Maison Law can help you through the claims process when you’re hurt in an accident in California. Whether you live here, are just visiting, or have been deported, an accident can still upend your life. But you might be wondering if you can file a claim while you’re in another country. Our team can answer this and any other question you might have. Set up a free consultation today.
Can I Still File an Insurance Claim If I’m No Longer in the U.S.?
Simply put, you can still file an insurance claim if you’re no longer in the country. The key details (and your legal rights) are built around two key points:
- Where the accident happened
- Who was responsible
If someone else’s carelessness caused your injuries, California law still protects your right to file a claim, regardless of your current location or immigration status. Legally, this carelessness is known as “negligence”, and refers to someone:
- Not taking the necessary care to keep you or others safe, and;
- This failure caused the accident that left you injured.
While this shows the legal standard, in reality, negligence usually involves something like:
- A driver who was distracted or under the influence
- A property owner who ignored a safety hazard
- An employer who didn’t provide safe working conditions
- A business that cut corners on safety
- A government agency responsible for dangerous roads
Sometimes more than one person or company may be to blame. If that’s the case, it’s even more important to pinpoint all the responsible parties. That way, you’re not leaving money on the table when it comes time to calculate your full damages.
How Do You File an Injury Claim If You’re Outside the Country?
Being in another country doesn’t prevent you from filing a personal injury claim in California. It just means the process may involve a few extra steps—but that’s where our team steps in. Here’s how it typically works:
- Insurance claim – The first step is filing a claim with the other person’s insurance company. Most injury cases are resolved this way—through negotiation, not court. Insurance may cover your medical bills, lost income, and other direct losses. You don’t need to be in California to start this process.
- Personal injury lawsuit – If the insurance company doesn’t offer a fair settlement, your lawyer can move forward with a lawsuit in California courts—even while you’re living abroad.
The value of your claim depends on the specifics of your injury, including how it’s affected your health, finances, and daily life. People often seek compensation for:
- Medical care (past and future)
- Lost wages or missed work opportunities
- Pain, stress, or emotional suffering
- Long-term disability or mobility issues
- Loss of independence
- Wrongful death, if the case involves a loved one
What matters most is this: if the accident happened in California, you still have rights under California law—even if you’re no longer here. But keep in mind: most injury claims have a strict two-year deadline from the date of the accident. Once that deadline passes, it may be too late to file.
Do I Need a Lawyer To File a Claim While In Another Country?
If you’ve already left the U.S.—whether you chose to or were deported—it can be hard to know where to start after an accident. You might feel unsure about your rights or worried that being in another country means you’ve lost the ability to file a claim. But here’s what matters: if you were hurt in California and someone else was at fault, you’re still allowed to hold them accountable through an insurance claim. Your location doesn’t cancel out your injury—or your right to recover.
That said, going through the process from outside the country can come with challenges. Medical records, uncooperative insurance adjusters, time zone differences—it can add up fast. That’s exactly where a lawyer can step in and take the pressure off.
At Maison Law, we help people in your shoes by:
- Investigating what happened and who’s responsible
- Collecting documents and building your case from the ground up
- Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf
- Connecting you with doctors—even if you’re abroad
- Working to reduce your medical bills
- Pushing for a full and fair settlement—and filing a lawsuit if needed
You don’t need to go through this on your own, and you don’t have to be in California to take action. Set up your free consultation today to get the process started.
