If you have been involved in a car accident, then you might be working directly with your car insurance company. After all, the whole reason why you pay for and have car insurance is to help ensure that you are covered in a vehicle accident. However, when negotiating with your insurance company, it can be easy to get frustrated. These are a few basic steps that you should follow through this process. Luckily, a team of Salt Lake City personal injury attorneys should be able to help you with these steps.

1. File Your Claim Immediately

First of all, you should not wait to file a claim with your insurance company. Right after your accident, you can contact your insurance company to get advice about how to proceed. You may be able to file your claim in person if you head to the local insurance office. Many insurance companies also have 24-hour claims lines that you can call at any time of the night or day so that you can file your claim. Depending on the company that you have your insurance from, you may also be able to file your claim online or through your insurance mobile app. By filing a claim right away, you can help get the ball rolling so that your insurance company will handle your case.

2. Gather Your Documentation

Before you are able to negotiate with your insurance company, you are going to have to gather up all of your documentation and information. These are some of the items that you may need to have when filing your claim:

A copy of the police report
Any evidence that you have in regards to who was at fault in the accident
Medical bills, letters from your doctor and any other documentation related to your injuries
Proof of your income, if you are asking for lost wages as a part of your settlement
Documentation related to the damage to your vehicle

Gathering up as much evidence as possible can help you prove your case and can help you ensure that you are able to get your settlement with minimal problems. Your lawyer can advise you about the documents that you need if you are unsure.

3. Prove Who is at Fault

Of course, if you were not at fault in the accident, then you will probably want to prove that this is the case. This information might be written down on the police report, but submitting any other evidence that you have will be helpful as well. Even eyewitness statements can be helpful with this.

4. Determine Your Desired Settlement Amount

Before you can ask for a settlement, you have to know how much you expect to receive. Coming up with this number is difficult, but you can use the information that you are providing as documentation to help you. After all, you will probably want to be reimbursed for things like your medical bills and lost wages. If you are unable to work after your accident, then you may want to be compensated for this as well. A good lawyer who has experience in helping people with these matters should be able to help you calculate a settlement amount to ask for.

5. Put in a Demand for Your Settlement

After you have followed all of the above steps, you will need to write up a demand for your settlement. Then, you can submit it to the insurance company. This is a process that your attorney can help you with to help you ensure that it's written up and submitted properly.

As you can see, the steps that you should take after a car accident are pretty simple. However, this might not be something that you will want to handle on your own, instead, consider working with a good lawyer who specializes in personal injury law. Then, you can get help with each step of this process.

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5 Tips for Negotiating with Your Car Insurance Company