Accidents happen in Florida every single day. When you have auto insurance, it is important to know what happens after an accident. After all, you have insurance, so shouldn’t this cover everything?

Your car may need to undergo some repairs, either cosmetic or mechanical. Understanding what to do is critical so that you don’t miss any steps.

Step One: Contact Your Car Insurance Company

The first thing you want to do is contact the car insurance company for your policy. If at all possible, do this from the scene of the accident because they may have additional questions or want you to take photographs of the crash.

Most of the time, they simply want to get as much information as possible, and will be as quick as can be because they know you have other things going on.

Step 2: The Appraisal

An appraiser is going to come out and look at the damage. This will include taking photos of what was affected from the accident.

Any existing damage will be left out of the report as it is not related to the accident and therefore will not be covered by the company.

This is an important step as it is part of filing the claim and will get you closer to being able to have the repairs made without much out of pocket money.

Step 3: Quotes for the Auto Insurance Company

Depending on the insurance company you have, it will be necessary to get quotes on the work that needs to be done to your car. This will involve contacting a few collision repair shops and getting a written estimate.

Some insurance companies have their own collision centers, too, which means that this step can be skipped entirely.

Step 4: Repairs

The repairs can be done once the auto insurance company has given you the go ahead to have the work done at the approved auto repair location. You will have to pay the deductible that is on the policy, but this should be the only money you have to pay out of pocket.

In the event that the accident is deemed as not your fault, this money may be reimbursed to you as the insurance company will try to get it back from the other party’s insurance company.

After an accident, contacting your auto insurance in Florida is critical. You want to get your car repaired and the policy is likely going to cover what has happened.