Tip #61: Your insurer will ask for a claim number, photos and the police report number
An insurance claim moves faster when you hand over everything at once: the claim number, your photos, the police report number, the other driver's details and the itemized tow receipt. Most of it is easiest to collect at the scene.
Tip #61 in one line
An insurance claim moves faster when you hand over everything at once: the claim number, your photos, the police report number, the other driver's details and the itemized tow receipt. Most of it is easiest to collect at the scene.
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Call nowThe short list
**Claim number.** Call your insurer or use its app as soon as you are safe. The claim number goes on every document and every call after that.
**Photos.** All four sides of each car, close-ups of the damage, the plates, the road, traffic signs and any skid marks or debris. Wide shots that show where the cars ended up help as much as close-ups.
**Police report number.** Ask the officer for the report or case number and the department name before they leave. The report itself may take days to be available, but the number gets you started.
**The other driver's details.** Name, phone, insurance company and policy number, plate, and the make and model of their car.
**The tow receipt.** Itemized, with addresses, time and plate.
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Call nowWhy the tow receipt matters
Adjusters reimburse what they can verify. A receipt that says only towing with a number is easy to question. Ours lists the hook fee, the miles, the pickup and drop-off addresses, the time and the plate, and the driver photographs the car before loading and at drop-off. Those photos can be sent along with the receipt if the adjuster wants them.
We do not bill insurers directly. You pay at the car by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash, and the receipt arrives by text or email for your claim.
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Call nowMake it one folder
Put everything in one place on your phone: a note with the claim number and police report number, an album with the photos, and the receipt. When the adjuster calls, you can answer in one conversation.
Keep a record of every call, too: the date, the name of the person you spoke to and what they said. Claims can take weeks, adjusters change, and a short log answers the question of who told you what. Ask the body shop to send its estimate directly to the adjuster, and ask the adjuster whether it needs anything else from the tow before it pays.
Call your own tow from the scene so the car goes to the shop your insurer or you choose. Accident towing from Linden is quoted on the call at (908) 444-0129. More on the paperwork is in our accident towing guide and towing answers.
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Call nowMore on accidents & insurance
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- What to do after a car accident in New Jersey
- Tip #36: At a multi-car crash, get people safe before you think about the cars
- Tip #37: Take timestamped photos before the car moves an inch
- Tip #59: Check whether your policy covers roadside help, and keep the receipt either way
- Tip #60: In New Jersey, your own PIP pays your medical bills first after a crash
- Tip #66: You can usually choose your tow, but the police decide when safety requires it
- Tip #67: A roadside club and a local tow operator each have a place, so know when to use which
- Tip #69: Getting a tow reimbursed is four steps, and the first happens at the car
- All posts
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