Do I Need To Report A Minor Accident To The Insurance Company?
Whenever you are in a car accident, it’s a good idea to contact your auto insurance as soon as possible, particularly if another person and their property is involved. Here, we discuss why it’s important to report car accidents to your insurer, what you should include in your report and how soon you should contact them. If you’ve been in an accident and need legal assistance, consider consulting the expertise of a Nashville car accident lawyer.
Why Should You Report the Accident to Your Insurer?
Whether you were in a major or a minor car accident, you should report the incident to your car insurance company. Certain companies require that you notify them of any accident you experience, while others may leave it up to your discretion. Either way, always consider whether anyone was hurt in the accident and if anyone’s property was damaged (including your own).
If someone was hurt in your car accident, you should always notify your insurance company regardless of who was at fault for the accident. Anytime there’s a chance that you or the other party might make a claim against your insurance company in connection with an accident, your insurer needs to know about it. Keep in mind that just because no one appears to be injured at the time of the incident doesn’t mean that they won’t file a claim for injuries later on.
When someone’s property is damaged in a car accident, there’s a good chance that they’ll file a claim against an auto insurer. Even if you are not at fault for the accident, you should still report it to your insurer if it resulted in property damage.
What Does Your Insurance Company Need to Know?
When you contact your auto insurance company, you should be as honest and thorough as possible when providing your statement of the accident. Don’t leave out any details, and make sure to always include witnesses of the accident, how the accident occurred, who was involved, who was hurt and what property was damaged. Also, take note of who you are talking to and request confirmation that they will file your information with the claims office.
While you want to be as open as possible about the incident with your own insurance company, be wary if the other party’s insurer contacts you. Refrain from providing them with too much information. But if someone files a claim against either of your insurance companies, you do want to cooperate with their investigation. However, you are within your rights to direct them to deal with your attorney instead of you.
How Soon Should You Contact Them?
In general, you want to contact your auto insurance company as soon as possible after your car accident, ideally within 72 hours. Even if your insurance policy doesn’t specify a time period for reporting accidents, notifying them sooner rather than later can save you from penalties and issues down the road.
Contact a Nashville Car Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been in a car accident and need legal assistance, contact a Nashville car accident lawyer at Mitch Grissim & Associates. We’ve been serving the Nashville, TN area for 36 years, and our team of experienced legal professionals can help you through this process.
