Seeking medical attention is crucial if you’re injured. Stay at the scene to obtain the contact and insurance details of the other drivers involved and witnesses. Photograph the accident scene. The terms of your insurance policy will dictate how long you have to report an accident to your insurance provider. Failing to do so may result in coverage denial. Some states don’t require police involvement in minor accidents, but a police report can help your insurance claim. An investigation is necessary to determine fault, which could be shared. The statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits varies by state.

The terms of your policy will determine how long you have to report a car accident to your insurance provider. You should make sure to be familiar with the terms so that you report the accident as required. Failing to report an accident as required by the terms of the policy likely will allow the insurer to deny coverage later, even if your claim is otherwise legitimate.

In some states, you do not have to call the police after a minor car accident that did not result in injuries. Other states do not require drivers to call the police after a car accident that resulted in neither injuries nor property damage above a certain threshold of value. However, you may want to call the police even if you do not technically need to contact them. They will put together a police report that can be helpful when you file an insurance claim.

If you were partly at fault for an accident, your damages award may be reduced based on your percentage of responsibility for causing it.

No, a rear driver is not always liable for a rear-end collision. Many states have a presumption that holds a rear driver liable, unless they are able to prove otherwise, since each driver is expected to maintain their safe following distance from the car in front of them. Nevertheless, the front driver may be liable in some situations, such as stopping to make a turn without using the turn signal, failing to pull over when the car breaks down, or failing to repair faulty brake lights.

This is determined by the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits in your state. Statutes of limitations usually last between two and four years, although they can be shorter in some states. If your case involves only property damage, you may have a longer statute of limitations. Regardless of how long you have to file a lawsuit, you should take action sooner rather than later to gather the evidence and file the paperwork that you need.