By Anja van den Berg
Third-party car insurance is the minimum level of insurance that one can obtain. This insurance is designed to provide compensation to a third party should you cause damage to their person, vehicle, or property.
https://www.claimhelp.co.za offers some practical and valuable advice to South African consumers concerning third-party insurance rights and responsibilities.
Third-party insurance does not cover the costs of repairs or treatment for your own damages; the insurance only covers the cost involved in compensating the victim.
If you have been involved in a car accident or accident involving another person’s property where you were not at fault, you may want to claim for damages from the insured party. To do this, you must attempt to prove the extent of loss you suffered because of the incident.
The onus is in you, the claimant, to prove the extent of your losses.
Also, it is essential to note that as a third party, you are not necessarily entitled to claim directly from the responsible party’s insurer. Instead, you should make a direct claim from the responsible party, who will, in turn, hand over any correspondence and legal documents to the insurer.
The insurer’s duty to the responsible party is to ensure that he or she is cleared of legal liability regarding damages to the third party. The insurer’s rights regarding the claim will be stipulated in the insurance policy with the insured party.
Essentially, the insurer’s purpose in third-party insurance is to take over the responsibility of the insured party should he or she be the cause of damage to another person or his or her property.
For what can you claim?
To claim from the responsible party:
If the responsible party does not have insurance, you were the victim of an accident while on a public vehicle, such as a bus, or you would prefer to pursue your claim through the government, you should contact the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
Sources
https://www.claimhelp.co.za/third-party/
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