Oncoming truck with its high beams on resulted in me hitting a cattle

Everyone in the car was safe but the impact broke the headlamp and fog lamp and also damaged the bumper, hood and RHS fender. I will be taking an insurance claim for this.

BHPian mazealot recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

So this happened earlier this morning. I was travelling on a single-lane highway at around 5:30 in the morning, it was drizzling slightly and as a result, the windshield had a little buildup of fog. As the defroster was doing its work, an oncoming truck with its high beams on blocked my view and suddenly I heard a loud bang and unfortunately, I hit a stray cattle standing in the middle of the road.

Thankfully everyone in the car had their seatbelts on and no one suffered any kind of injuries but the impact broke my headlamp and foglamp with damage to the bumper, hood and RHS fender. The damage is limited to the RHS side only and since it was Sunday and my local TASS have their weekly off on Sundays, I had to drive back home in a car with a broken front. Fortunately, the damage only seems to be cosmetic and the car is driving fine.

And for the time being, I’ve taped the damaged area with a garbage bag to keep it safe from rain. Will take the car for an insurance claim tomorrow. Also, I would be glad if anyone could give me a rundown on claiming insurance since this is the first time I’m going to do so.

Be safe and happy motoring!

Here’s what BHPian Funny replied:

Protecting the damaged part from the rain was a clever thing to do but I would suggest you to remove it completely just before you drive into your service center. Insurance surveyors like to see the damages as it is, if required the service center will take necessary precautions to prevent further damage from rain/dust after consulting with the surveyor. Also here are the basic steps for a claim:

1. Take pictures of the damages at the accident spot exactly where it happened if possible, else you can take the pictures later too if the circumstances don’t allow for it.
2. Make a mental (or written) note of the accident narrative since you might have to write it or type it or describe it to the surveyor, needless to say, it should be consistent everywhere. You can just say that you were driving yourself and you hit a stray cattle and there was no further issue from anyone.
3. Inform the Insurance provider ASAP or within 24 hours of the accident. Tell them that you want to claim insurance for own/self damage and there was no one else involved, if they ask. You can decide the day and time for dropping the vehicle but the earlier the better.
4. Depending on your insurance provider and covers, you might have pick-up/drop facilities, 3rd party garage repair clauses etc. I would suggest you to drop the car on your own at your preferred brand-owned body shop and if the insurance company suggests to get it repaired outside, it’s up to you but I’d always recommend to opt for an authorized service center (equipped with a body shop).
5. Be ready with documents like an Insurance copy, ID proof, DL copy and photos (digital) of the damages. For new-age Insurance providers, you have to use their App to upload all the required documents and photos.
6. Assess the damages yourself if possible and make a note of the work to be done, it’ll be easier to discuss the work to be done and timelines with your advisor if you have done your homework. This ensures that nothing that needs repair/replacement gets left out. Your advisor will give you the initial estimate within a day and meanwhile, the surveyor will inspect the vehicle and release the initial work order based on which the service center will start the work. The advisor will inform you of the timelines and you might have to follow up if the duration quoted is longer than a week to make sure your work gets done on time.
7. Finally you will get the intimation when the vehicle is ready for delivery and the final amount that you will have to pay which excludes the amount paid by the Insurance company. Mostly we have cashless claims these days, so you just have to pay your part of the amount directly to the service center. If cashless is not there then you will have to pay the total amount up-front to the service center and the Insurer will reimburse you the agreed amount on their behalf once the vehicle is ready.

This all may seem a little complicated but it’s pretty straightforward and streamlined these days, you might have to follow only 2 or 3 points from here. Wishing your car a speedy recovery!

Here’s what BHPian ashkamath replied:

I am a surveyor, albeit a Marine Hull Surveyor (a ship surveyor) and not a motor surveyor, and so, let me add a bit more here.

Let the protecting plastic remain on the damaged part when you take it to your authorised service centre. It’s alright. The insured, that is the car owner has to show due diligence in protecting his car from further damage and covering the damaged parts with plastic indicates due diligence is being exercised. So, it’s fine to take the car with the plastic cover and remove it in front of them.

Every correspondence, every interaction need to be stated / confirmed via email to both the surveyor and the insurance company. This mail trail is very important as that is the proof that might come in handy if need be. So, every correspondence has to be followed by an email to the surveyor with CC to the insurance company confirming the discussion / interaction with the surveyor.

For example, you meet the surveyor and discuss the claim matters. Immediately upon returning home, shoot an email to the surveyor with CC to the insurance company mentioning the interaction in full detail like what the surveyor said and what you replied. Do this every time you interact with your service center, surveyor, or insurance company. Suppose the service centre says your work will take 2 weeks. Immediately shoot an email to the surveyor, insurance company and the service centre mentioning the same. So, you get the drift of what I am saying here.

The immediate task is, You need to get a claim form from the insurer (the insurance company) and fill it up and return it to them. Take a photocopy of the same for your reference.

As a surveyor, I always stand for ‘Honesty is the best policy’. State the facts as they happened and stick to them. Write down the chain of events as precisely and clearly as possible on a paper. Humans tend to forget quickly and many times a few sections of the events get altered or deleted in subsequent queries. We remember what we had for breakfast yesterday, however, if I ask you what did you have for breakfast last Wednesday, most of us wouldn’t be able to recall correctly. That’s how the human mind forgets over time with newer happenings overlapping the older ones.

Remember to have a copy of every document, bill, invoice, correspondence that you share with the surveyor / Insurance company. We often notice that the insured (the car owner) says that all documents have been submitted to the surveyor and they don’t have any copy with them. Don’t get into that situation. Always keep a copy of every document, bill, invoice with you in a separate file for reference. This is useful in case if you have a dispute with the insurer, at a later date.

Rest, it’s a simple claim. Mostly the insurance company will send its own officer. For claims less than Rs. 50,000 the insurance company need not appoint an independent licensed surveyor but can send their own officer and get the inspection / survey done.

It’s a fairly simple straightforward claim. Shouldn’t be an issue.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.