The insurance claim process.

More than 15 Million motor vehicles clog the Kenyan roads today, making it likely that someday you will have an accident and file an auto insurance claim. The good news however is that in most auto accident claims, personal injury is not the problem.

Although a personal injury claim may require a different level of proof and persistence than a vehicle damage claim and insurance regulations vary according to the insurance provider but the basic steps to place a claim are fairly similar.

Every insurance claim requires a proof of damage or injury before a carrier will pay. On auto claims, there are five elements of proof that comes into play: what you tell the insurance companies, what the other party tells them, a police report, witnesses and physical damage at the scene.

The claim process.

In Kenya, universally, the claim has to be reported to the Insurance cover provider in 7 days but to the broker/agent immediately. Many people have lost their claims due to small mistakes as this. In this issue, we have highlighted the “dos and Don’ts” when making a claim

The do’s (procedure)

• Immediately you get an accident, the first thing to do is, mark the positions of the loss/site indicating all positions just in case the other party decides to leave before the arrival of the police.
• All this time, you are not supposed to accept liability but refer the loss to your agent for further action.
• Call the police so that you can have them inspect the loss and probably give you an abstract as this will be necessary for lodging your claim. (In Kenya, the police can be reached through the 911/999 emergency numbers. However, depending on the police posts near, you can have specific numbers for reporting any emergencies.
• You then need to obtain a reference number (Abstract) from the police which you then will have to submit to the agent. (The abstract contains the inspection report which the agent will use to report to the Insurance provider)
• After this, you then call your insurance agent and report the loss as it is. That way, the agent will be able to record this and file this loss awaiting a report on the total loss.
• All this time, you need to ensure your safety by standing at a clear place to avoid further harm to you, plus, you need to have your hazard lights on as well as other alerts to indicate a hazard ahead.

Don’ts.

·         

• Never remove the vehicle from the scene of the accident before the police arrive as this will nullify your claim.
• ·         Never accept liability but always report this and refer to the insurance agent. You may also not apologies-EVER. Do Not Apologize to Anyone at Anytime. That does not mean that you cannot express empathy for any injuries to others, but an apology can be turned into an admission by an insurance adjuster.
• ·         You should not commit anything in writing unless the police are present. Doing so, especially if you do this in a huff will affect the way you make your decisions.
• ·         Don’t commence with the repair before taking pictures or a report of assessment from accredited/qualified assessors.

Quick pick.

1. ·         Report the loss within 48hrs and not later than 7 days:
2. ·         Report to the police
3. ·         Notify your agent
4. ·         Obtain a reference number and assessment report from the police
5. ·         The following documents should be forwarded thereafter.
6. ·         Well filled claim form
7. ·         Copy of driver’s license
8. ·         Copy of P.S.V license (If the m/v is a P.S.V)
9. ·         Motor Inspection(If any injuries/damages to Third Parties