Determining the Appropriate Time to Inform Your Insurance Carrier of a Crash
January 18, 2019
Finding yourself involved in a car crash is never an easy experience. There’s so much that can go wrong, including suffering a rash of different injuries. The injuries you suffer could range from minor to severe to fatal. There’s no telling how difficult it will be to recover from the injuries immediately following the crash, which is why it’s always important to seek medical attention. Another important thing you need to consider is when you will contact the insurance company, whether it’s yours or another party’s carrier, to inform them of the crash.
Contact Insurance Carrier in a Timely Manner
The most pertinent advice we can give you regarding contacting your insurance carrier is that it should be done in a timely manner. What exactly is a timely manner? For some it could be within one business day. For others it might be within the week of the crash. But, for most, a timely manner should be within 72 hours of the accident. Make sure you know what is written in your policy because the insurance company might have specified reporting deadlines in it. You don’t want to wind up missing the deadline by assuming you still had time left to report the crash.
When Should I Notify My Insurance Company?
The next question that needs to be answered is when should you notify your insurance company? This is in regards to the circumstances surrounding the possible claim you wish to file. There are a couple of scenarios where it’s in your best interest to notify your insurance company and then there might be some scenarios that are mandated by the policy that the company gets notified by the policyholder.
Two of those scenarios are as follows:
- You were involved in a car accident that resulted in injuries to either yourself, someone in your vehicle, or someone else (another vehicle, bicyclist, pedestrian) or there was a significant amount of damage done to property. This scenario should see you contact your own insurance company whether or not you were at-fault or injured so they know what happened.
- You were involved in a single vehicle crash that caused injuries to yourself, your passenger, or damage to property in a significant manner.
You should also ask yourself the following questions when determining when it’s time to contact your insurance company:
- Might I wind up filing a claim under my own insurance policy because of this accident?
- Might someone involved in the crash file a claim against my insurance company?
If you answered yes to one or both of these questions then you need to inform your insurance company about the accident as soon as possible. It’s always best to report the accident to your own insurance company before any other parties involved in the crash do so. When speaking with the insurance company you need to provide as many details of the accident as possible. This includes names of all involved, the vehicles involved, any injuries suffered by you or anyone else, property damage and the police report case number.
Contact an Erie Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Car Accident Case in Pennsylvania
Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a motor vehicle accident in Pennsylvania? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party, or their insurance company, to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. represent clients injured because of drunk driving accidents in Erie, Millcreek, Harborcreek, Fairview, Meadville and throughout PA. Call 814-273-2010 or email us to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at The Masonic Building 310 Chestnut St, Suite 111 Meadville, PA 16335 as well as offices in Erie and North East, PA.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.