What to Do After a Car Accident

The first thing you should do after a car accident that is not your fault is to make sure everyone inside your car is safe and uninjured. Next, call the police, take pictures of the scene, and exchange insurance information with the at-fault driver so you can file a claim with their insurer. You should also report the accident to your insurance company in case you need to file a collision, personal injury protection, or MedPay claim with your own policy.

What to Do After a Car Accident That's Not Your Fault 

1. Move your car away from oncoming traffic and address any injuries. If your car is driveable you should try to move your car out of harm's way to avoid further accidents or injuries.
2. Call the police and file a report. This will help you further along the way when filing an insurance claim since a police report will most likely determine fault.
3. Get the other driver's insurance information. Take a photo of their insurance card so that you can get in touch with their insurer if you need to file a liability claim.
4. Take pictures of the scene and damage to the cars. Insurers require evidence before they can settle a claim. Having pictures from the incident will help speed up the claim process.
5. Report the accident to your insurance company. Even if you don't file a claim with your own insurance, you should still report the accident to your insurer since they might need to update information related to your vehicle.
6. Document any accident-related expenses. An accident can incur a bunch of hidden costs. Make sure you keep track of all expenses related to the accident so that you can be reimbursed.
7. File a property damage and/or bodily injury claim with the other driver's insurance company. Having gathered all the pertinent information, contact the at-fault driver's insurer and file a claim. Make sure you have all the information and documents mentioned above so that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Filing an Insurance Claim When You're Not at Fault

If an accident is not your fault, you can file a claim with the at-fault driver's liability insurance. This will cover the cost of vehicle repairs and medical bills up to the limits of the driver's policy.

Because it can take a long time for an insurance adjuster to officially determine fault, however, you can initially file a collision or personal injury claim with your own insurer to cover vehicle repairs and medical expenses, regardless of fault. Once fault is determined, your insurance company will recover the expenses from the at-fault driver's insurer, and your deductible will be refunded. 

Keep in mind that in no-fault states, most medical expenses are paid for by your own insurance policy, regardless of who is at fault. And if the driver is uninsured or doesn't have enough insurance to cover your costs, you can file a claim with your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if you have it.

After a single-car accident, you should call the police and take photos of the scene, including damage to your vehicle. You should also note relevant details related to the accident, like the time and road conditions, and then contact your insurance company to report the accident in case you need to file a claim. Of course, if you're injured, seeking medical care should come before all else.

What to Do After a Single-Car Accident 

1. Get immediate medical attention if you're injured
2. File a police report
3. Take photos of the scene and your vehicle
4. Note the details of the accident
5. Report the accident to your insurance company

Filing an Insurance Claim After a Single-Car Accident

 When you're involved in a single-car accident, you'll have to use your own insurance to pay for your expenses. Specifically, you can use collision insurance to cover vehicle repairs and personal injury protection or medical payments coverage to pay for medical bills. However, if you hit an animal, you would use comprehensive insurance instead of collision.  

 Depending on the extent of the single-car accident, you may not need to file an insurance claim. If your vehicle is the only thing damaged, there are no injuries, and you think the cost of repairs will be less than your deductible amount, then you should consider paying out of pocket to fix your car instead of filing a claim. But even if you don't think you'll file a claim, you should still report the accident to your insurer, since the full extent of the damage may not be immediately apparent.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide on what to do after a car accident.

After a fender bender, you should pull over and call the police in order to file a report. You should also exchange insurance information with the other driver, take photos of the scene, and notify your insurance company after a fender bender. Even if the damage appears to be minor, you should still inform your insurer in case you or the other driver needs to file a claim in the future.

It's important to treat a minor fender bender like any other accident. Damage or injuries might not be immediately visible, and if you don't report the accident to your insurance company, they could deny you coverage if you or the other driver files a claim.

What to Do After a Fender Bender

1. Move your car away from oncoming traffic and address any injuries.
2. Call the police and file a report.
3. Exchange insurance information with the other driver.
4. Get contact information from any witnesses.
5. Take pictures of the scene, damage to the cars and any injuries.
6. Report the accident to your insurance company.
7. File a claim if you are injured or your vehicle is damaged.

Filing a Fender Bender Insurance Claim

If you are at-fault for a fender bender, the other driver can file a claim with your liability insurance to cover medical expenses and the cost of repairs, up to the limits of your policy. In that same situation, you can file a claim to cover your own expenses with collision insurance or personal injury protection, if you have either type of coverage.

However, if you're not at fault for the fender bender, you can file property damage and/or bodily injury liability claims with the other driver's insurer. And if the at-fault driver is uninsured or does not have enough liability insurance to cover your expenses, you can file a claim with your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if you have it.

If you're at fault in a car accident, your liability insurance pays for the other driver's car repairs and will likely cover any doctor's bills if they're injured. No-fault states are the exception, as they require each driver to use their own insurance to pay for medical expenses after an accident. But regardless of the state, fault always dictates whose liability insurance pays for property damage.

Your liability insurance never covers your own expenses, so you will need collision insurance, personal injury protection (PIP), or MedPay in order to avoid paying out of pocket for an at-fault accident. Some states require drivers to have PIP or MedPay, while collision insurance is usually required if you are leasing or financing your car.

After an at-fault accident, car insurance rates go up by an average of 48%. The exact amount that your premium will go up depends on a few factors, including your state and how much damage you caused. But any increase is only temporary, usually lasting about 3-5 years. And if you have accident forgiveness with your insurance company, your rates might not go up at all.

Ultimately, no one wants to be at-fault in a car accident, but it's important to understand how at-fault accidents work just in case. With that in mind, here's a quick summary of what you really need to know.

Here's What Happens If You Are At-Fault in a Car Accident

• Your liability insurance should pay for the other driver's expenses.
• You will need to use other types of car insurance to cover your own repair and medical bills.
• Your car insurance rates will go up by an average of 48% for 3-5 years.

You could have as little as 30 days to file a car insurance claim, or you could have months or even two to three years. Your policy probably states that you should report an accident or possible claim right away, but reporting an accident is different than filing a claim. After “promptly” reporting, you'll have some time to file the official claim. Check your policy or contact your insurer directly for exact deadlines.

If you intend to file a claim in court, you typically have two to three years after the accident to pursue damages in a lawsuit. Each state has its own statute of limitations for filing a claim in court, and deadlines can be different for personal injury and property damage claims. State laws range from one to six years, but two to three is most common.

Why is there a time limit on car insurance claims?

Time limits are in place to protect the insurance company's ability to investigate a claim. Your insurer will collect a lot of information about the accident, including witness statements, police reports, photos of damage, medical and auto repair bills, and more. The insurance company may also send an adjuster to the scene of the accident or to inspect damaged property in person. As time goes on, evidence degrades and memories become foggy. Time limits make sure the accident can be thoroughly and accurately investigated.

There are reasons you may want to delay filing a claim, though. It may take weeks for the symptoms of certain injuries to show. You may also be getting treatments on a doctor's schedule or want to seek a second medical opinion. Property damage is usually easier to see, but you may not find out about major problems with the alignment, suspension, or exhaust system until your car is in the shop weeks later. Since most insurers won't allow you to file more than one claim per accident, it might be better to delay filing, so you don't leave out something insurance would have covered.

While there are situations when it makes sense to wait, it's almost always in your best interest to file a claim with your insurance company right away. The reality is the longer you wait, the more likely it is the insurance company will deny your claim. But you can still file a claim and even get it approved as long as your delay doesn't prevent the insurer from investigating properly.

Yes, you should call your insurance company after a minor accident. You should contact your insurer anytime you're in an accident involving another driver, but it's even more important to call promptly if the accident resulted in property damage or injuries. The only time it might be worth skipping a call to your car insurance company is if you damaged only your own car, there are no injuries, and property damage is minimal.

There are two big reasons you should always call your car insurance company if you get into an accident involving another driver, even a minor accident:

1. You might want to file a claim

Even if the accident seems minor at the scene, you might decide later that you want or need to file a claim. Accident-related injuries like whiplash can have delayed symptoms that don't show up right away, for example. Or, maybe a dent or scratch doesn't bother you at first, but when you find out the impact on resale value, you change your mind.

2. The other driver might file a claim

A handshake agreement at the scene doesn't prevent the other driver from filing a claim against your policy. Your insurance company is there to help defend you, either with the other driver's insurer or in court.

If you don't report an accident right away, your insurance company may be able to deny any claims you file and won't represent you in a claim or lawsuit, leaving you to pay out of pocket. Your insurance company can say your delay in reporting resulted in them being unable to properly investigate your claim, so they are no longer obligated to cover you.

Drivers usually have 30 days to report a car accident to their insurance provider. Policies don't always give a specific timeframe, though, and could simply state that a driver needs to report the accident “promptly.”

You should almost always report accidents to your insurance as soon as possible, since waiting too long could jeopardize a future claim or cause an at-fault driver to lose certain protections. There are certain situations where it might not be necessary, however.

When You Can Skip Notifying Insurance (All Must Be True)

1. The accident happened with just your vehicle.
2. It was on your property.
3. There were no injuries involved.
4. The only damage was to your property.

Reporting a Car Accident vs. Filing a Claim

A common misconception is that reporting a car accident to insurance is the same as filing a claim. While filing a claim means you're making a formal request to an insurance company for compensation, reporting an accident simply means you're notifying your insurer that it happened.

In most cases, you'll want to report an accident as soon as possible in order to get the claims process started. But even if you don't initially plan on filing a claim, you should notify your insurance company just in case you discover additional damage or change your mind.

What Happens If You Delay Reporting a Car Accident?

If you wait too long to report your accident to insurance, it could cause problems down the road. For example, if you don't initially report but realize later on that you need to file a claim, the insurance company has no way of knowing whether the damage is the result of the accident or something else that happened later. Or, if the accident was your fault and the other driver files a claim against you later on, your insurance company might deny you certain protections because you failed to promptly report.

Even if you don't think you need to report the accident, it's always in your best interest to do so. Many insurance companies have mobile apps and 24-hour hotlines to make the reporting process as quick and easy as possible. Also, keep in mind that even though you're not legally obligated to notify your insurance company after a car accident, most states will require you to at least report it to the police if anyone is injured or if there is a certain amount of property damage.

You should file a claim with the other driver's auto insurance company if you are not at fault for the accident and you have standard liability insurance but no collision coverage. Liability insurance pays for injuries and damage that a driver might cause to other people and property if at fault for a car accident. That means your liability insurance won't be involved if you are not at fault. The other driver's liability policy would cover the damage.

But there are drawbacks to filing a claim with someone else's insurance company. The other driver's insurer will investigate your claim and confirm that its policyholder is at fault. And it's typical for them to deny fault, especially if no police report was filed. If your claim is denied and you don't have collision coverage, you'll have to take the other driver's insurance company to court, which could drag on for a while. Insurers know that the longer it takes and the more difficult it is to resolve a claim, the more likely it is that you will settle or drop it.

Things are a bit different if you have collision insurance, however. In that case, you can file a claim with either your auto insurance company or the other driver's insurer. Filing with your insurer starts a process called subrogation. Your insurance company pays for your property damage and pursues compensation from the other driver's insurance company after the fact. You may have to pay your collision deductible, but you could get that money back when your insurer settles with the other driver's insurance company.

Collision insurance doesn't cover your injuries, but if your insurance company is able to establish the other driver's fault through subrogation, it might help get your medical bills paid by the other carrier. If the other driver was responsible for your property damage in an accident, they're equally responsible for your injuries. Your insurance company will only pay for your injuries if you have medical payments coverage or personal injury protection.

If it turns out that the other driver doesn't have insurance, you can make a claim through your uninsured motorist protection, if you have it. There is no deductible for uninsured motorist claims.

The first thing to do after a car accident is to check everyone in the car for injuries and call 911 right away for anyone who needs immediate medical attention. You should also put on your hazard lights and move your car to the side of the road if it is drivable.

A car accident is a confusing, frightening event. Keeping calm while you follow the necessary steps will help you think clearly and be able to talk to other involved drivers, the police, or medical professionals with minimal stress and conflict.

8 Things to Do After a Car Accident

1. Check yourself and anyone in the vehicle with you for injuries and call 911 if anyone is injured.
2. Move your vehicle out of traffic if it is drivable, but do not leave the scene of the accident.
3. Call the police. If anyone is injured or there's major property damage, you may be required to contact the police by state law. After you give your statement to the officer, be sure to get the officer's name, badge number and phone number, and ask when you can get a police report number.
4. Document the scene by taking pictures of damage to your car, the other driver's car, and any other property damage, recording the time and date of the accident and noting the details of the accident to the best of your ability.
5. Get the names, contact information, driver's license and plate numbers, and insurance information from other drivers if you are involved in a collision with another vehicle or multiple cars. Collect the contact information of any witnesses, if possible.
6. Do not admit fault, accept compensation from another involved driver, or agree to not involve insurance companies. Do not sign any documents provided by another driver.
7. Request roadside assistance if your car is not drivable.
8. Contact your car insurance company to notify them of the accident and give them all the information you gathered.

For more information, check out WalletHub's full guide on what to do after a car accident.

Yes, you can file an insurance claim with no police report after a car accident. Having a police report is helpful and can simplify the claims process, but it's not required to file or authorize a claim. Whether or not you are legally required to file a police report depends on your state's laws, however.

In most states, you are required by law to file a police report if anyone is injured. You may also have to file a police report if property damage exceeds a certain amount, but the exact number varies greatly by state.

When You Don't Have to File a Police Report

You don't have to call the police after an accident if no one was hurt, the damage was minor, and everyone involved is licensed, insured, and cooperative. In fact, the police can't and won't come to the scene of every accident. For example, you only need to contact the police after a minor fender bender if the other driver is uncooperative, uninsured, or intoxicated.

If you don't file a police report right after a car accident, at least make sure to exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver, and photograph the damage to both vehicles as well as the full scene of the accident. Write down the date, time, and location of the accident, too, along with the weather and road conditions and a description of the vehicles involved.

You can always take this information to a police station to file an incident report if the police don't come to the scene.

What happens if there is no police report for a car accident?

When a claim is filed after an accident, insurers want to know who was at fault so they can decide whose insurance will cover the damage. A police report is a detailed and official account of the accident that includes whether anyone was cited, eyewitness accounts, the officer's opinion of how it happened, and any on-the-scene evidence – like the length of skid marks or the position of the wreckage on the road.

These details are useful when making an insurance claim, and a police report can make the process faster and easier. But not having one won't bar you from being able to file a claim or lawsuit.

Reporting an Accident vs. Filing a Claim

Whether you decide to file a police report or not, it's always in your best interest to report a car accident involving another driver to your insurance company. Making a report is not the same thing as filing a claim. Most insurance companies require you to report an accident as soon as possible, and failing to do so could give them an easy reason to deny your claim. The only time it is OK to skip reporting an accident to insurance is if it happens in your car, no one is injured, and only your own property is damaged.