What To Do After A Total Loss Accident

12 November 2015 by Layla Bryant

If you have been in a total loss accident, you will want to know what you have to do in order to get the claims filed quickly and efficiently with your car insurance company. Having a car accident attorney help you with the process can ensure that you receive the pay out for your vehicle that you deserve. Here's what you should do:

Report the Accident Right Away: If you wait to report the accident with your insurance company, it's only going to delay the process and the process in and of itself can take a month or two until it's complete. If you want to receive the pay out for your total loss vehicle right away, then you should report the accident the day that it has happened.
Locate the Title: Don't delay in finding your vehicle's title either. This is because, at some point, you are going to have to sign the title over to your insurance company. If you don't have your title, then you are going to have to file a missing title with the DMV, and this can take some time as well for you to receive a new title in the mail.
Determine How Much You Owe on the Loan: If you had a loan taken out for the vehicle, then you are going to have to determine how much you still owe. Since your insurance company is only going to pay you the cash value of the vehicle, there is a chance that you are going to owe more than what you are actually paid because of interest and value loss on the vehicle. This is why it is important to have gap insurance, which will help you to pay the extra amount of what you owe. However, if you don't have this, you will have to continue to make payments until the loan is paid off in full.
Mail Your Paperwork as Soon as It's Signed: All paperwork that you have to sign and send to your insurance company should be done quickly. If you delay, this can set the process back days. Ask if you are able to fax the paperwork, which gets the paperwork to your insurance company even quicker. You should also ask your car accident attorney what you paperwork you may be overlooking. They can help you gather all the right information and papers that you need.

By knowing what to do after a total loss accident, you can make the process quick and much less stressful than it has to be.

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About Me

If you have been offered a better job or want to move out of state, but you have a child custody agreement in place, you may not know how to proceed. I know, because I was in that situation. I had a great job offer in another state that would be beneficial to myself and children. However, I had a child custody agreement with my ex-husband in the state I resided in at the time and I knew he wouldn't be happy about me leaving. I decided to consult with a family law attorney to determine what my options were and how to proceed. I am glad I got an attorney because it was hard to move out of state with my children. If you are in the same situation, I highly recommend you take the time to learn how to proceed from an attorney.