How To File A Car Accident Claim With Progressive In Oregon
Posted on May 13, 2020 in Car Accident
Progressive is one of the most well-known insurance carriers in the US, providing insurance for vehicles as well as other consumer products. While their commercials may be effective and recognizable, the reality is that you cannot depend on the commercial to tell you how to file a car accident claim with Progressive in Oregon. These incidents are serious, and you need to know what to do in the aftermath of a collision.
Oregon Progressive car insurance claims
Progressive may be a popular car insurance company, but the truth is that they rank somewhere in the middle overall when compared to all other insurance carriers, according to a J.D. Power report on insurance companies. When working with Progressive in the aftermath of a car accident in Oregon, policyholders need to be very careful from the outset in order to ensure they recover maximum compensation. It is important to understand the Progressive insurance claims process and the steps you can take after an accident.
Filing a claim
Filing your initial claim with Progressive is not going to be difficult. As with other major insurance carriers, you will be able to file your claim online, over the phone 24 hours a day, or through their mobile app. You should file your initial claim fairly soon after the accident occurs, preferably on the same day of the incident. You do not need to go into many details when you make your initial report, but the insurance carrier does need to know that the accident occurred so the claims process can begin.
Gathering evidence
Progressive’s insurance claims adjusters will not begin investigating the incident until a few days after it occurs. That is why it is vital that you work to preserve evidence in the case. If you can safely do so, you should use your smartphone or other camera to take photographs at the scene of the crash. This includes damages to your vehicle and any other vehicle, any injuries that occur, possible causes of the crash, and more. Get the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses as well as the insurance information and driver’s license number of other drivers involved. By preserving evidence, you are taking steps to help obtain maximum compensation for your claim.
Be wary of claims adjusters
Progressive’s insurance claims adjuster will be involved in the case fairly soon after you make your initial report. Insurance claims adjusters are going to be friendly people, but do not let this fool you. Claims adjusters work for the insurance carrier, and they have one goal – to lower the amount of money that Progressive pays out in a claim. Insurance claims adjusters are going to conduct their investigation into the incident, including inspecting vehicle damage and looking into the severity of your injuries. They may do and say things to try to get you to admit that your injuries are not as severe as you claim.
Progressive’s initial settlement offers
Progressive is going to make an insurance settlement offer fairly soon after the incident occurs. While Progressive tends to somewhere in the middle of settlement offer averages compared to other insurance carriers, their initial settlement offers are often incredibly low compared to competitors. Please understand that initial settlement offers should be your starting point in the negotiation and not the final amount you accept. When going through the aftermath of an accident, it can be tempting to want to take the first settlement offer. However, these settlements are well-designed attempts to get you to sign away your rights to pursue any compensation in the future. You may not yet know the full extent of your injuries.
Speak to an attorney
When you refused the first settlement offer, there is a chance that Progressive will counter with a more reasonable offer. However, it may be necessary to involve a Portland car accident attorney with extensive experience handling these cases.