When should I contact my insurance company after a car accident? Your insurance company should be notified as soon as possible after a car accident. However, it may also be wise to consult with a Chicago car accident lawyer.
You are likely to find that informing your insurance company after an accident is part of your policy’s terms. If you violate them, your insurance policy could refuse to help you later on. Even if all the evidence shows that you are not to blame for the accident, you may still need your insurance company.
How Insurance Helps You After a Car Accident
The precise terms of your policy will outline how your insurance company assists you after an accident. In general, this includes paying medical bills and repairs to your car. It will also take care of the other driver’s costs if you were at fault. Payments are limited to the amounts stipulated in your policy.
If another driver caused the accident, your insurance company may help you with immediate costs faster than if you waited for a settlement. Then, they would work to recover the funds they paid out to you from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
There is also a chance you have coverage against accidents with uninsured or underinsured motorists. Even if you are sure you did not cause the accident and the other driver promises to pay all your damages, you might still need your insurance. The uninsured driver may change their mind or not be able to pay.
Information Insurance Companies Need After a Car Accident
Dealing with insurance companies after a car accident is almost always a complicated process. However, getting the ball rolling is comparatively simple. Be prepared for your call or notify them in writing. Provide only the necessary information. If you call, decline a recording.
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance, there is no law requiring you to provide information, especially when filing a claim with another driver’s insurance company. However, any insurer, including yours, will need as many of these basics as you can offer:
- The date and time of the accident, and where it occurred
- The names, dates of birth, contact details, and driver’s license numbers of all drivers who were involved in the accident
- The makes, models, colors, and license plate numbers of all cars involved in the accident
- The names of the drivers’ insurance companies and their insurance policy numbers
The main thing is that your insurance company must be aware that you were involved in an accident and have a few basic details. You may decide your accident was minor enough for you not to need legal help. In that case, they may only need medical and accident reports.
What You Need Not Tell Your Insurance Company
When you first contact your insurance company after a car accident, you need only disclose a few facts. If you are pressed for more details, tell them that you are not ready to comment. You do not have to tell them your version of how the accident happened or talk about your injuries.
Remember that the things you tell your insurance company may affect how they handle your claim. Even if you think you may be partly to blame for the accident, do not say so. Investigations may later show that you did not do anything wrong.
Consider that you may not yet have a complete and accurate version of the events. If anything extra you said can be construed as lying, you could get into serious trouble even if you did not mean to mislead anyone. Luckily, you need not say much at this stage, and a lawyer can help later on.
What to Do if Your Injuries Prevent You From Contacting Your Insurance Company After a Car Accident
When you have been badly injured, you may be in no position to contact your insurance company or anyone else. Your loved ones may not have thought about it. Instead, they were shocked by your accident and worried about you.
Get help from a family member, your lawyer, or call your insurance company as soon as you are able. Your policy may specify that you should contact your insurance company after a car accident and establish a specific timeframe. However, they will understand that serious injuries could prevent such an outcome.
Whenever you contact your insurance company, especially in a situation like this, be sure to document the date and time of your contact and the name of the person you spoke to. If it is possible to do so in writing, you will have the necessary proof if a dispute arises later.
When to Get a Lawyer Before You Contact Your Insurance Company
You know you should contact your insurance company after an accident, but if you are injured, it may be best to involve a lawyer from the very beginning. For instance, if a driver who caused an accident is with the same insurance company, there could be a conflict of interest.
An attorney will handle all the back-and-forth with insurance companies. They will also conduct their investigation into the crash and calculate what compensation you should recover. This will help you if determining liability is complicated or if you are offered inadequate compensation.
We advise involving an attorney when you believe you were not at fault and have been injured. Seemingly minor injuries can worsen later on. For example, brain injuries in car accidents can get worse over time, even when they seem mild at first. Your lawyer will work to get you fair compensation.
When You Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident, Choose Charlie
At Therman Law, lead attorney Charlie Therman and his team assist individuals who find themselves in challenging situations. You may have contacted your insurance company after a car accident, but even though you were not at fault, you are unsure how you will afford proper treatment.
Insurance is not the only answer. With your legal team and our accident reconstruction specialists on your side, you may recover better compensation than you expected
Cook County residents rely on us, and a look at our testimonials will show you why. Call us because we care about you.