Is Accident & Emergency included in Comprehensive, or Third Party, Fire & Theft policies?
Accident & Emergency is included in Comprehensive policies. Accident & Emergency is not included in Third Party, Fire & Theft policies.
What do I do if I have an accident?
Step 1 – Report your claim
What you do:
Call us straight away and we’ll get the process started. We’ll ask you for:
- Your relevant personal details
- What happened and where it happened
- Details of third parties involved in the incident – name, contact number and vehicle details
- Details of any passengers or injuries in your or the third party’s car
- Details of damage to the vehicles involved
- Details of any witnesses to the incident
Even if you don’t have all the information, report it to us anyway.
What we do:
- Your claims representative will record the claim details and explain your cover. You’ll also be sent a claims letter, accident report form and request for a copy of your driver’s licence.
- Your claims representative will tell you about our Recommended Repairers network and the benefits of using it. If you want to use it, we’ll put you in direct contact with them so they can look after you ASAP.
- We’ll appoint an engineer to assess the damage, and give you their contact details.
If someone is claiming from your policy, their insurer or solicitor may send correspondence to you directly. All you need to do is forward it to your claims handler.
Step 2 – Damage is evaluated
What you do:
Arrange to get your vehicle to the chosen repairer for a repair estimate. If you use a Recommended Repairer, they’ll help you make arrangements. The engineer will contact you or your garage to arrange an inspection of your vehicle.
What we do:
- The engineer will assess the damage to your vehicle.
- Once we receive their report, we’ll let you know the findings and discuss next steps with you.
- If your car is repairable, we’ll issue confirmation of the agreed repair figures. If it’s not, we’ll contact you to discuss how we calculate pre-accident value.
Step 3 – Damage is repaired
What you do:
Once policy cover is confirmed and repair costs agreed, you can arrange to have your vehicle repaired. Your repairer will advise you when it will be ready to collect.
What we do:
When repairs are completed, your repairer will send the final account to the engineer for review.
Step 4 – Your settlement
What you do:
If you want us to pay the garage directly, sign an Authority To Pay form.
What we do:
- When we receive the final account and all is in order, we’ll arrange payment according to your instructions.
- We’ll send you a letter confirming payment has been made.
Step 5 – Your claim is closed
What you do:
You’ll receive a letter or email outlining all payments issued relating to your claim.
What we do:
Once all payments are made, we close your claim. Please note that this may affect your future Motor Insurance premium, depending on your No Claims Bonus protection.
You’ll find details in your policy booklet.
Helpful Dos and Don’ts:
Do
- Notify the nearest Garda station immediately.
- Take photographs of the damage to both cars and their location.
- Gather as much information as possible, for example:
- Vehicle Registration and Driver's licence number
- Car year, make, model and colour
- Insurance details of all involved
- Attending Garda’s information
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of other driver(s) and any witnesses
- Address of the vehicle owner, if you’re not driving your own car
Don’t
- Admit liability.
- Move your vehicle unless it’s safe and legal to do so.
- Leave the scene until the Gardaí have arrived, especially if someone is injured.
- Organise vehicle repairs before you contact our Claims Team.
If someone is injured:
- Check for injuries to yourself, then your passengers.
- Don’t move anyone who’s injured, unless they’re in danger from oncoming vehicles.
- Call the emergency services, providing details such as the location of the accident, number of people and vehicles involved, and injuries sustained.
Am I covered for personal injury?
Yes, if you have a Comprehensive policy, you have personal accident benefits, accident & emergency cover and unlimited cover for personal injury to any third party.
Approved Repairers
We recommend you use our Recommended Repairer Network, which offers you:
- Minimum 3-year warranty to repaired areas.
- Genuine manufacturer parts and paint warranty.
- Direct billing service.
- Priority service.
- Courtesy vehicle available.
- Free storage.
- Free recovery.
- Free estimating service.
- Compliant with local authority waste disposal requirements.
- Free vehicle wash and clean.
What do I do if there’s a dispute over who is at fault?
Let us handle it. We’ll arrange a full investigation to determine liability.
If you have contact information for witnesses or Gardaí who were at the scene, please pass it along to your claims handler so we can contact them.
For full details, check your policy pack. You can find our current policy booklet here.
