| Seven
Steps to Surviving a Safari Disaster
1. Help the injured, call the police or fire department.
If you or your passengers are injured be sure to go to the hospital or to your
doctor for evaluation and documentation. Part 2, PIP and Part 5, Medical Payments
coverage is for this situation.
2.
Protect your auto from further damage, get it off the migratory trails.
If it is not driveable, have it towed to a body shop that you like so that the
adjuster can see it right away and meet with the people who will be repairing
the car. If it is driveable, contact us right away to get the location of a local
drive-in appraisal unit. You will have the appraisal within 5 days of your visit
and the check within another 5 days, usually quicker. 3.
While you're doing all this, try to get the name, phone number or both of any
witnesses because there will always be conflicting stories.
The statement of an UNRELATED Third Party is your best defense. Someone who was
not in your landrover! Also, check in with the police at the scene and make sure
they understand your version. Sometimes the reports are inaccurate because they
were not there when it happened. Make sure they get it right. In the case of conflicting
stories the company loss department may have to look at this third report as a
tie breaker. If there are no police, get them on the scene to back you up. 4.
Get all the information on the other party.
Remember that your Waiver of Deductible for a not-at-fault Collision
accident does not kick in unless your insurance company can subrogate
against the other party. You must identify the at-fault party fully.
DRIVERS name, address, drivers license number, date of birth; AUTO OWNERS
name, address; Auto year, make, model, color, LICENSE PLATE, and INSURANCE
COMPANY.
5.
Contact us! We are here to help with advice and problem solving expertise.
You can E-mail us a preliminary report by clicking
here, or fax us at 781-729-6472. But that is not enough, CALL US.
To help you we need to ask you questions and immediate two-way communication
via telephone is still the best method. If you or any person seeking
payment fail to notify the agent/company promptly, the company may not
be required to pay claims for parts 2, 3, 6, or 12 on your policy.
6.
Do the Paperwork.
Get an Operators
Report of Motor Vehicle Accident from any local police station and
fill in the blanks (or
click here to open, print or save the PDF version) (download Acrobat
Reader free). Find out missing information because the form will
be returned to you by the Registry if it is incomplete. Officers at
the scene will often give you an on-site quick report or you can ask
for a copy of their official report at the end of their work day. You
must fill in and sign your own operators report. This report is beneficial
because it allows you to draw a diagram of the accident and write YOUR
statement.
When
there is Physical Damage over $1,000 or ANY Bodily Injury you must BY LAW
complete and submit this report to the Registry and the local police within 5
days of the accident. If
your landrover is stolen you must report it to the local police and your agent
within 24 hours. When there is a theft, Substitute Transportation Coverage is
not available until 48 hours after you notify the police and your insurance company.
If your landrover catches fire, you must report it to the local fire department
and you must get a Fire Report (FP33C) from them. Stolen autos and burned autos
are very difficult claims and take a long time to resolve. Both types of incidents
are subject to investigation by local and state police which take time. Claims
payments on unrecovered theft losses require a 30 day waiting period. Hint:
Report the loss immediately. Higher limits of Substitute Transportation come in
handy in these situations. If
you have a glass loss, notify us first, then contact a glass company to replace
or repair your glass. Glass companies will direct bill the company or the agent
for the repair. But we can not give them any information until we hear from you.
Hint: Buy Comprehensive coverage for free glass replacement. 7.
Cooperate with the company.
Cooperate with the company. The company is trying to serve you. Contrary to popular
belief, they are a great help to most. They also have the legal right as your
representative to request your help in the resolution of a claim. If you receive
legal documents regarding your loss you must notify your insurance company. Notify
your agent first and they will take it from there. Call
your agent. We are there to help you and guide you. That is what we do best. | 
