crashed into someone else or into a fence), you’ll need collision coverage if you want your repairs covered. If you don’t have collision coverage, you’ll need to pay for repairs out of your own pocket. Some drivers drop collision coverage when their cars get older because the potential cost of fixing them is more than the value of the cars.

If someone else crashes into you, their liability auto insurance must pay for repairs to your vehicle. This is called a “third-party” claim because you’re making a claim on their auto insurance company.

If you live in a “no-fault” state, you always make a claim on your own policy no matter who is at fault.

Q: Do I have to use my auto insurer’s body shop for repairs?

A: No, you can never be forced to use a repair shop that your auto insurance company designates. However, you may find it’s more convenient to do so. Many auto insurance companies have customer service programs that streamline your claim process by handling paperwork and your rental car from the repair shop and fully guaranteeing the work.

You can never be too prepared when it comes to an auto accident. Hopefully, these FAQ’s have given you some helpful advice and information if you or someone you know has to face this situation in the near future. Auto insurance companies are there to help you sort through the car damage and remove some of the headaches and worries for you. Auto accidents aren’t something that we like to think about, but thinking ahead will help you and your auto rates in the long run.