Questions asked by insurance company?

by Cassie
(Anchorage, AK)

I purchased car insurance for my husband 2 hours before he got into an accident. My husband was on his way to pick me up from work and ended up getting into and accident. He hit a tree, the roads were bad and he lost control of the vehicle.

I was at work and he called to tell me and then I called the police due to his cell phone battery almost being dead. I got off and caught a taxi to the scene of the accident. The police showed up shortly after me.

We also called the insurance company to report the claim. We had the vehicle towed and the claim adjuster was suppose to come and look at the damages the next day. The next day arrives and I am on the phone with the company and they are asking me for The name of the company I work at and the name of my boss so they can call her.

They also asked me for a copy of my timecard along with a copy of my phone record.

I kept asking why they needed these things and they stated it was a part of the claim process and they could not process the claim until they had this information. I was confused due to the fact I was not even in the accident and this information had no relevance on the fact we were insured by the insurance company for an hour or two before the accident.

We even reported it to the police officer. They also asked my husband for a copy of his phone record as well.

My husband and I discussed and decided to call his dad an ex police officer who has power of attorney over my husband.

He called and talked to a supervisor and she stated we would not need to submit my time card or call the employer. The next day my husband gets a call that the investigation has been transferred to Christina in Anchorage, AK.

She tells my husband she needs to talk to me as well. My husband stated "No, that he was in the accident and this has nothing to do with my wife. He also stated that they could discuss all further questions with his dad due to the way we both were treated rudely and asked for documents that didn't seem logical. She stated he would have to talk to them eventually and so would I.

They still haven't even had and adjuster look at our car to see the damages, we are paying for the rental car, towing fees to get it towed to the lot after the accident, and now the lot fees and another towing fee to get it towed to our apartment. My question are they allowed to ask me for these documents?

Once they state you are insured, take your money, and send you confirmation aren't you insured and don't they have to cover the cost? Why do they continuously need to talk to me when I was not even at the scene of the accident? Next who can I report them to?

Cassie



Answer:


Hello Cassie,

What you outlined here seems normal. You have an accident in a vehicle that has been insured for 2 hours, the insurance company wants to make 100% sure that you "purchased" insurance BEFORE the accident. You could have "gotten" into an accident and then call the insurance company for coverage.

The first set of facts is covered, the second is not. This is why the insurance company must establish, with paperwork, a timeline. They want to see at what time you left work and what time the accident happened. It's important to show this with evidence. This is why the staff they are asking for looks relevant.

Now, simply because they state that there is coverage, it does not mean that they cannot deny claim. If they do not find enough information to cover the loss, they can deny it on those terms.

See our section claim investigations.

To answer your question, you can file a complaint with the Department of Insurance, or the Insurance Commissioner of your state.


Good Luck,
Auto Insurance Claim Advice
Spokane Washington