You keep car insurance on your vehicle so that if you are injured or your car is damaged in a car accident, you don't have to pay out of pocket. So what happens if you get in an accident and your insurance company refuses to pay? Where can you turn? Where should you go? Here's a look.

Ask why.

Do not just accept the declination of coverage and move on. Ask why the claim was denied. There's a chance there's a simple reason. Perhaps, for example, you forgot to create a drawing of the accident and the insurance company requires that drawing to cover the damages. Maybe you forgot to sign a certain form, or perhaps you wrote the accident report number down wrong and the insurance company was unable to get the correct information from the police. If you find out the problem is easy to fix, you can fix it and resubmit your claim.

Threaten to leave.

If the explanation is a bit more complex — maybe the insurance company argues that you were at fault and you really were not — you can threaten to leave and go to another company if they don't change their mind. Sometimes, especially with a smaller company that is more desperate for business, this will spur them to take a second look and consider approving your claim. Make sure that you are talking to a supervisor when you make this request, as a lower-level associate won't care as much about the loss in business.

Contact a lawyer.

If the insurance company still won't budge, contact a car accident attorney. They can sue your car insurance company in an attempt to get them to pay. If a judge agrees that you should be compensated for the damages, the insurance company will be forced to pay out. Sometimes, it does not even get to this point. When threatened with a lawsuit, the insurance company may agree to pay out in order to avoid the time and expense associated with going to court. Be advised that it can take some time to get your costs covered via a lawsuit. You'll need to collect evidence and attend several meetings with your attorney along the way.

If your car insurance company is refusing to pay for damage related to an accident, don't just pay your own bills and walk away. There are actions you can take to appeal this decision. Talk with a car accident attorney like one at Palmetto Injury Lawyers to determine what course of action you should take.