then what should you expect if you find yourself dealing with GEICO after a car accident ? here ’ s some basic information to help you know what to expect .
Opening a Claim with GEICO
GEICO has an slowly to use feature on its web site that allows you to open a claim on-line. The on-line claims feature is open to anybody who is involved in an accident with a GEICO policyholder. You can besides call GEICO ’ randomness claims earphone count at 1-800-861-8380 .
Whether you open the claim on-line or on the phone, you will be asked a series of questions about your car accident. If you do not know all the answers, do not worry. The claims representative just wants to know the information you have. After your call is set up you will be given a claim number. This claim number will be used whenever you call to check on your title or discuss it. You can besides use the claim number to monitor the condition of your claim on-line.
GEICO’s Investigation of Your Claim
GEICO ’ s probe of your claim will start vitamin a soon as the claim is opened. One of the most important questions GEICO will want to answer is who was at fault for causing the accident. To determine indebtedness, GEICO will get a copy of the police report to see what the responding patrol officeholder ’ sulfur investigation revealed, whether any citations were issued, and whether any witnesses were interviewed. The GEICO adjuster may besides interview witnesses .
After it has completed its investigation, GEICO will determine who was at fault. It may determine that two or more drivers were at demerit and assign percentages of fault. If you were one of the drivers, it may determine you were at least partially to blame. Under Georgia police, an hurt person can recover damages for an accident angstrom long as he or she is less than 50 % at fault. If the hurt person was 50 % or more to blame then the hurt person can not recover damages. This is known as comparative demerit. GEICO may use its relative fault determination to reduce what it has to pay you for your property price or bodily injury claim .
If you are dealing with GEICO as the early driver ’ s insurance company, please remember that you should never give a read instruction to the early driver ’ s policy company. GEICO will try to use any record argument you give to get you to say something it can belated hold against you. however, if you are the one with GEICO, you may need to give a record statement because your indemnity policy probable says you have a duty to cooperate with your indemnity company .
Property Damage Claims with GEICO
One of the first steps after your claim is opened with GEICO will be to get your property damage taken caution of. Whether your cable car is repairable or totaled, you will need a rental cable car while your regular vehicle is unavailable. Your own insurance policy, whether it was with GEICO or some other insurance company, may have rental car coverage that pays for your rental car while your vehicle is being repaired. Regardless of what your coverage is, the other driver ’ mho indemnity should be creditworthy for paying for your lease car if he or she was creditworthy for causing the accident .
After GEICO assesses the damage to your fomite it will determine whether it can be fixed or whether it needs to be totaled. Your vehicle may end up being totaled if the cost to repair it, plus the cost of paying for your rental car and your atrophied prize claim, is close up to or more than the measure GEICO could pay equitable to replace it .
If your vehicle is repaired then you may be entitled to diminished value. A decrease value claim is based on the fact that your cable car is generally worth less if it is damaged in an accident. The measure of a atrophied value claim depends on a number of factors, including the make and model of the car, its condition, the cable car ’ south mileage, and the measure of wrong.
Personal Injury Claims with GEICO
A personal injury claim with GEICO should not be handled entirely. You need a personal injury lawyer if you are injured in a car accident, whether you are dealing with GEICO or some early insurance company. policy companies are not in the occupation of looking out for hurt people ’ randomness interests and paying the full respect on their claims. To the contrary, indemnity companies will do everything they can to pay you less than what you are entitled to receive. GEICO is no different .
Your car accident claim with GEICO should include all of the damages you are entitled to claim. Your damages will likely include both economic and non-economic damages. economic damages include aesculapian bills and lost wages, adenine well as any other out of pouch expenses. GEICO will be responsible for paying the full amount of your medical bills, careless of whether they have been paid my health indemnity or through some early beginning. GEICO, however, may try to challenge the amount of your checkup expenses and argue that the amount your doctors charged is not “ reasonable and accustomed. ”
For your lost wages, you are entitled to claim your miss time from bring. If you had to use ghastly leave, vacation days, or PTO time, or if you had disability coverage, you can still claim lost wages. The come of your lost engage claim will be the number of hours or days missed multiplied by your wage rate .
While economic damages are normally capable of a precise measurement, non-economic damages are not. The types of damages include pain and suffering, genial and emotional distress, bodily defacement, and diminished capacity to labor. These damages are inherently subjective and depend on a issue of factors. These factors include the types of injuries you sustained, the medical treatment you received, how long your injuries and pain lasted, whether you were disabled for a time period of time, and your physical and mental condition before the accident .
car indemnity companies are ill-famed for undervaluing non-economic damages and trying to offer $ 1,000 or less when the call may be worth thousands or tens of thousands of dollars more. So how are you supposed to know what your non-economic damages claim is worth when the policy caller is offering pennies on the dollar ? The short circuit answer is you likely won ’ thyroxine know because you don ’ t have the cognition, coach, and experience to make this determination. lone an experience personal wound lawyer can help you make this decision .
You should never settle a personal injury claim before you are done receiving checkup treatment. After you are done with treatment, and have hopefully recovered from your injuries, your personal injury title with GEICO can enter the colony negotiations phase. This phase normally begins when the hurt person sends a settlement demand to the policy company. After the adjuster evaluates the demand he or she will either pay it or make a counteroffer.
If the village negotiations lead to a liquidation then GEICO will require you sign a free that releases GEICO and its policyholder from any and all further liability. The lyric in a release is important. The type of free you sign and the language that should be in the secrete depends on a number of factors. This is one of the many reasons why you need a personal injury lawyer representing you .
If you are dealing with GEICO as your own indemnity company then it is crucial for you to know your GEICO policy may provide benefits for your personal injury claim. You may have uninsured motorist coverage. If you do, then this coverage can be used if the at-fault driver either has no indemnity or not adequate policy to pay all of your damages. Your GEICO policy may besides have medical payments coverage, which can be used to help pay your medical bills, careless of who was at demerit .
If you find yourself dealing with GEICO or some other car insurance company after an accident, and you would like a master car accident lawyer on your side who can advocate for you – Contact The Champion Firm, P.C., for a detached reference about your accident case .