Contact your agent or insurer to report the accident as soon as possible. Your insurance company will ask you for a police report number. Get an insurance adjuster report. In states with no-fault insurance laws, you always file injury claims first with your own insurance.
These states require personal injury protection (PIP insurance) for this purpose. You can sue another driver only when they meet certain requirements, which each state defines. In many cases, there needs to be a serious injury or death before suing another person for a no-fault car accident. Property damage claims can generally still be made with the other person's liability insurance.
Under Pennsylvania law, drivers have two options when purchasing car insurance: limited liability and full liability. Limited liability means that the driver chooses the system through no fault of their own and, in most cases, if they have a car accident, they won't be able to file a lawsuit to get compensation. Instead, they will submit the claim to their own insurance provider, even if they weren't at fault. The claim will be used to pay medical bills.
If the accident causes the insured person to miss work, they will also pay the lost wages. However, it does not allow the insured to seek compensation for emotional distress or pain and suffering, even if the other driver was entirely at fault, except when the injuries meet certain criteria. Once all the details have been filed and the police report has been reviewed, your insurance company will contact the other person's insurer, and the insurers will work together to determine who was at fault. If your vehicle was destroyed in the accident, insurance must compensate you for the value of the car at the time of the accident, whether you file a liability claim against another person or use your own collision insurance.
If someone crashes into your car, you may not know which car insurance company you should contact, yours or theirs. However, unless your insurance agent makes it clear that they will contact the other driver's insurance company, you may also want to contact their insurer. Stephanie Nieves was an editor and insurance expert at Policygenius, where she covered home and auto insurance. According to the Insurance Information Institute, about 75% of drivers with car insurance have collision insurance.
The deductible amount may be returned to you later if your insurance company requests reimbursement from the other person's insurer. This insurance covers damage to your car in the event that you hit an object, such as a pole or other car. If the insured has not yet responded with a tort option ten days before the renewal date, the insurance company will automatically assign the full tort option to them. Car insurance offers a variety of coverages, and whether or not you're protected if someone crashes into your car depends on how the collision occurred and the type of coverage your auto policy contains.
Around 3 million people are injured or killed in these car accidents, so every year there are a large number of insurance lawsuits and claims. If the insured does not respond within 20 days to inform the insurance company of their choice, a second notice will be sent. However, third-party insurance claims work differently in states with no-fault insurance and in states without no-fault insurance. Many insurers provide a checklist for car accidents in their mobile apps, or you can print it out and store it in the glove compartment.
While most states have made it illegal for an insurer to deny claims without reasonably investigating the facts, you may not want to fight the other person's insurance company. With so many options for car insurance companies, it can be difficult to know where to start to find the right car insurance.
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