ENHANCING YOUR CLAIMS
SETTLEMENT EXPERIENCE
AUTO INSURANCE CLAIMS
Enhancing Your claims sEttlEmEnt ExpEriEncE
auto insurancE claims
Your vehicle is an integral part of your life. Our aim is to make the claims process as comfortable as possible. We have developed this booklet as a handy guide which highlights the answers to your questions about the claims process. If you have any additional queries not covered in this document, please feel free to contact one of our insurance specialists at 434-6000.
What’s in this BooklEt:
• At the Scene of an Accident • What Happens Next• Assessing Vehicle Damage
• How and When are Claims Settled
• What is Contributory Negligence?
• What is Meant by the Terms ‘Excess’ or ‘Deductible’? • Claims Settlement Involving Stolen Vehicles
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at thE scEnE of an accidEnt
Be sure to take the following actions at the scene of an accident: • Call 211 and report the accident to the police.
• Call the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL)’s OmniPlus Road Advantage at 434 6000 for 24-hr roadside assistance.
• Record the details of the other parties involved in the accident including the driver’s name and address, the vehicle owner’s name and address, the names of any passengers, the vehicle registration number and the company with which the vehicle is insured.
• Record the date and the time of the accident, the conditions of the road, the name of the road and the lighting at the time of the accident.
• Record the names, addresses, telephone numbers and/or email
addresses of independent witnesses (persons not travelling in either vehicle). This information can be vital since witnesses can assist in situations where there is a dispute with a claim.
• Record information on the Police Officers who visited the scene. Be sure to request their names, ranks and the Police Station to which they are assigned.
• Make a note of any measurements taken by the Police at the scene of the accident.
What happEns nExt
In cases where ICBL OmniPlus Road Advantage was not used, you must notify ICBL of the accident immediately and complete the auto claim form at any of ICBL’s three locations within 24 hours. The information gathered at the scene of the accident will be useful when completing the form.
When completing the auto claim form, be sure to bring; • your driver’s licence or that of the driver (if different) • your insurance certificate
• where possible, a prepared statement outlining details of how the accident occurred.
ASSeSSINg VeHICLe dAmAge
You must obtain an estimate for repairs of the vehicle damage from the garage or person who will be carrying out the repairs. This must be submitted to ICBL as soon as possible.
ICBL will appoint a surveyor to inspect your vehicle and prepare a report based on the estimate submitted. The basic components of the report will include: • The damaged parts including which parts can be repaired or must
be replaced.
• A list of the prices of the parts to be replaced and an analysis of the labour costs which were submitted by your repair person.
• Whether the vehicle will be considered to be a total loss,
including the condition of the vehicle and the market value at the time of the accident.
In some cases where it is difficult to come to a conclusion on which party is at fault in the accident, ICBL will request a police report. In the case where no other vehicle is involved in the accident, a detailed investigation will be conducted.
HOW ANd WHeN ARe CLAImS SettLed
Claims settlements are negotiated with you or your broker or your Attorney-at-Law based on the evidence obtained from the reports.
5 Negotiations may result in either a cash settlement or the purchase of auto parts which have been authorized for the repair of your vehicle.
There may be cases where both parties involved in the accident were negligent. In such cases, a contributory settlement may be negotiated.
WHAt IS CONtRIButORY NegLIgeNCe?
Contributory negligence is where the cause of the accident is the fault of both drivers (e.g. one driver is turning right and the other driver is overtaking). Each person is then compensated according to the extent of the other’s negligence. The contributory percentage is decided by the insurance companies of the two drivers.
WHAt IS meANt BY tHe teRmS ‘eXCeSS’ OR ‘deduCtIBLe’?
Excesses or deductibles are very common in private car and other classes of motor insurance. An excess is applicable when you are involved in an accident with a third party and you are at fault OR when there is no third party to recover from (e.g. your vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree), there is undue delay in the third party reporting the accident and where the claim is in dispute.
the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) members driving their vehicles at the time of the accident dO NOt pay an excess.
In cases where the excess is applied:
• The amount of excess is always deducted from the agreed amount of the claim;
OR
• You the insured may be requested to pay the excess before the claim is settled.
In the case where an excess is compulsory, the amount to be paid will vary depending on the driver’s age, driving experience, and other related factors. Three main categories and their corresponding excess values are listed below :
1. An amount of $750.00 if the driver is over the age of 25 years;
2. An additional amount of $750.00 (added to the amount shown in 1. above) if the driver is under the age of 25 or over 25 but has held a driver’s license for less than 2 years;
3. An additional amount of $2,000.00 (added to the amount shown in 1. on the previous page) if the driver is under the age of 21 and not declared on the policy. Special conditions apply for vehicles over a certain value and for those under certain classes of business.
If a claim for repairs is being settled under your policy, the excess must be paid prior to us giving authorization for those repairs.
CLAImS SettLemeNt INVOLVINg StOLeN VeHICLeS
Here are some urgent steps which must be taken in the event that your vehicle is stolen:
1. Call 211 immediately and notify the police;
2. Notify ICBL or your broker of the occurrence as soon as possible;
3. Complete the auto claim form. Please ensure that a copy of the statement made to the police is attached to this form.
details Required on the Claim Form:
• Location of the vehicle when it was stolen; • Date and time on which the vehicle was stolen;
• All relevant information which was provided during the police report.
If the insurance certificate is stolen along with the vehicle, you will be required to sign an affidavit in order to obtain a new certificate if the vehicle is recovered, but not the certficate.
CLAImS SettLemeNt INVOLVINg StOLeN VeHICLeS
Claims are settled based on the findings of the police report, which is requested by ICBL. The time period for settlement may vary from 3 to 12 months depending on the length of time it takes to obtain the police report. At the time of settlement, you are required to sign a total Loss discharge which indicates that, should the vehicle be recovered, it becomes the property of the insurance company.
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CLAImS FOR WINdSHIeLd dAmAge
Claims for damaged windshields or other glass on your vehicle are not subject to an excess or deductible if no other part of the vehicle is damaged at the same time. The maximum amount payable is $2,500.00.
Notify ICBL or your broker immediately in the event your windshield is damaged and complete a motor claim form.
ICBL’s claims Inspector/Surveyor will arrange an inspection with you in order to determine the extent of the damage.
The payment for replacement of the windshield will then be made directly to the garage completing the repairs.
rEmEmBEr
EVidEncE of oWnErship and thE ValuE of
propErtY lost or damagEd arE critical WhEn
making a claim. alWaYs kEEp Your rEcEipts and/
or up-to-datE Valuations.
For more information on the claims process, please call one of our insurance specialists at 434-6000.
Claims department - (246) 434-6020 Claims manager - (246) 434-6021
