Nationwide Insurance Claims: All You Need To Know

In order to recover fair value for your accident or injury claim, you must be equipped with a plan for combatting the tactics that insurance companies like Nationwide use to pay you as little as possible.

Like many other large national insurance companies, Nationwide is built to return an investment to its shareholders. This means they will often do everything they can to avoid paying fair settlements whenever they can to protect their profit margin.

To Nationwide, you are just a number in a file. Their goal is to pay you as little as possible. To maximize the value of your claim, you should speak to a qualified legal professional who will represent your best interests and not that of Nationwide’s shareholders.

Overview of Nationwide Insurance

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. The company is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s.

Nationwide is an industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation and provides a full range of insurance and financial services products. These include auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities, mutual funds, and EFTs. It also includes excess & surplus, specialty and surety, and pet, motorcycle, and boat insurance.

The company’s business insurance offerings include everything from standard policies to specialized coverage for specific industries such as construction, retail, food and beverage, and more. It may be a good fit for businesses that need specialized business insurance coverage, including fidelity bonds and surety bonds.

Nationwide business insurance types

Nationwide offers a wide range of business insurance products, which is helpful for small businesses looking to bundle several types of insurance.

Business owner’s policy

A business owner’s policy (BOP) combines several major components of insurance in one convenient package. Nationwide’s standard BOP includes basic business liability, commercial property, business income and equipment breakdown insurance. Each of these products can be purchased separately as well.

Nationwide offers customized BOPs for several industries that share common risks:

Auto
Food
Office
Retail
Service
Wholesale

Commercial property insurance

Nationwide commercial property insurance protects your physical place of business in the event of damage or loss. A commercial property policy through Nationwide will cover your building, inventory, furniture and equipment, as well as any signage, storage sheds, landscaping and fences.

Your commercial property coverage may also extend to property owned by others, depending on the event and the policy.

Business liability insurance

Business liability insurance, also called general liability insurance, is a standard component of a BOP and protects you if you’re liable for someone’s medical expenses, attorney fees or damage when your company is at fault.

If you want to purchase business liability insurance as a standalone product, Nationwide offers several basic plans customized for various industries. Additional commercial liability insurance options are called endorsements and can be added to your basic policy to provide the coverage you need.

Business income insurance

Business income insurance, also called business interruption insurance, protects your finances when your business operations are disrupted by circumstances out of your control. This type of policy can help you cover lost business income, payroll, taxes, loan and mortgage payments, temporary expenses such as overtime pay or relocation costs, and more.

Business income insurance is included in Nationwide BOPs and can also be purchased separately.

Commercial auto insurance

Commercial auto policies are similar to consumer auto coverage, with up to five standard components: liability insurance, medical coverage, comprehensive, collision, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

Equipment breakdown insurance

Nationwide includes equipment breakdown insurance as a standard component of a BOP. This type of coverage protects you when you can’t use the tools that help you operate your business. Your equipment breakdown insurance can help pay for repairs or replacements, the cost of replacing any spoiled materials or goods, and other expenses that arise as a result of covered breakdowns.

Other coverage options

Beyond the essential coverage options listed above, Nationwide also offers the following products:

Workers’ compensation insurance, which is required in many states if you have employees and contractors.
Employment practices liability insurance, which can protect you against employee lawsuits.
Cyber liability for protection if your digital data is compromised in a cyber breach.
Errors and omissions insurance is a type of professional liability insurance, and it can protect you in cases of negligence or copyright infringement.
Umbrella insurance, or personal liability insurance, serves as a fail-safe when your other coverage runs out. For example, if you are responsible for paying a $1 million claim but your business liability insurance covers only $500,000, your umbrella policy could cover the remaining $500,000.
Inland marine insurance protects goods you transport across land.
Accounts receivable insurance protects you from any expenses related to unpaid payments from your customers, as well as any damaged accounts receivable records.
Builder’s risk insurance protects your construction projects from start to finish.

Nationwide car insurance coverage

Nationwide has nearly 100 years of experience providing drivers with comprehensive insurance options. It’s important to note that each state has its own laws that dictate the types of car insurance and minimum coverage limits drivers must purchase.

The standard types of insurance you can get with a Nationwide auto insurance policy include:

Bodily injury liability (BI)	A type of liability car insurance that covers other drivers and their passengers when you are at fault in an accident
Property damage liability (PD)	Covers other vehicles in accidents you cause
Collision insurance	Covers your vehicle no matter who is at fault
Comprehensive insurance	Covers vehicle damage from environmental factors such as floods, fires and fallen tree branches, as well as theft and vandalism
Personal injury protection (PIP)	Covers medical expenses, lost wages and death benefits for you and your passengers in no-fault states
Medical payments (MedPay)	Covers medical expenses for you and your passengers
Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage (UIM/UM)	Protects you when you are in an accident with a driver who has no insurance or too little insurance

Many states only require liability insurance. You may see it written as 15/30/10, which means $15,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $30,000 in bodily injury liability per accident and $10,000 in property damage liability per accident.

Nationwide auto coverage options

Beyond these standard plans, Nationwide offers add-on coverage options, such as:

Roadside assistance: Provides help if you need towing, fuel delivery, a tire change or a jump-start
Rental reimbursement coverage: Provides access to a rental car or other transportation while your car is in a repair shop after a covered accident
Gap coverage: Pays the difference between the actual cash value of your vehicle and what you owe on your car loan in case of an accident
Accident forgiveness: Keeps your rate from increasing after your first at-fault accident or minor violation
Vanishing deductible: Allows you to take $100 off your deductible for each year of safe driving, up to $500
Total loss deductible waiver: Has your physical damage deductible waived in the event of a total loss

Filing insurance claims with Nationwide

Before filing a claim with Nationwide, we recommend you take these simple steps to have the best opportunity to receive a fair settlement for your damages:

Make sure you hold on to all the paperwork related to your medical bills and make copies. If you had passengers in the car with you at the time, make sure they do too. If you have lingering injuries or injuries that show up days or weeks after your accident, don’t let them go untreated. Make sure you get a proper diagnosis from a medical professional.
Hold on to the police report from your accident, it will be an important document to help settle your claim.
Make sure you let your insurance company know that you’ve been in an accident if you haven’t already. It’s better to let them know as early as possible.
Never sign any legal documents without first consulting a lawyer if you don’t know what they mean or you have serious questions or concerns.
Don’t talk to anyone about your opinion of the accident until you’ve had a chance to speak with a trusted accident lawyer.

What do I need to file insurance claims with Nationwide?

When you file a claim with Nationwide, it’s good to have the following information on hand:

Your insurance policy number and the full name of the driver who hit you and their and insurance policy number, if it applies.
A copy of the police report you were given at the time of your accident. If you don’t have it, you can call the police department and request a copy.
The names and contact information of any passengers that were in your car at the time of the accident, especially if they were injured.
Evidence of the damage to your vehicle, such as pictures you took of your car after the accident, and before pictures if you have any.
The contact information of a trusted repair shop in your area for an alternate damage estimate.
Documents related to the injuries you suffered as a result of the accident, including your initial doctor or hospital visit, and any other follow-up care.

How do I file insurance claims with Nationwide?

Today, Nationwide offers several different ways to file a claim, including through its smartphone app, on its website, over the phone, and in person with a Nationwide agent.

Nationwide is known for being the first insurance company to develop an iPhone app to help its customers take the right steps after an accident. The app also now helps Nationwide customers start the claims process and find local repair shops.

If you were in a minor accident with damage only to your vehicle, follow Nationwide’s claims process. If you’re able to do so, you should get a second opinion on the cost it will take to fix your car. You can do so by going to a trusted auto repair shop, and it’s your right to do so. You can also use Nationwide’s online claim system to ensure that all of your interaction with Nationwide is documented.

Communicate with your claims adjuster by email or using the Nationwide claims system whenever possible to ensure you get everything in writing.

If you are filing a claim against Nationwide because it is the insurance company of the at-fault driver, it is up to your insurance company or up to you individually to file a claim against Nationwide to be reimbursed for your damages. Because Texas is an at-fault state, you can file a claim against Nationwide for any accident-related property damage and medical expenses if you were not the at-fault driver.

Nationwide Insurance Claims: All You Need To Know

Overview of Nationwide Insurance