Like we have discussed in our article on motorbike insurance, the essence of motor bike insurance is to provide us financial assistance in the event we sustain injury or our passengers. This type of coverage can help reimburse you for medical bills, lost income, funeral expenses, childcare, and more if you’re hurt in an accident. In this article, we shall discuss making motor bike insurance claim.
Similarly, Personal motor bike Accident insurance covers us in the event of death, permanent and total disablement and loss of limbs. Thus, some policies will cover you for partial disablement or full disablement. And so many other benefits of motor bike insurance
Now, how do you make your motor bike insurance claims when something has happened to your motor bike under insurance? Whether, it is a small damage or a major road incident resulting in injuries, vandalism, or theft. Here, we will take you through the process of making a motor bike insurance claim. Some of these steps include;
- Stay safe
- Don’t deny or admit liability
- Inform the police
- Secure all necessary information.
- Take photos.
- Put your insurance agent on notice.
- Gather paperwork.
- Work with an assessor.
- Make your research.
- Receive the settlement.
STEPS TO MAKING A MOTOR BIKE INSURANCE CLAIM
Stay safe
The first thing you will have to do the moment you are involved in an accident is to move to a safe location. You must move out of the road because safety should be your first consideration. Make sure you are equally away from the traffic.
Take photos.
In case the place where the accident occurred is a high traffic area like a highway, it is necessary you take photos of the scene of accident. These photos will show the location where the accident took place and the position of your motor bike before moving to a safer location. The pictures are necessary in case the scene of accident is tampered with. This will be able to reveal who may be at fault taking into account the placement of the vehicles or motor bikes.
Similarly, ensure that the photos reveal clearly the damages to your motor bike. And any other property your bike may have damaged. For example, other cars, street lights, third party injuries etc.
Also take photos of the location of the accident showing the street name, street signs, and nearby businesses or homes or other landmarks that are easily identifiable. This will enable you tell precisely the exact location of the accident. The location or the scene of the accident is very important.
These Photos represent the best form of accident scene documentation. It is these photographs that will be of serious help when making a claim from your insurers.
Don’t deny or admit liability
It is equally necessary you keep calm after an accident. In such an incident, people will always come around to make inquiries about the cause or otherwise of the accident. The best thing to do at this moment is to remain quiet.
In essence, do not deny liability, neither do you admit liability. Moreover, do not also agree to pay the other party’s damages he sustains. This is because, if you admit the fault, it will adversely affect your insurance claim indemnity. Therefore it is very necessary to keep your cool when an accident happens to avoid losing your claims.
Inform the police.
It is very necessary to inform the police of your involvement in an accident when it happens. The police will usually visit the scene and conduct an independent investigation. They will take pictures and equally record statements from eye witnesses. And will equally write down what happened as well as their observation. They will represent an impartial third party. And their report if it corroborates your own will make your access to your insurance claims very easy. The report will equally make your insurance agent to speed up the processing of your claims.
In a similar vein, it is equally necessary you still lodge a report to the police if your motor bike is lost or vandalized. This is because the report of an independent third party like the police will be taken more seriously by your insurers. And this will guarantee the full payment of your claims having been made with proof. This is contrary to other situations where there are no proofs. If will equally apply for the police report and attach same to your application for claims to your insurers.
Secure all necessary information.
Endeavour to write down the following information in the presence of other parties. And this information includes;
- names of all parties
- Addresses and phone numbers of all parties
- Name of their insurance companies and policy numbers
- License plate numbers of all vehicles involved
- Descriptions of all vehicles including year, make, model
- Registration numbers of all vehicles
- Location where incident happened
Similarly, ensue you equally get the particulars of the witnesses and ensure that the information you have gathered are correct. And to do this, you may have to cross check the pieces of information supplied to you by the other parties vide their driver’s licenses or other valid means of identification.
Put your insurance company on notice.
Make sure you contact your insurer within twenty four hours after the accident if you intend filling a claim. This is to let them have pre information that you have a claim to make. This is notwithstanding that that you may not have all of the necessary paperwork to file a claim at the moment. Also, putting them on notice will equally trigger them to demand for some necessary information with respect to your accident.
Gather paperwork before making motor bike insurance claim
After informing your insurers about your accident, there is also the need to prepare all the paperwork you will need in filling for your claims. These documents include:
- All photographs of the incident and damage to your bike
- Information from all parties
- Any and all applicable medical bills
- The police report
- Documents in relation to expenses like receipts medical bills, towing bills and other expenses
- Any other relevant document which your insurers may require.
Work with your insurer’s Assessor.
It is not out of place for your insurance company to send an adjuster in the event of an accident. They may equally likely ask you to a named garage for the appraisal of the level of damage to your bike. The essence of these steps by the insurance company is to determine the value of the damage and how much they will pay you. It is therefore good for you to sincerely work with such as assessor.
Most often, the adjustor or garage will come up with a number for a compromise. And usually, if the cost to repair your bike is more than the actual cash value, they’ll usually suggest writing it off as a loss. Thus, your payment will depend on the total loss limit in your motor bike insurance policy.
However, if your motor bike is stolen, your insurer’s assessor will normally write it as a loss and proceed to determine the market value of the bike.
Make your own research.
Not minding that the assessor determines final claim, it is still proper for you to make your independent findings. This research will enable you to find out how much your bike is worth in the market. Your research will equally extend to knowing your limits and coverage options from your motor bike insurance policy.
Receive your claim. ( making motor bike insurance claim)
Usually the amount of your payment or indemnity will depend on the class of motor bike insurance you have. This will determine the level of coverage and what is covered.
This is because some coverage may be for the payment of the actual cash value of the bike in question. That is, the actual market value. You wouldn’t receive the total cash value of the bike that you paid but instead the cost of the bike with depreciation.
Conclusion to making motor bike insurance claim
With the provision of these guides, we are sure that making your motor bike insurance claim will not be stressful. And more so, if your insurer is a customer-service oriented insurer, you will have a hitch-free claim filling process. we are equally certain that this article has provided you with an insight to making our motor bike insurance claim
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