If another driver hits you and then refers you to Mercury Insurance, you may wonder how to find this insurer and how to file a claim.
If your accident left you with injuries, you should consider speaking to a lawyer. The expensive medical bills and other damages can cause car insurance companies to resist accepting blame even harder than normal. A lawyer can protect you from blame and often secure more than you could win by handling a case yourself.
If a collision only leaves you with property damage, 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 or perhaps purchase a new one.
Here’s a guide on how to file a claim with Mercury and how to avoid being taken advantage of while in recovery.
Filing a California Traffic Accident Claim with Mercury Insurance
You should notify your insurer that you’ve been in an accident as soon after the crash as possible. This is not the same thing as filing a claim. You may need to file a claim with your own insurer, even if you weren’t at fault for the collision. If the at-fault driver’s insurance coverage doesn’t pay for all of your damages and medical bills, your own insurer can be used to supplement your support in some cases.
If you aren’t a Mercury Customer, but the at-fault driver is, you can file a claim with the insurer online or by calling their hotline at (800) 503-3724.
There are some details you’ll need to fully complete your claim. There are also some actions to take to make sure you have strong evidence to prevent anyone from changing the facts of what happened.
- Have a police or CHP accident report number handy if you have it
- Write down everything you remember about the accident so you don’t forget any detail
- Write down the types of damage you’ve noticed on your vehicle and the other vehicles involved
- Have information on your car at the ready, including license plate #
- Have driver’s license information and your own auto insurance information ready
- Note the owner of the vehicle if you don’t own the vehicle
- Turn over any witness contact information
- Turn over any pictures you took at the scene (You should take photos at the scene if you are able and if the scene is secure. Get pictures of the damage to vehicles, street signs, lane markings, and any visible injuries you suffered.)
What Happens After I File My Accident Claim with Mercury Insurance?
Mercury’s website notes that your case will immediately be turned over to an insurance representative.
- When you file, your case is turned over to an insurance representative
- An investigation may follow, and you may be asked for more information
- A physical inspection of the damage could be required
- If the claim is approved, you’ll be referred to a car repair shop
- You can choose to work with a Mercury preferred repair shop
- You can choose your own repair shop
- You can follow the progress of your claim and the repairs on the Mercury website
Mercury does offer a benefit when you use their approved auto body shops. Any repair they make is guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle.
The California Department of Insurance offers a helpful guide for people going through the claims process after a car accident.
What If My Car Is Deemed a Total Loss?
Different states have different criteria for when to mark a car as a total loss. California requires insurers to “total” a vehicle according to the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of the car. If the ACV is less than the cost to repair it plus the money it’s worth in salvage, it would likely be totaled.
The ACV of the car is its value before the accident. It’s an estimate based on the cost of other similar vehicles in your area recently. The wear and mileage on your vehicle would also factor in.
If your vehicle is totaled, Mercury would provide you with the ACV of the car. This might be reduced by any deductibles explained in your policy. If you still owed money on the vehicle, that debt would still be your responsibility unless you had specialized insurance coverage.
Beware of Insurance Tactics After a California Car Accident
The insurance claim process can go very quickly or very slowly. Unfortunately, the experience you have will depend on what’s most advantageous to Mercury Insurance.
The goal is to get you out the door with as small a car accident settlement check as possible, or no check at all if they can find a reason to reject your claim. This is a problem, especially if you’ve suffered a serious injury, like a broken bone.
If your bone doesn’t heal right or you need surgery to help reduce pain a year later, you won’t be able to ask for more in support. Once you sign a settlement offer, the car insurance company is free of all other responsibility. A skilled California car accident lawyer would inspect every settlement offer you received to see if it covered any problems you may have in the future.
You may decide you don’t need an experienced lawyer to protect your rights, but there are still things you can look out for when working with a giant insurance company to get accident compensation:
- Shifting Blame. Insurance adjusters may try to blame you for an accident you didn’t cause. Having every bit of evidence possible can block this shady tactic.
- Misrepresenting the Coverage. Insurers may deny your claim by citing some fine print in the policy that may or may not really be there. You may need someone with experience to go over your policy or the other driver’s policy.
- Quick Settlement Offers. Insurers can offer you a small settlement in the first few days before you really know how much you’ll need to pay for recovery.
- Delayed Settlement Offers. Insurers can also delay a settlement on purpose, hoping you get financially desperate enough to accept a “lowball” settlement offer later.
- Misusing Recorded Statements. Taking any recorded statements you give Mercury Insurance and twisting your words to damage your case. You may want a lawyer to handle all of the communications with an insurer.
- Not Telling You About All the Benefits. Insurers don’t have to tell you about all the benefits that may be available.
Trusting your case to a lawyer, especially if you’ve been injured, can act as a safeguard when insurance adjusters try to blame you or try to discount your injuries. Your lawyer also fully investigates the accident so that evidence is at the ready if there’s a dispute. Your lawyer goes over every settlement offer to make sure it covers every damage you’ve had to endure. If it doesn’t, your lawyer helps you reject it and demand more.
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 Mercury Insurance, 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.
