If you were struck and injured by another driver, you should discuss your options with an experienced California car accident lawyer. You may be able to secure much more with the help of a lawyer if your case involves expensive medical bills and considerable time lost at work.
However, if a collision only leaves you with fender damage or a crumpled trunk, you may not need a lawyer’s help with your claim. The vehicle damage claims process is fairly standardized nowadays. You should be able to file a claim and get the support you need to repair your vehicle.
Here’s a guide to how to file a claim with Allstate and how to avoid being taken advantage of in the difficult aftermath of a crash.
Filing a Claim with Allstate
Allstate wants customers to file a car accident claim on their website or on their app.
If you’ve been struck by an Allstate customer, but you are not with Allstate yourself, you can file a claim by calling 1-800-255-7828.
Allstate recommends trying to have this information handy when filing:
- Contact information for everyone involved in the accident
- Vehicle information such as the make, model, and year, and the license plate number
- Auto Insurance policy numbers covering each car involved
- Pictures of the damage to each vehicle
- Photos of the scene, if you can manage them safely
- The address where the accident occurred and the time it happened
- The police accident report number or a copy of the report
- Names of the police officers or CHP officers that responded
- Any footage of what happened taken by dash cams or cell phones
How Does My Car Get Fixed After An Accident With an Allstate Driver?
If Allstate approves your car repair claim, you can select any vehicle body shop or repair shop you choose. However, there are advantages to using a body shop in the Good Hands Repair Network.
You do get a lifetime guarantee on repairs if an approved shop does the repairs. Allstate can also pay the Good Hands repair shop directly. There’s also a potential price issue with using your own body shop. If your selected shop wants to charge more for repairs than the Allstate estimate, Allstate may make you pay for the difference.
There’s one assurance for all victims. Allstate explains that if a repair shop finds additional damage not found in an initial inspection, the shop can contact Allstate. The additional costs would be sent for approval, and Allstate would pay for any covered additional fixes that were deemed necessary.
The California Department of Insurance offers a helpful guide for people going through the claims process after a car accident.
What If My Vehicle is Totaled by Allstate?
Allstate would generally consider your vehicle a total loss if repair costs are more than the current value of your car. But California enforces its own standard for when a car is totaled.
In California, a car is deemed a total loss by adding the cost of repairs to the value of the car in salvage. If it’s more than the actual cash value (ACV) of the car, then the car is considered totaled. The ACV is the estimated value of the car before it was damaged in the accident.
A claims adjuster would determine the ACV of the vehicle, and you’d normally be paid that amount, minus your deductible. You can find more information about Allstate’s policies regarding totaled cars here.
What Kind of Support Should I Get from Allstate after a California Accident?
If you come away from your accident with a serious injury, your car accident claim will need to involve much more than just car repairs.
Your California Car Accident Lawyer would be compiling all of your physical, emotional, and financial hardships to include when filing a claim. With major injuries, this may need to include the estimated costs of care required in the future. A settlement check should cover any costs associated with an injury flare-up and expensive follow-up surgeries the patient may be forced to undergo. The expense of physical therapy that may need to continue must be included.
Your attorney would be demanding these and other benefits on your behalf:
- 100% reimbursement on all doctor, hospital, and physical therapy expenses.
- Lifetime support when a permanent physical disability is involved.
- Support for the physical pain victims endure and the pain that may be present in the years to come.
- Support for the emotional trauma that a major accident can leave victims to cope with.
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life, a major injury, and the recovery process can cause.
- Reimbursement for the paychecks missed while missing work and the potential loss of income in the future.
- Reimbursement for the damage or destruction of property.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families who lose a loved one in a tragic accident could seek support from Allstate. This support should include money to pay for a funeral service and burial. It should include the funds needed to cover leftover medical expenses from the accident. Families must also get help supporting themselves if the deceased had supported loved ones with income from a job.
Discussing Your Insurance Claim with a Skilled California Car Accident Attorney
If you were in a serious accident and you feel the insurance company isn’t offering you enough to recover, contact Maison Law for a free case consultation. If an insurer is trying to blame you for an accident you didn’t cause, give us a call. It’s an easy way to discuss all of your options and stay informed of your rights.
There’s also no obligation for your meeting. If you do need our help to force more out of Allstate, you don’t have to worry about having the money to hire Maison Law if you need us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our lawyer’s fee comes out of the settlement money that a car insurance company must hand over to you.
