Liability Insurance Claim Procedures
Liability insurance provides protection against claims resulting from injuries and damage to people and/or property occurring during the course of the insured’s activities. Liability insurance policies cover both legal costs and any legal payouts for which the insured would be responsible if found legally liable.
There are many forms of Liability Insurance viz., Commercial General Liability, Third Party Liability, Professional Liability, Errors & Omission Liability, Director’s & Officer’s Liability, Cyber Risk Liability, Product Liability, Employer’s Liability, Carrier Legal Liability, etc.
The following course of action can be undertaken to ensure a speedy conclusion of a claim:
1. As soon as an accidentAny Unforeseen and unanticipated event is considered an accident./incident occurs, inform the insurance company or the broker over phone as well as in writing stating the following:
- PolicyThe legal document issued to the policyholder that outlines the conditions and terms of the insurance; also called the ‘policy Number
- Name of the Company
- Type of PolicyThe legal document issued to the policyholder that outlines the conditions and terms of the insurance; also called the ‘policy
- Current contact information
- Details of the claim
- When the claim occurred
- When the claim was intimated to the insured
- Names and addresses of the claimant
2. Notify the police if required
3. Fill up the claim form with complete details regarding the claim i.e. circumstance of loss, date and time of loss, cause and extent of loss, etc and submit to the insurer
4. Provide an estimate of the claim, if known
5. Mention the details of injury sustained if any and also the medical support given for the same
6. Co-operate with the surveyors and insurance officials to enable them to work towards a quick settlement of the claim
7. Forward all documents, communications, etc., received from the claimants to the insurer
8. Do not correspond directly with the claimant without the prior notice of the insurer
9. Do not admit liability of any incident
10. Do not also make an admission of guilt or promise or offer of payment in connection with any such claims unless agreed by the insurer
11. Provide details of any other insurances which are in place under which this loss could be covered
Claim Documents
In order to help prove the claim, the surveyor or insurance company may seek documentary evidence, such as:
- Completed claim form
- Incident report
- Police report where appropriate
- Letters, emails and other communications from the claimant
- Medical report, medical bills and receipts; in the case of injury claim
- Death certificate, post-mortem report, identity card; in the case of death claim
The above decrements is only indicative and not exhaustive.