How Long Do You Have To Report Your Accident To Your Insurance Company?

Car accidents, even seemingly minor ones, can be an overwhelming experience. Injured people have many concerns, from treating their injuries to processing what happened, evaluating their damages, and worrying about lost income. They may delay reporting the accident for various reasons, but how long can they wait?

You May Not Have Much Time To Report An Accident To Your Insurance Company

To learn when exactly to report an accident to your auto insurance provider, ask your provider or check the terms of your insurance policy. Insurers stipulate policyholders must report accidents as soon as possible, which is vague. You can also have your car accident attorney do this for you.

Usually, you must report a car accident right after it happened or within a week or month after it happened. Failing to report an accident on time may increase the rates or result in the policy being dropped by your insurer or sued by other parties involved in the crash.

But when it comes to filing an insurance claim, the insurer usually has specific time limits for certain types of insurance coverage. With most insurers, you may have a year or more to file an insurance claim. Again, you should check with the insurer or your attorney to determine when you should file a claim after a crash.

What Happens If You Don’t File Your Insurance Claim On Time?

If a policyholder notices an injury that did not appear right after the accident, worsened over time, or sees vehicle damage that showed up weeks after the crash, they may still be able to file an insurance claim.

However, they must prove the injury or vehicle damage they’re reporting directly stemmed from the accident.

Unfortunately, the later a policyholder files a claim or at least informs an insurer of the accident, the higher the chances the insurer will dispute and deny their claim. On the other hand, as long as they are within the policy’s time limit for filing an insurance claim and have reported the accident on time, as per the policy terms, their claim may still be approved.

Get Legal Assistance From A Middletown Roadside Lawyer Now

To be safe, review your auto insurance policy to check how long you must report a car accident you were involved in. When it comes to filing a claim, however, it is best to discuss your case with a Middletown roadside lawyer first before filing. This way, you will know more about your claim and how much your case might be worth and avoid accepting a settlement offer insufficient to cover all your accident-related expenses. Whether you are filing an insurance claim against your policy or the at-fault party’s policy, you can obtain sound legal advice with the Middletown roadside lawyer at Berman & Russo. Schedule a free case consultation by reaching us online or calling 860-644-1548.