Road Accidents - What can you claim from the Insurer of the third party vehicle?
This is my final instalment of the Road Accident series. In this final instalment, I will be exploring the various headings of claims which one can make against the insurer of the third party vehicle in the event of a road accident. This is provided negligence can be established against the owner and / or driver of the other vehicle.
Property Damage
If you vehicle was damaged in a road accident due to the negligence of the driver of the other motor vehicle, you can submit a claim for the repairs and or replacement of your damaged vehicle. Common items which are claimed under this type of claim are repair costs, loss of use of vehicle, adjuster’s fees incurred and documentation fees (eg. Police reports and RIMV search). The disadvantage of this type of claim is that it may take some time before an offer is given to you by the other vehicle’s insurer and even when an offer is given, it usually does not compensate you for all your monies spent as a result of the road accident. An alternative would be to submit a claim to your own insurer called OD-KFK (Own Damage – Knock for Knock). In this type of claim, your insurer will usually deal with the repairs and payment of the repair costs as well as adjuster’s fees. For loss of use and documentation fees, you still need to claim from the other insurer.
Bodily Injury
If you have been injured in a road accident due to the negligence of the driver of the other motor vehicle, you can submit a claim for pain and suffering and loss of amenities due to the injuries suffered and expenses incurred. If you are working and you have suffered loss of income or your post-accident income has been reduced by reason of the residual disabilities arising from the injuries, you may also submit a claim for this. If your doctor is of the view that a future operation may be necessary, you may also claim for the cost of such future operation. Where nursing care is required and reasonable in the circumstances, cost of nursing care may also be claimed. The amount payable for pain and suffering and loss of amenities due to the injuries suffered depends on like cases in the past which are taken as precedence. Read more
Road Accidents - Insurance Claims
Arising out of a road accident, what types of insurance claims can be made by the accident victim? It depends really as circumstances vary from one accident to another.
In this continuation of my series on Road Accidents, I will share with you the common types of insurance coverages available and what you should be doing to make a claim in these various types of insurance coverages.
Motor Policy
If your vehicle is involved in an accident and you have purchased a comprehensive motor policy, you may make a claim on your comprehensive motor policy to restore your vehicle to its pre-accident condition. You would not be able to do so if you only purchased a third party coverage motor policy.
Personal Accident Policy
If you are injured in a road accident, you may make a claim on the personal accident policy which you purchased subject to the type of injury sustained. Usually in policies of this kind, you must sustain serious injuries which disable a part of your body. Consult your insurance agent whether the injury sustained is covered.
Hospitalisation Policy
If you are admitted to a hospital due to injuries sustained in a road accident, you may be able to make a claim on your hospitalisation policy subject to the terms of the policy. The common items claimable are operation and treatment fees as well as bed. You are advised to carry your medic card with you issued by your insurer so that in the event you are hospitalised, you can produce this card to the hospital upon admission to check whether your hospital bills would be paid for by the insurer or not. Read more