How to File Your First Car Insurance Claim

By: Martin Dasko on July 28, 2015

Unfortunately I have to write an article about insurance claims. The writing part I enjoy. The experience is the part I’m not excited about. Usually when I write about a topic like this, I research other blog posts. Not this time. I have to write about my own recent experience. For the first time in my life, I was involved in a minor accident. I’m not even upset because everyone was fine. I’m more annoyed by the process.

A huge part of personal finance involves preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, just like going on a first date. As you know, things don’t always go smoothly.

Here's what you need to know about filing your first car insurance claim:

You have to act fast

You have 7 days to report the incident to your insurance company. The quicker you make the claim the better off you’ll be. Once you make the claim, you wait for the adjuster to contact you to go through your case. This person will work with you.

You need to have all of your documents in order

This is the biggest hassle. I just drove 20 minutes the other day to pick up an accident report because the police station wouldn’t email it. Get your own documents in order and everything from the incident.

Collect all of the facts

Luckily, in the cell phone era this is simple. I suggest you take a picture of everyone’s documentation (insurance, ownership, and license). All parties involved in my accident exchanged information before we headed to the police station.

Complete a police report if needed

This depends on the severity of the incident. There were three cars involved in my situation so we had to go through this process.

Every province is different. The location of this incident had a monetary requirement ($1,00 worth of damage) for filing a police report because they didn’t want to file reports for every minor situation. Some cities also have a collision-reporting centre.

I always suggest filing a report because you want your information to be in order. You don’t want to be guessing about what happened.

Go to the hospital if you’re feeling hurt

Don’t hesitate. Call an ambulance or go to the ER if you’re not feeling well. The paper work can wait, your injuries can’t wait. Getting into a car accident is serious business.

I hope that you never have to experience a car accident and that you never have to make a car insurance claim. However if you ever do have to make a claim, please don’t panic. Stay calm and follow the five easy steps above - it will all be O.K.