Filing a Car Accident Claim
After getting into a car accident, filing a claim to receive damages covered may be difficult to navigate. Here’s how to file a car accident claim.
Filing a car accident claim means asking an insurance company for financial compensation for injuries or losses after a car accident. Filing a claim with an insurer depends on who caused the accident and what injuries or damages occurred. Provide the insurance company with all details and documentation related to the accident.
What to Provide an Insurer With After a Car Accident
- A description of the accident
- Photos of damage, roadway, injuries, and any other important items
- Date and time of the accident
- Who was involved, including witnesses and the other driver(s)
- Contact information of everyone involved
- Who or what caused the accident
- Insurance information of the other driver
- Vehicle owner information if it is different than the driver
Related: How Long Does It Take to Reach a Car Accident Settlement?
Filing a Police Report
An important step of filing an insurance claim is filing a police report. Insurance will ask for a police report number of the accident. Go to your local police station or go online to the local police department website to file a claim if there were no police at the scene of the accident. Police may not come to the scene of an accident with no injuries. Collect as many details and photos as possible, as well as the contact information for the other people involved.
Claim Against Some Else’s Insurance
In a state with fault insurance laws, file a third-party claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. If you decide to file a claim against the other driver’s insurance, the at-fault driver’s insurance company may investigate the accident.
Fault-State Insurance Laws vs No-Fault State Insurance Laws
In a fault-state, injuries, damages, and losses may be covered by the at-fault driver’s medical and liability insurance. A majority of states are fault-states.
In no-fault states, drivers must have personal injury protection to pay for medical bills, as well as auto insurance for damages. Filing a claim against the other driver becomes unnecessary. A list of no-fault states can be found here.
Related: 10 Common Injuries After a Car Accident
Filing a Claim with Your Insurance After a Car Accident
Contact your insurance company and describe the accident in detail.
If you live in a no-fault state, you must use your own insurance company to file a claim. No-fault states require the driver to have personal injury protection. Some no-fault states limit the amount of award a person can receive in an accident. The amount of compensation a person may sue for after an accident may be limited. A no-fault state has specific circumstances that must be met in order for a person involved in an accident to sue. Insurance companies pay a set amount for each type of loss.
In fault states, there are minimum insurance coverage requirements for drivers. Victims can pursue claims against any driver found negligent. If the at-fault driver is uninsured, you may need to rely on your own insurance. It may not be worth suing the other driver if they cannot afford the lawsuit.
Liability
Liability insurance is the standard insurance most drivers have. Liability coverage consists of property damage and bodily injury. Liability covers a driver’s medical bills, damages, or suffering of those involved. Most states require this kind of coverage for all drivers. Liability also covers costs for lawyers who are sued. Individuals who are sued beyond what their insurance covers may need to pay out-of-pocket.
Collision Insurance and Personal Injury Protection
Collision insurance covers a vehicle’s damages, such as theft, fire, hail, vandalism, and other hazards. To lease a car, many leasing agencies require the driver to have collision insurance. Most no-fault states also require drivers to have personal injury protection, which covers any resulting injuries from an accident.
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