How to File a Car Accident Claim with Progressive?

It is critical for car accident victims to contact the insurance carrier of the at-fault driver quickly after an accident. If the responsible party’s insurer is Progressive Auto Insurance, this means victims must file Progressive insurance claims with the company to secure their compensation. Failure to promptly file a claim could mean the injured parties will lose out on collecting reimbursement for their losses.

If crash victims successfully file a car insurance claim, then Progressive may have to pay the victims compensation for:

• medical bills and medical expenses,
• lost wages,
• lost earning capacity,
• property damage (including vehicle damage),
• out-of-pocket expenses (including the cost of a rental car in cases where vehicle repairs are required at a repair shop), and
• pain and suffering.

During the claims process, injury victims should be careful in speaking and negotiating with claims adjusters. Insurance providers often try to deny claims to help boost their profits. As such, injured parties should try to follow some of the below tips:

• never admit to causing an accident,
• avoid giving a recorded statement,
• do not offer up information the adjuster does not ask of, and
• report any acts of bad faith to an attorney.

It is typically best for injured motorists to contact an experienced injury lawyer for help in filing a claim with Progressive. Lawyers play an invaluable role in these cases. For example, they can:

• help clients gather evidence to show that a driver was responsible for an accident,
• negotiate a claim on a client’s behalf, and
• file a lawsuit against an at-fault party if the claim process fails.

Our California auto accident attorneys will highlight the following in this article:

• 1. What should an accident victim do immediately after a car crash?
• 2. Can an auto accident victim speak with an insurance claims representative?
• 3. Should a person personally negotiate with a claims adjuster to resolve an accident claim?
• 4. How can a lawyer help with a Progressive claim?

1. What should an accident victim do immediately after a car crash?

If a car crash victim suffers serious medical injuries in an accident, it is critical for that person to secure emergency medical care as soon as practically possible.

If urgent care is not immediately necessary, a driver should remain at the accident scene and try to gather the following information:

• the number of the at-fault driver’s insurance policy,¹
• the driver’s license number of the driver responsible for causing the accident, and
• the names and contact information of any people that witnessed the accident.

The accident victim should then seek out medical treatment, either at an urgent care center or by making an appointment with the victim’s primary care physician.

This holds true even if a person shows no symptoms of a bodily injury/personal injury. Some injuries can lead to serious medical conditions even with no early signs of harm.

Injury victims should then contact the at-fault party’s insurance company to report a claim. With regards to Progressive, a person can file a report by calling the following toll-free phone number: 1-800-776-4737. A crash victim can also file a claim online or via the car insurance company’s mobile app.

If the police never visited the original accident scene, crash victims should contact the authorities to file a police report.

Finally, injured parties should contact their own insurance company to inform what happened. If the at-fault party failed to have insurance, a victim’s uninsured motorist coverage may be available to help with injury losses.

2. Can an auto accident victim speak with an insurance claims representative?

Yes. However, they should be careful in such communications. This holds true no matter whether the communications are with an insurance adjuster, claims rep, or other member of Progressive.

Note that insurance providers are in the business of making money. To cut expenses, they will often look for easy ways to deny an injury claim or settle a claim via a lowball offer.

To avoid both of these, injury victims should try and adhere to the following when speaking with insurance reps:

• do not guess or speculate as to facts,
• keep answers simple and do not provide information the rep did not ask of,
• do not admit guilt,
• avoid giving a recorded statement,
• provide honest and truthful answers,
• do not sign anything until consulting with an attorney,
• do not let an adjuster downplay injury or pain, and
• consult with a lawyer if signs of bad faith.

3. Should a claimant personally negotiate with a claims adjuster to resolve an accident claim?

Typically, no. Once a person files an injury claim with Progressive, an adjuster with the company will want to enter into negotiations to try and settle the claim.

If a claim involves a mild injury with only minor damages, then an injured party can try and work out an agreement on his/her own as to compensation.

But note that adjusters engage in certain tactics to try and settle claims for the lowest value possible.

For example, a claims rep will usually offer a claimant a quick lowball settlement. If the injured party accepts it, the adjuster can close the case and move on.

Given the variety of tactics available, claimants are often better off contacting a skilled personal injury attorney for assistance.

4. How can a lawyer help with a Progressive claim?

Lawyers serve an invaluable role in filing injury claims with Progressive and other insurers.

For example, a personal injury attorney can interview injury victims to gather the facts of their case and assess their medical needs. If a serious injury, an accident lawyer can manage a client’s ongoing medical care.

Sometimes a lawyer can find additional policyholders who were liable for a single accident. Multiple policyholders could mean extra value in a case.

An attorney can also help gather critical evidence in a case and make sure it is presented to Progressive in a way that helps maximize compensation. For example, lawyers can take photos of painful injuries and make sure an insurance rep sees them.

A skilled personal injury attorney can also negotiate a claim on his/her client’s behalf. Lawyers know how adjusters work and they can spot tactics designed to reduce compensation or ones used in bad faith.

Finally, if Progressive denies a claim, an experienced lawyer can help file a lawsuit against the at-fault party.

For additional help…

If you or a loved one was injured in an auto accident, we invite you to contact our law firm at the Shouse Law Group. Our attorneys provide both free consultations and legal advice you can trust.

We know how Progressive operates and we work tirelessly to get you the maximum compensation available for your case.

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