CAR FROM JAPAN - Find best deals of used cars from reliable Japanese sellersSearch Car

How Long After a Car Accident Can You Claim Injury?

ByMatsumoto Naoki-November 02, 2022

Getting in an unexpected accident without being aware may get you into a lot of trouble and worries after. In the worse case, when your car is severely damaged and peeled to the bone, what will you do then? Is there any hope between you and the insurance company you only signed up with last week for your car? With our below article, let’s find out how long after a car accident can you claim injury and some notices if you are unfortunately involved in an unforeseen mess on the road.

We all know that getting in a car injury or accident is very traumatizing and trembling if something bad happens to the passenger or driver. However, if only your car is subjected to the pain, it will turn into a different story. You will then have to claim the car injury to your insurance deal, hope that they can solve your broken car-related issue, and things will go right on track in no time.

Coming back to our main topic today, how long after a car accident can you file a claim injury, the answer is it depends. If you are injured in a car accident, you need to file a claim as soon as possible to ensure you are fully compensated. However, not as easy as it sounds, the process of claiming for car accidents in all shapes of issues relies on some factors.

Filing A Car Insurance Claim and Car Accident Lawsuit

When an accident occurs, drivers having a damaged vehicle have all the right to ask for compensation, especially when it is not their fault. This compensation amount can come from the driver’s insurer or the company covering the one’s insurance that caused the crash. The company will evaluate the harms and make a settlement offer they believe is fair for both sides, given the extent of the damage. If you accept, then the case is considered completed by then.

In more complicated cases, if there is a conflict in taking responsibility for the crash or communication between the accident’s victim and insurance suggestion. The victim may not believe the at-fault insurance terms give them a fair amount. If no one compromises, a car accident lawsuit has to take place. Issues related to paperwork or laws always take a long time to confront. So it’s best to know and understand the rules of insurance claims and car accident lawsuits to avoid being dumbfounded in the middle of a big mess.

How Long After a Car Accident Can You Claim Injury

Many companies do not set a specific time frame, such as 30 or 60 days, but instead, require the prompt filing of a claim or mandate that you file within a reasonable time. However, you should always check your policy to see if they set a timeframe.

Each area will set a secific time for you to claim injury after a car accident. (Photo: NGK Law Firm)

If you wait too long to file a claim, your insurer may deny the claim because it is difficult to assess the damages caused by the collision. But to deny your claim on the grounds of delay, the insurance company should show that the time that passed since your accident prejudiced your claim or harmed the insurer.

In some areas, the law establishes when you must claim with an insurance company. For example, according to New York law, you must provide written notice of your claim within 30 days after the accident.

So living in a place that sets time limits for the after-accident claim always means that you need to comply with every term. If you do otherwise, moving forward with your accident claim may not be an easy task.

Things You Should Do Before Filing An Insurance Claim

After the accident, you will likely have to report it to the insurer, police, or authority before filing any car accident claim. Just a reminder, reporting an accident and filing a injury claim perform different processes, and even their time limit to accomplish differs. If the accident report requires you to do it within a month (about 30 days), you may not need the car claim for the same period.

The time varies by areas and insurance company, you should generally complete the following steps before contacting your insurance provider.

  • When you get into an accident, call 911 as soon as possible if you can. As the first thing you need to do is usually search for medical support, especially when the car accident you have been through involves injuries and wounded passengers.
  • After the accident, the police will then be able to study or investigate it and file a report. So assure beforehand to gather all needed documentation of the accident to file a claim. This gathering info may include names, phone numbers, insurance of people involved, and photos of the accident.
  • After reporting the car accident and gathering all required documents, call your insurance company as soon as possible. You should also contact your claims adjuster to wrap up the process more quickly. During this process, remember to keep copies of your documents and provide all necessary information to your insurer.

>> Related post: 5 Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident

Consequences With The Too-Long Delay In Claiming Injury

Depending on your injury, you may have to delay your claim after the accident. For instance, you may have sustained an injury that doesn’t become apparent right away, but days or weeks after the accident. The consequences will vary depending on whether you’re filing a claim against your insurance or the other driver’s.

Waiting to file may be a burden for your finances, as you may be responsible for paying medical bills with no help from insurance. If the liable party of the accident is undetermined, you should file a claim earlier to increase the likelihood of support from the insurance company. If the other party files against you and you have no claim right in your hand, you may have to pay their medical bills.

Here are some benefits you can get if claiming at the suitable time:

  • Easier to collect evidence
  • For the witnesses, the information or memory of the accident will be new and fresh.
  • Witnesses can remember the details of the crash, including people, scene
  • Easier to prove the damage is resulting directly from the crash

How to File Your Accident Injury Claim In Convenience

  • To file your car accident claim, consult the following steps for a faster and more effective process:
  • Get a basic and clear understanding of how long after a car accident you can file a claim with the insurer to avoid delaying cases for too long.
  • Get in touch or immediately contact your insurance company or the at-fault driver’s one. Depending on where you live, even if you are having a third-party claim, you can still get help from your insurer.
  • Your insurance company can present you seeking accident settlement and agreement with others.
  • You need to provide an insurer with a full police report, statements of witnesses, and other related evidence of an accident. The involved people always hope to collect the information at the crash scene.
You need to provide an insurer with a police report and important related papers of an accident. (Photo: Monkey Business Images)
  • Talk with an insurance adjuster. Insurers assign adjusters to the claimant who works to determine the extent of the damage. The adjuster will contact you to ask about the crash or maybe medical bills and original injury reports. Then they will inspect or request you send the vehicle to a certified repair shop for a damages assessment.
  • Take time to get an offer of settlement and an accident report from the adjuster and insurer.

>> Check more: How to Avoid Car Accidents in the Springtime

Wrapping Up

We have just scrolled through some information on how long after a car accident can you claim injury. Hope you can get some insight into this issue and have a better approach when dealing with any car accident.

For more helpful tips when dealing with car accident, follow Car From Japan today.

Matsumoto Naoki is senior car blogger at Car From Japan. Having background in mechanical engineering, he has a unique perspective on a lot of new car innovations. Prior to Car From Japan, Matsumoto was Mechanical Design Engineer at Yajima Plant, Subaru Corporation. His articles provide detailed DIY instructions and how-tos to help you get your new car on the road. If you want to save money and feel more confident when working on your cars, you should not ignore Matsumoto’s sharing posts. He presents driving tips and tricks for everyone through easy-following steps and mechanically but friendly writing.

Comments