Marissa Hayes

Insurance Writer & Expert

Marissa Hayes is a technical editor and contributing writer. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history, and she was the editor of the literary magazine, The Bluestone Review.

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Marissa Hayes
Daniel Walker

Licensed Insurance Agent

Daniel Walker graduated with a BS in Administrative Management in 2005 and has run his family’s insurance agency, FCI Agency, for over 15 years (BBB A+). He is licensed as an insurance agent to write property and casualty insurance, including home, life, auto, umbrella, and dwelling fire insurance. He’s also been featured on sites like Reviews.com and Safeco. To ensure our content is accura...

Reviewed by
Daniel Walker

Updated December 2023

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Nationwide State Farm Allstate

What are my rights when filing a car insurance claim?

This depends on whether you are claiming under a fault or no-fault case. If the accident was caused by someone else, you have the right to claim against that person’s insurance. Why would you want to do this? By claiming on the offending party’s insurance, you keep your insurance claim record clean and may request for No Claims Bonus.

You also have the right to ask for a service vehicle or payment for the lease of a rental while your car is in the shop.  These are rights that an insurance company can question. They can challenge your claim on several points most especially on whether or not the accident was your fault. If it was, then you cannot make a claim against the other party’s insurance policy. The situation reverses.  There is also a tedious process in many cases for claims with several documents that have to be submitted and verified by the insurance company and its adjuster.

Finally, you have the right to a speedy resolution of your claim. Insurance companies cannot drag their feet when processing claims. They are under legal obligation to pay out the claim, deny it and explain why or resolve any dispute you may have with their decisions within a reasonable amount of time.

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