4 Steps to Take When Your Parked Car Is Damaged | DirectAsia Insurance
Imagine this; you’re looking forward to a hot date and do not want to be late. You finally find an available parking space, squeeze into it and hurry off with a sigh of relief only to return sometime later to find that someone has knocked into your car while it was parked – and damaged it.
Besides ruining your mood, it’s surely going to cost your wallet too. So, what are you going to do? Here are 4 steps to take if you ever find yourself in this difficult situation:
- Play detective and find evidence
If you are lucky, you may find a note on your windscreen either from a witness or the person who damaged your car. If not, walk around and look for a witness, other damaged cars, or a CCTV camera in the area. If you already have an in-car camera, play back the recording to see if you can get the other party’s registration number. Don’t forget to note down the date and time of the damage as well as the car park lot number.
If you find a contact number on your car, then call it immediately. You should confirm what happened and if they are willing to be accountable. Next, try to determine how much repairs are going to cost and whether their car insurance will cover the expenses.
- Take pictures
Make sure to take plenty of pictures from every angle. Get as many close-up shots of the damaged car as possible. Pay attention to detail. Taking a video of the damages caused to the car will give the police and car insurance company a clearer picture of the extent of the damage.
- Lodge a police report
If there is no note from the other party, lodge a police report or drive your vehicle to your insurer’s authorised workshops to lodge an accident report. Bear in mind that an accident report is required even if you have already lodged a police report.
- Contact the other party’s insurer
If your vehicle is at your insurer’s authorised workshop, let the workshop notify the other party’s insurer to get an indication of liability. Even so, you may contact the other party’s insurer directly and submit any evidence that you may have gathered.
What if the accident was not reported by the other party?
If the insurer receives a claim against one of their policyholders but has not received an accident report, the insurer will contact the said car insurance policyholder to lodge a report. If after numerous reminders, the policyholder still fails to report the accident, the insurer may opt to involve the Traffic Police to remind the policyholder to file the accident report as failure to do so is a breach of policy conditions where the insurer is entitled to cancel the policy. Insurers may also decline to invite renewal of policy or confiscate the NCD entitlement of policyholders if there is any delay in reporting accidents.
Final Resolution: File an Insurance Claim
Do you have a valid car insurance policy? If the answer is yes, and the other party’s insurer repudiates liability, then it’s time to file an insurance claim.
You’ll need to prepare the required paperwork, which could be a tedious process. For starters, the company will ask for a police report and investigation results, photos taken at the scene, as well as your receipt for damage repair. That is why you need to follow the 4 steps and take your vehicle to your trusted car workshop with a licensed adjuster. Their task is to determine the damages caused to your car and come up with the repair cost.
Once you have these documents ready, contact your car insurance provider. You will have to file an official car insurance claim. Follow the procedures and try to provide as much information as necessary. Please note that there is a deadline for submitting a claim after the incident. That is why you shouldn’t waste any time in preparing the paperwork.
We hope this never happens to you, but rest assured that we’re ready to assist in any situation!
