Even if you are a professional or just doing it for fun, regardless of how good a drone pilot you are, at some point in time, you would make an error. Your drone can be damaged by this mistake, get lost or even cause harm to someone which might land you into jail.
What do you do when stuck? If insured against the consequences shall be minimized. Financial and sometimes legal issues may always be resolved through your insurance provider.
So, what should you do after a drone accident?
This post will answer that question for both drone pilots with and without insurance, giving clear steps to handle the situation. Keep reading to find out!
Contact Your Drone Accident Coverage Provider
The key is what happens immediately after an accident has occurred involving your drone. These are some of the steps that help ensure your insurance claim is handled smoothly and quickly. Failure to act according to these steps would mean no financial coverage but also brings about legal problems
Here’s a simple guide on how to report the accident and what happens during the claims process:
Document The Damage
To begin with, ensure everyone is secure and the area safe to prevent further injuries or damages. After that, consult your insurance brokers without any delay. Many insurers have a 24-hour hotline for emergencies, which means you can promptly report the accident.
In addition, take down details of the accident. Clearly photograph the scene as well as damage on the drone and any property affected. If possible take a video for more evidence. Where there were any witnesses you should collect their contacts and ask for written statements about what they saw.
Finally, ensure that you secure the drone. The user should, if possible, retrieve his damaged drone together with any detached parts he can find after it has fallen off from its normal state during this accident.
This is important because of how it allows insurance companies to confirm its condition and determine the specific damages caused by it.
Filing A Drone Insurance Claim
If you want to smooth and expedite the process of filing a claim after experiencing a drone accident, then it is vital to adhere to the right steps. You are supposed first of all to fill in the insurance firm’s claim form concerning this ordeal.
Give accurate times, dates and places; this helps your insurer comprehend what really happened. Further, present every proof you might have that will provide a well – detailed situation about the occurrence of an accident.
To each specified manner in which claims should be lodged according to the insurer, ensure that once all details are filled in on the claim form and evidence has been collected, submit your claim as they would require it. It might involve forwarding it by email or through online portals or even via snail mail.
Make sure you submit them as directed so that there will be no delays in getting your rewards as soon as possible after it is received quickly enough without any more time eaten-up during its processing.
After Filing The Claim
After the claim has been filed, the insurance process moves into the assessment phase. Your claim will be reviewed by an insurance adjuster who may contact you to get more details so that he can completely understand what transpired. This step is important for verifying your claims.
Moreover, it could involve further investigation of the accident by the insurer. Involvement might include going to where accidents happened, consulting drone experts and having more investigations done. This extensive inquiry enables the insurer to have all necessary information to enable making a decision.
Upon completion of the investigation, your claim will be decided upon by the insurer. When your claim is accepted, you will receive notification on how much compensation you will receive based on your policy. Such reparation would pay for repair costs for your drone or give you a new one if it was totally destroyed.
Additionally, this claim investigation followed with documents and statements made by witnesses, if any, confirming that indeed there was a crash caused by my drone as alleged in order for them to proceed with further enquiry without any doubt as per the liability part of an insurance contract.
Bonus: Tips for a Smooth Claims Process
To assure that the claims procedure runs smoothly, here are some important things to keep in mind:
- Be Truthful: When filing a claim, provide accurate information and avoid any false information as it may result in the denial of your claim or cause you legal problems.
- Keep Good Records: You must have a folder with all emails, call logs and other records as this will help track the status of a claim and resolve disputes.
- Stay in Touch with Your Insurer: In order to speed up your claim, make sure that you constantly remind them about it and seek clarifications on anything else that is not clear.
- Know Your Insurance Policy: Be aware of what is covered under your insurance policy for compensation purposes. Thus, familiarize yourself with its terms, conditions and limitations.
By following these steps, you will be able to more easily navigate through the claims process while feeling confident.
Immediate Steps After a Drone Accident Without Insurance
It is important to act quickly in order to deal with the situation properly when you are involved in an accident and do not have insurance. Make sure that everyone involved is safe and secure at the accident site to avoid further injuries or damages.
As it is with insurance, documentation of all these matters should be done. Photos which are detailed as well as any videos captured at the scene together with a drone should be taken. These visuals may serve as strong evidence later on.
If there were any witnesses of the accident, take their statements down. Gather up their contacts and request for a written account of their observations. Such additional evidence would back your own side of the account.
In case if the matter is serious, reporting procedures to local authorities or aviation regulators may be necessary. It also ensures observance of all reporting rules thereby making it transparent and legal compliance.
Lastly, consider how much damage has been caused by your drone alongside other property or even people injured. This way you will know exactly what consequences have followed thus informing your future actions.
Dealing With The Financial And Legal Consequences
For a start, you shall be in charge of footing all the bills for repairing or replacing your drone. These costs are your sole responsibility without any assistance from insurance. Also, if your drone caused damage or injury, then those costs might be yours to pay too.
Getting legal advice is important so as to know what you can be held accountable for and possible liabilities. A Drone law attorney may provide you with some good suggestions.
A solution to this issue can be reached by talking to the victims instead of going through court and wasting much money on that. Negotiations that are positive and end up with agreements benefiting all concerned parties could reduce financial burden as well as minimize chances of being sued.
When this becomes unavoidable, it is crucial to get a competent attorney in support. In courts of law, such lawyers who know more about drones laws can advise appropriately and defend you by standing in for you thereby safeguarding your rights and interests.
Prevent Drone Accident Hassles With Drone Insurance
Dealing with a drone accident alone can be quite overwhelming. Getting a drone insurance provider is a proactive approach that will save you from the trouble and the financial burden of dealing with an accident by yourself.
Insurance brings about calmness in your mind and guarantees proficient assistance when there is great necessity. In case you have been covered, you are not alone; your companion will be available to help you out after an incident, including offering legal advice and even financing.
Types of Drone Insurance to Consider
For you to know the type of drone insurance which you should buy, here is a list that will give a simple explanation.
- Liability Insurance: This is the most common type of drone insurance that covers liability for body injuries and property damages resulting from your use of a drone.
- Hull Insurance: It provides coverage for damage to physical aspects of the drone itself whether in flight, transit or at rest.
- Payload Insurance: Flight gear such as cameras and sensors are insured by payload insurance so as long they are attached to them.
- Ground Equipment Insurance: This type insures any equipment used for operating drones (other than drones themselves) like ground stations or remote controls.
- Personal Injury Protection: This may deal with claims involving invasion of privacy or emotional distress caused by operations with unmanned aerial vehicles.
- Non-Owned Drone Insurance: If you rent or borrow a drone, this policy offers liability and hull coverage .
Therefore knowing about it and selecting proper policies will enable you to fly your UAV with confidence meaning you shall be covered against any unforeseen circumstances.
Conclusion – We Can Help!
Drone accidents usually lead to a lot of trouble. The good news is that if you are aware of the right steps and have the necessary information about how to document everything required, whether or not one has insurance coverage can significantly affect the outcome in case such an accident happens.
Drone Insurance Online is the number one online source for drone pilots who want to protect their love for drones and make sure they are insured during all flights. Our comprehensive ebook will give you all the information needed by both novices and experienced drone flyers looking for the best drone insurance policy.
Stay prepared! Visit Drone Insurance Online today.