Making a car insurance claim for a flooded vehicle

The monsoon showers cause a lot of destruction. Excessive amounts of damage is caused to properties and various other assets because of floods in different areas due to heavy monsoon showers. Several cars get submerged in the floods and or undergone heavy damages.

In a case where a person’s car has been submerged in water due to the monsoon showers, putting in an insurance claim is a crucial step. If you too face such a situation, here is what you should do:

Do not start an already submerged car

No matter how tempted you are to start your submerged car, refrain from doing so as it may damage the car’s engine. Such damage is not covered under an insurance policy. One thing that you can do at such a time is to click photos of the submerged car. Even if the car has a damaged portion, you can take photos of it. Although it is not compulsory to take photos, using technology at this time may serve fruitful as they can be shown as evidence of damage at a later stage.

Notify the insurer as soon as you can

As floods cause widespread damage, it means that there will be a lot of claims. So, inform your insurer as quickly as possible and send the affected vehicle to the service centre.

To notify the insurer, you can email them, or call up the customer care numbers, or visit the branch office of the insurance company and fill a car insurance claim form or use the mobile application (if the company has one). You can attach the photos in the email (optional) or upload them in the app if they have the feature. After you inform the company, request them for the claim docket number.

Being proactive is necessary during such a scenario; delaying the process to send your car to the service centre increases the likelihood of the water affecting the car, resulting in long term damage.

What to do in case you misplace the policy documents

If you lose your documents in the flood, don’t worry, because there is a chance that you will have the policy on email. You can even contact your insurance company and give them the details, such as your name, mobile number, and other required information to obtain your policy details.

The settlement process

The reimbursement is done according to the extent of the loss. If the car cannot be repaired, the car owner is given the vehicle’s insured declared value.

Following the series of floods in India, several insurance companies have clearly stated the process that can be followed at the time of filing a claim for a flooded vehicle. They have further made the claim settlement techniques less complex because the number of claims in such a situation tends to increase rapidly.

Knowledge of these steps will prove extremely useful at the time of floods and is something that policyholders must be aware of so that they can take the necessary action.

Know more about car insurance policy online.