After a collision on a California freeway, street, or road you may be left to wonder when your first call to the police, your insurance company, and the DMV should take place. In minor accidents, without a serious injury, you might be convinced you can skip calling 911.
You may have chosen to leave the police or the California Highway Patrol out of your incident, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to report what happened. You have several deadlines you may have to meet when informing state authorities.
Alerting the Police After Your Accident
It’s always a good idea to call 911 even after what seems like a minor incident. There’s always the chance you are injured and don’t realize it. The shock of being in an accident and with adrenaline flowing, the pain of an injury may be masked. You could wake up the next morning and find you are seriously hurt.
You could also find you didn’t get the proper information from the at-fault driver in order to file an insurance claim. You might have to start tracking down the driver yourself online to fill in the details. The driver could also purposely give you the wrong information. Once he or she leaves the scene you could be watching your chances of getting compensation to fix or replace your car drive away.
If an officer does not respond to the scene, you are required to file an accident report with California Police or the Highway Patrol within 24 hours of your collision.
Alerting the California Department of Motor Vehicles After Your Accident
In certain situations, you’re also obligated to contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles to report details of your accident.
You must reach out to the DMV if your crash involved an injury or death. According to the California DMV, if your collision resulted in damage exceeding $1000 you must also report the accident to them. You have 10 days to report your accident to the DMV. Failure to complete this step can earn you a suspended driver’s license.
It’s also important to note that you must report qualifying accidents to the DMV even if the crash took place on private property.
Alerting Your Insurance Agent
You’ll hopefully be relying on the other driver’s insurance company to pay for any medical expenses you sustain and the costs of car repairs.
However, it’s always a good idea to alert your insurance agent after an accident. If the at-fault driver turns out to not have insurance, or his or her insurance company won’t accept blame, you may have to count on your own accident coverage.
In accidents that weren’t your fault, you can be forced to call upon your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to receive support. Your personal insurance policy could also come into play if the at-fault driver’s coverage has limits and doesn’t cover all of your damages.
Alerting a Personal Injury Attorney
A minor car accident involving bumps and bruises and vehicle damage won’t usually require the help of a California car accident attorney. In property damage-only cases, victims are generally treated fairly.
It’s a different story when serious injuries are involved. Insurance adjusters for the other driver will work to question your innocence in an accident, even if a police report shows you weren’t to blame. They can also purposely make your attempt to get help with your medical costs time-consuming and confusing.
They hope to give you the run around long enough to get you to drop your claim for damages. Insurance companies also like to make you wait until your bills have accumulated and your lost wages at work have depleted your savings. That’s when they send over a “lowball” settlement offer that you may be desperate enough to accept.
Insurance companies aren’t likely to attempt these tactics when they know you have a personal injury attorney representing your case. Your attorney can monitor each settlement offer your receive and help you decide whether it covers everything you need now and in the future.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Serving California Victims
Martin Gasparian founded Maison Law in order to give victims from all walks of life a voice after they’ve been victimized by a careless driver. That driver’s insurance company should never be allowed to shed blame and stick you with your own costs of recovery.
After an accident involving a serious injury in California, contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free consultation and case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian takes a hands-on approach to every case. He believes that every client should work directly with their lawyer and get honest advice and the personalized attention to detail their case deserves.
