Our Florida Car Accident Attorney Explains Car Accident Claims With Travelers Insurance
Ensuring your safety is the most important step to take after a car accident, but the team at Spetsas Buist understands that your next concern will be filing a claim with the insurance company—either your own or the at-fault driver’s. The claims process can be challenging, and you may realize it’s difficult to get through it without legal counsel. The skilled personal injury attorneys at Spetsas Buist understand the questions you have, and we’re here to help. Here, we’ll discuss submitting a claim with Travelers insurance and why hiring an attorney is your best chance for a fair settlement. 
How Insurance Claims Work
You’ll need to report any car accident to your own insurance company, even if you weren’t at fault. The steps are similar whether you’re filing with your own insurance or filing a third-party claim with another driver’s insurance provider.
Filing a Claim Against Another Driver
A third-party claim is a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance provider. This type of claim may take a while to resolve since the other party’s insurance provider will investigate the accident, determine if their customer is actually at fault, and analyze your damages and what they owe you.
Filing a Claim With Your Own Insurance
Even if you weren’t at fault for the accident, you may still need to file a claim with your own insurance. Reasons to file under your own policy include:
- You’re in a no-fault state. Florida and other no-fault states follow a different process for personal injury cases (as opposed to property damage, for which the at-fault driver is liable). All drivers must carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage, and this is what you use for accident-related injuries and their associated costs. You will only pursue compensation from the at-fault driver for personal injury cases if the costs you incur exceed your PIP coverage (usually $10,000).
- The at-fault driver is underinsured. You can file a claim for property damage with your own insurer if the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured. You can use underinsured motorist coverage for this purpose.
- You don’t want to deal with the other driver’s insurance company. Sometimes, people with collision insurance decide it’s less stressful to use that coverage rather than deal with a third-party insurance claim. However, doing so means your compensation amount will be reduced by how much is left on your deductible.
- You have a car loan balance. Gap insurance can help cover your losses if you totaled a leased car, but you have some balance remaining on the loan.
Whether you’re filing with your own insurance company or a third-party insurer, make sure you understand your own policy in case you have to use it. Learn what types of losses are covered and your deductible amount. Additionally, file your claim as soon as possible. It can be easy to forget critical details about the accident while you’re dealing with the stress of property damage and injuries.
Make Your Claim as Strong as Possible
Insurance claims are your first avenue for pursuing compensation for property damage, injuries, or both. To pursue the maximum compensation allowed for your claim, strengthen it by following these post-accident steps:
- Seek immediate medical attention. You may feel fine immediately following an accident since the stress of these events releases hormones that can mask pain and other symptoms. So, it’s important that you don’t assume you’re okay. See a doctor ASAP to avoid missing signs of a serious injury. Visiting your doctor also helps establish a connection between your injuries and the accident.
- Gather evidence. If you’re able to move around safely, take photos (or videos) of the scene of the accident. You should capture the area (including road conditions and signage), vehicle damage, and injuries. Get contact and insurance information from other drivers involved, and ask any willing witnesses for their contact information and to wait to speak to the officer who writes the police report.
- Keep careful records. Keep track of all documentation and evidence related to the accident. This may include photos, medical records and bills, the police report, and pay stubs (if your claim seeks compensation for missed work).
How to File a Florida Car Accident Insurance Claim With Travelers
If you’re insured by Travelers or you’re filing a claim against an at-fault driver with Travelers insurance, you can file your claim online. Travelers recommends you create an account with MyTravelers® so you can communicate securely with their team, view your claim status, see payment details, and get easy access to coverages and next steps.
After filing, you’ll need an appraisal for your car repair. Travelers offers the MyTravelers® Repair Network—a network of auto repair facilities that can appraise and repair your vehicle. These facilities can also conduct virtual appraisals to limit the waiting period for an appraisal.
Next, get your vehicle repaired. If the shop finds unexpected damage not included in the estimate, they’ll speak with Travelers about how to proceed. If your vehicle can’t be repaired, a Travelers claim professional will help you resolve your total loss claim.
You’ll be responsible for paying the amount left on your deductible, but Travelers will pay the rest to the shop. If you’re a Travelers customer working through your own policy, and if someone else is at fault for the accident, Travelers may pursue subrogation to recover the costs of repair from the at-fault party.
How Our Florida Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You
Our tips for dealing with insurance adjusters can help you navigate the insurance claim process. However, it’s easy to make critical mistakes when talking to experienced insurance adjusters who want you to make statements that can be used against you later. When you hire the skilled attorneys at Spetsas Buist, we will take over communication with the insurance companies to help ensure you avoid mistakes when dealing with them.
