How to Report Flood Damage to a Car
When a car is flooded lots of mechanical, electrical and interior damage can be done. Automobile flood damage can cost thousands of dollars to fix unless your insurance covers the costs. You’ll need to know how to properly file a claim with your insurance company to the flood-damaged car.
Items needed:
- Accident report
- Digital camera
- Pictures of the accident at the scene
- Repair estimate
- Insurance coverage
- Capture images of the flood-damaged car with a digital camera or cellular phone at the accident scene. The photographs will tell a good portion of the accident’s story and provide your insurance company with crucial evidence. Take lots of pictures, ensure they are clear and capture all of the damaged parts of the car.
- Call the local police department or highway patrol to have them do an accident report. Insurance companies sometimes require police reports in order to work on a claim. Fill out the paperwork that the officer gives you. Explain how the accident occurred and what parts of the car have been damaged. Request a copy of the report from the officer for your files.
- Get the car towed from the scene to a local mechanic. Drive it there if you can. Ask the mechanic you choose to visit how much it will cost to repair the damage. Have the mechanic provide you with a written estimate that includes the cost of every part needed and labor costs for the job. You can give this information to the insurance company to ensure you get the money you need to fix the car.
- Call the insurance company and request to meet with an agent to talk about the accident claim.
- Talk to the agent when they arrive and provide them with the accident pictures, repair estimate and accident report. The agent will finish the claim once they have spoken with you. You insurance company will contact you sometime over the next couple weeks and tell you whether or not your car will be covered.