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Individuals who are involved in a car accident may need to send a demand letter when a claim needs to be made.
A standard car insurance demand letter simply states your demands. Your claims adjuster will often be reviewing the letter when evaluating a claim.
There are three important things that you need to focus on when writing a demand letter:
- Present that facts in a clear and understandable manner
- Make an argument that is concise based on the facts
- Include details about expenses and other costs that support the amount stated in your letter
Consumers do not need to be experts to write a demand letter for their insurance carrier. Information in the letter needs to provide a layout of the facts while explaining your position.
You can also talk with a local automobile accident attorney to develop a suitable demand letter.
Basic Information
Any demand letter for an insurance claim needs to be direct, to the point, and short. There will not be a need include any unnecessary details. However, you need to stress certain elements in your letter.
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Accident Liability – Obtain a witness statement or a police report to support who was at fault. You will be stating who was at fault for the accident in a Statement of Liability.
Accident Expenses – This is a list of all the expenses that have resulted from a car accident. Make sure to include the amount of lost wages, car repairs, medical bills, transportation costs, and other costs that are related to the accident. Attach all your receipts, statements, and other supporting documentation.
Accident Injury – State any injuries that have occurred and expenses that have resulted. Include copies of any documentation that support all your expenses and the type of injury that was sustained.
Claim Demand – This is the dollar amount you will require to settle any claim. Do not inflate the costs to try to get more money.
However, increasing the amount by a small percentage may be necessary if there are any unknowns. You can always negotiate to a lower amount if needed.
The demand letter that is sent to your insurance carrier is critical to ensure you get the amount that you expect. This means taking time to ensure you have done everything right.
The Structure And Sample Statements
You will be sending your car insurance demand letter to the insurance carrier of the at-fault driver. The letter should be addressed to the claim adjuster handling the accident claim.
The top of your demand letter need to include your name, the name of the at-fault driver, any assigned claim number, and the date the accident occurred.
first paragraph
The first paragraph of the letter need to provide information about the accident.. Describe any injuries, any tickets that were issued related to the accident, and make sure to mention you were not at fault for the accident.
The information should be presented in chronological order. You can begin the paragraph by stating “Mr. Smith was involved in a car accident that resulted in…”
Next paragraph
The next paragraph will need to describe any medical treatment that was received. You should also add a description for any diagnosis that was provided.
Make sure to include the date of any treatment. This also needs to be done in a chronological order.
Begin this paragraph with “Mr. Smith was evaluated by medical personnel at city hospital on January 14, 2014 for complaints of chest pains. The diagnosis for Mr. Smith indicated a bruised sternum.”
Once any diagnoses and treatments have been listed, then you need to provide a list of all medical bills you have received.
Go through each bill and indicate the amount charged for each treatment. If you are still receiving treatment, then include a general estimate of expected medical expenses.
One important aspect to keep in mind about a demand letter is to include calculations for any pain and suffering or emotional damages you have experienced. A car accident may often result in an injury that is non-physical without any medical bills.
You will need to include a statement in your letter that states “Mr. Smith continues to experience emotional stress resulting from the accident.” Make sure to include a suitable amount for any damages.
last paragraph
The last paragraph of a car insurance demand letter will need to summarize all your injuries. You letter is an opportunity to offer to settle a claim and needs to include a grand total.
The initial offer you make for a claim will need to be higher than the amount you expect to receive. Make sure your offer is set to a reasonable amount if a good-faith effort is being made to settle a claim.
Conclude your demand letter with a standard salutation. State “Thank You” and then sign your name before mailing it to the insurance company.
Sample car Insurance demand letter
Your Name
Your Address
City, State, Zip Code
DATE
Name of Insurance Adjuster
Name of Insurance Company
Address of Insurance Company
City, State, Zip Code
RE: Claim letter for car accident for claimant number INSURANCE NUMBER
Dear Name of Agent:
This letter accompanies my formal claim to cover the cost of repairing my car MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, after a car, MAKE MODEL AND YEAR ran into my parked car damaging the rear end.
My car was parked by the curb in front of my house at the above address, when NAME OF DRIVER failed to stop and crashed into the back of my car.
I bought my new car last year and planned to keep it for at least 10 years. I called the police and have included their accident report with my claim request forms.
I am hoping to get a financial settlement from the at-fault driver’s insurance company, but I need my car for work, so I had it repaired as soon as I could. In spite of this, I still missed five days of work.
I have included the bills for repair and request that you pay out the amount of $5,000 for the repairs and loss of pay.
When I receive compensation from the other insurance company, I will repay the amount.
Please respond within 30 days after receiving this letter. I can be reached at Phone Number or at Email Address.
Sincerely,
Signature
Your Printed Name
List of Enclosures: police report, repair bills