Insurance Hacks

Pre-Accident Insurance Must-Know Hacks:

1. Information Gathering is Critical
• Write down vehicle license plates 
• Names of the parties involved 
• Driver's license numbers
• Insurance policy information
• Names and contact information of any witnesses
• Take pictures of the scene, damage to the cars, and of any visible injuries. 
• Immediately write down your recollection of the accident 
• (Having the above information will make the all the difference between protecting yourself legally and being taken advantage of by your own insurance company.) 

2. Call the Police and file a report.

   Its not uncommon for an at-fault driver to admit liability at the scene only to deny it later. Record it up front.

3. Report to the DMV

   Within 72 hours, you are required to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles whenever anyone is injured or the combined property damage exceeds $1,500.00. (Oregon State Law)

Post Accident Insurance Must-Know Hacks:

1. You are 100% Covered for your Injuries

   By law, every automobile insurance policy issued in Oregon is required to have a minimum of $15,000 in Personal Injury Protection ("PIP") coverage. This means that you are entitled to payment of medical bills and lost wages, regardless of the circumstances or fault of the accident.
2. Statute of Limitations: 
• Oregon has a two year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. This means that you have two years from the date of the accident to settle your claim or file a lawsuit. Within the medical industry, injury specialist will tell you that your claim will be increasingly harder to substantiate the longer you wait to seek medical treatment for injuries. Seeking help within 2 weeks of the accident is ideal.
3. Never settle your claim without knowing the full scope of your injury. This can leave you with an unknown amount of medical bills coming out of your pocket. Seek a medical professional and report all injuries no matter how small.
• Leaks from former senior-level insurance adjusters within the industry who left burned out attest to a variety of profits tactics that knowingly took advantage of injury victims by low-balling personal injury claims.
4. When a claim is denied, its worth appealing.

• 94% of denied claims are not appealed, yet 70% of the ones that are get approved.