Does Your Car Insurance Policy Cover Hit and Run Cases?
Does Your Car Insurance Policy Cover Hit and Run Cases?
Published on July 04, 2023. EST READ TIME: 3 minutes
One of the worst feelings of a car owner can be sustaining damages due to someone else’s mistakes. And even worse is when someone hits your car when it is parked or at a traffic stop and runs away. Leaving you with a damaged car, a lot of frustration, anger, and the onus of bearing the expenses. Whether your existing car insurance will cover the expense is a common question that will arise in such situations. Is third party car insurance adequate for such occurrences?
It is not uncommon for car owners to be victims to hit and run instances. Whether your car is neatly parked in a designated parking location or is temporarily waiting for the signal to turn green, hit and run can happen anywhere. If the damage is limited to a small scratch or a minor dent, it might not bother a lot of car owners. However, what should you do if the damages are more prominent and severe?
Things to do in the event of a hit and run accident
In the unfortunate event of your car being at the receiving end of a hit and run accident, you must take the following steps. Following these will increase the chances of your insurance provider settling a claim.
1. Inform the police
The first and most sensible thing to do in such situations is to file an FIR. You can reach out to the nearest police station and file an FIR. It can be a crucial document during the claims process.
2. Collect information
The next step involves, you trying to find out information about the vehicle that has caused the accident. Information such as vehicle number, vehicle type or model can be quite helpful. However, one must take caution and not put themselves in danger in pursuit of such information.
3. Take evidence
It is always a reasonable practice to take evidence after an accident. Make sure to take pictures and videos of the accident scene and surrounding areas. It is also helpful to collect information about the location of the accident, time and date as well.
4. Inform your insurance provider
After you are done with collecting the above information and filing an FIR, you must inform your insurance provider at the earliest. Insurance providers usually have a window, within which you must inform them. Failing to do so can at times lead to the rejection of claims.
Steps to claim your car insurance on a hit and run incident
If you must file a claim for your car insurance policy for a hit and run incident, here are the steps that you need to follow. These steps remain the same, irrespective of whether you opt for car insurance online or offline.
1. Let your insurance provider know
One of the first things that you need to do as a responsible car owner, is to inform your insurance provider about the accident. This will initiate the claim process. And a representative of the insurance provider will help you out with the subsequent steps.
2. Providing information
While filing for a claim, a representative of the insurance company can ask you a bunch of questions. These usually include whether you have filed an FIR, your vehicle details such as make and model, any injuries that you might have sustained, and all the damages to your car.
3. Car’s survey
At this point, the insurance provider will send an independent surveyor to the accident spot or where the vehicle is currently parked. The surveyor will then assess the car and prepare a report regarding the damages and the repairs that are needed for the car. This includes an initial estimate of the repair bills as well.
4. Provide supporting documents
On the completion of the survey, you will need to furnish some documents to the insurance provider such as the survey report, FIR copy, and any other documents that your insurance provider might ask for.
5. Repair your car
Depending on the insurance provider, you can either send your car to an authorised service centre of the manufacturer or an independent garage. Sending the car to a network garage ensures that you receive cashless services.
6. Claim closure
Once the repairs are complete, you can follow up with the insurance provider regarding any remaining payments and complete the claim process.
Compensation in the case of a hit and run incident
The law recognises hit and run accidents as a criminal offense. If the insured meets with a serious injury or loses his/her life, the offender must go through a criminal trial. The Motor Vehicles Act also mentions compensation for such events. For injuries that are categorized as serious, the compensation is Rs. 50,000. And the compensation is Rs. 2,00,000 for the death of a car driver/owner. Protecting yourself with personal accident cover can be a more prudent solution. The cover will ensure that you receive adequate coverage in such cases and that all medical bills are also taken care of.
If the accident is severe, the outcomes can be long-lasting as well, such as permanent disability. In such cases, a personal accident cover will offer better coverage and you can plug it into your policy as a rider. Thereby, offering you better coverage at nominal premiums.
Conclusion
There aren’t any exclusive hit and run insurance plans in India, yet. A comprehensive plan offers the necessary coverage for such events. Investing in a comprehensive plan by paying a higher premium offers a lot of benefits. Right from protection against hit and run to damages caused by your mistake. And you also have the option to buy riders to further enhance the coverage.
Disclaimer : The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales
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