If you have been in an accident where your vehicle has sustained damage you can make a claim with your insurance company if you have physical damage coverages, meaning collision and comprehensive. Normally if you have been in an accident the claim would go under your collision coverage and thus the deductible associated with this coverage would be due.

If you were at-fault in the accident then you would make a first party claim with your own insurance company for your vehicle's damages. If another person was at fault then you may want to place a third party claim against the at-fault party's property damage liability coverages.

To make an accident claim you will need to contact the claims department of the insurance company you are making the claim with. They will likely take your statement and want to get the facts about the incident. If it is your own insurer they will also want to know if another vehicle was involved and will be making a claim against your liability coverages.

If you are at fault in an accident and cause property damage and/or bodily injury you should inform your insurance company that an accident occurred and give your description of how it happened. Your insurance company's claims department can then get the claim file started for the incident and be ready with a claim number when the other party calls in their claim for the damages they sustained.

If you have damage to your own vehicle that you are going to place a claim for under your collision coverage you would also make the claim when you call in to report the accident. Remember when you use your own physical damage coverages to repair your vehicle you will need to pay the deductible that you choose at the inception of your policy.

To make the claims process easier be ready to explain the situation that occurred and have witness statement available to the insurance company if you have them. If you need to know specifics about how to place a claim with your particular insurance company speak to your agent since the claims process can vary a bit from one insurance provider to another. You can also read the following articles in our Learning Center that help motorists and policyholders understand the claims process:

Simple Steps to Filing a Car Insurance Claim

Negotiating An Insurance Claim Settlement

Function of an Insurance Adjuster

Get instant car insurance quotes here with CarInsurance.com.