You must call your insurance company even if an accident is not your fault. Your insurance company may be directly involved in seeking compensation, though you should consider hiring a car accident lawyer to represent your interests.
Even if you hire a lawyer, it’s critical that you notify your attorney immediately after the car accident. It will create an official accident record and may prove important for several other reasons. Once you notify your insurance company, hire a Kingman car accident lawyer to lead your case.
There Are a Few Reasons to Call Your Insurance After an Accident (Even If It’s Not Your Fault)
It can feel unfair. You didn’t cause an accident, yet you now have responsibilities, including calling your insurance company about the collision. As unjust as this may seem, there are several important reasons to speak with your insurer right after the accident, which include:
You Need to Document the Accident
Think ahead after a car accident happens. You should recognize that if you do not notify your insurance provider of the accident, then:
- The at-fault party may not report the accident either, meaning there can be no formal evidence that a collision happened
- The at-fault party’s insurance company (or other liable parties) may claim that you’re being dishonest about the accident—particularly when it comes to accident-related injuries and losses
- You may have no reference to refer to when giving future statements about the accident, which can lead to costly errors (like misstating when the collision happened during the claims process)
It costs you nothing—except a few minutes of your time—to notify your insurance provider of an accident. Conversely, choosing not to notify your insurance company can have serious consequences.
Some Accidents Require an Official Report (and Contacting Your Insurance Can Cover You)
Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-667 explains that some accidents must be reported, and the responsibility to report the collision can extend to those involved. You can protect yourself from reporting issues by calling law enforcement and notifying your insurance company after the accident.
You May Deserve (and Need) Money from Your Insurer
You may need compensation from your insurance provider. For example, if it turns out that the at-fault motorist is uninsured (as is too often true of motorists in Arizona), you may need to access your uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage. If you have not reported your accident to your insurer, it can affect your car accident claim.
Be Careful About What You Say When Reporting Your Accident to Your Insurer
While you should report an accident to your insurer even if you did not cause the accident, be careful when doing so. Insurance companies often prioritize their financial interests, even at your expense.
Some tips to consider when reporting your car accident to your insurance company include:
- Report the accident right away, but don’t get too far into the weeds
- Do not speculate about who caused the accident, and do not suggest that you caused the collision in any way—state objective facts about what happened and go no further
- If the insurance representative asks any questions you are not entirely comfortable or confident answering, say, “I’m not comfortable answering that question at this time”
Do not say you were at fault for the accident, apologize, or say anything else that can be perceived as an admission of wrongdoing. Instead, consider hiring an Arizona car accident lawyer to protect you, handle your claim, and make your life far less complicated after the collision.
Consider Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer After Reporting the Accident (They’ll Protect and Represent You)
Being wary of insurance companies does not make you paranoid—it makes you wise. Some facts that every car accident victim must recognize include:
- Insurance companies are often out for themselves: If it was not profitable to provide auto insurance to people like you, insurance companies wouldn’t do it. It is a for-profit industry. If your insurer can benefit its bottom line by denying your claim or convincing you to accept a lowball offer, don’t think it won’t.
- The most minor or innocent mistake can cost you: Insurance companies record their conversations with claimants. Misspeaking in the most minor of ways can be held against you, particularly if the insurance company is acting in bad faith.
- Having a line of protection during the claims process is, for most, worth the cost: Yes, your car accident lawyer will be entitled to a percentage of any settlement or judgment they secure for you—you’ll be well aware of that percentage, by the way. However, what price can you place on someone protecting you from a potential claim denial or unfair settlement?
Let a lawyer do it if you need to issue a statement to your insurance provider or seek fair compensation from a third-party insurer. Your attorney may even arrange for you to provide written statements rather than verbal ones, as this reduces the opportunity for error.
There are many well-documented benefits that you may get when you hire a car accident attorney, which include:
No Upfront Costs or Fees
Personal injury lawyers (who handle car accident cases) typically use contingency fees. A contingency fee means:
- The law firm pays the cost of completing your case
- You won’t pay the firm any upfront fee (and, again, the law firm will cover case costs)
- Your attorney will need to obtain compensation for you to receive their fee, which will be a percentage of the compensation they secure for you
The contingency fee structure allows every car accident victim in Arizona to hire a personal injury lawyer. This structure also places the client and law firm on the same page because the firm’s fee increases as they secure more money for the client.
Experts and Other Resources from the Law Firm
The attorney is the primary resource you get when you become a client with a law firm. However, an attorney is far from the only resource that comes with hiring a lawyer. As a client, you may also:
- Have experts working on your case—this can include engineers familiar with crash dynamics, medical experts, mental health experts, economists, and others
- Receive regular assistance from paralegals, who often serve critical roles in advancing car accident cases
- Have a case manager who ensures you and your case are receiving the attention you deserve—lawyers can use the help in managing multiple clients
Your law firm may also pay to reconstruct your accident. The many resources and abundant financial backing you get from your law firm can directly affect the outcome of your case.
The Priceless Value of Experience
Whether you were hiring an accountant, doctor, or car accident lawyer, you would be wise to consider their experience. A law firm (and specific attorney) that has many years of service on their record may:
- Be unbothered by the many challenges they face in your car accident case
- Understand a wide range of legal strategies and tactics that can lead to the success of your case
- Have a highly developed network of experts and legal peers who may contribute to your case
The benefits of experience are often difficult to quantify, but they are there. This is why you may hire a car accident attorney to handle your case.
How Will My Car Accident Lawyer Pursue the Financial Recovery I Am Entitled To?
Your car accident attorney may not know exactly what your case requires of them until they get familiar with the unique case facts. That being said, an experienced attorney knows that a car accident case likely requires them to:
Handle Insurance Companies on Their Client’s Behalf
Insurance companies can be an asset to car accident victims. In some cases, though, insurance companies can be a threat to the accident victim’s financial recovery.
When you hire a lawyer, you don’t have to wonder whether insurance providers are:
- Being dishonest about the details of policies
- Trying to coax you into admitting fault for the accident
- Pushing lowball settlement offers on you
- Engaging in any other bad-faith tactics, which are typically meant to save the insurance company money
If your lawyer encounters bad-faith tactics (which are more common than you might assume), they will stop those tactics.
Leverage the Evidence
Your case may only be valid if you prove who caused your accident. Your lawyer knows this, so they will seek any available:
- Accounts from eyewitnesses
- Statements from expert witnesses indicating who caused the accident
- Relevant photographs of the scene (which may be available if you hire your lawyer as soon as possible)
- Police report from a responding officer
- Video related to the accident
Proving fault can also help your lawyer establish liability. These are two different and important legal concepts. If a truck driver caused the accident, their insurance company may be liable for the victim’s losses. Fault refers to who caused the collision, while liability refers to who may have to pay for it.
Document Recoverable Damages
All accidents take a toll. Some cause minor property damage, others result in catastrophic injuries, and some even cause wrongful deaths.
Your attorney will identify all the damages you’ve suffered because of the accident, and they may document those damages using:
- Medical records, which can include written descriptions of your injuries, X-rays and other medical images, and bills for your medical care
- Financial statements, which may include invoices for repairing your vehicle, bank records showing a decline in income following the accident, and receipts for temporary transportation
- Expert testimony, which may include a mental health professional’s evaluation of your pain and suffering and an economist’s projection of long-term financial losses
A good attorney will let you tell your story. The victim’s words can be a powerful asset in a car accident case. Plus, you may be the only one who can speak to physical pain, distress, and certain other accident-related damages.
Seek a Settlement
Negotiating a settlement is the most frequent way that car accident lawyers resolve their cases. A settlement may come from:
- An at-fault driver’s insurance company
- Your insurance provider
- The insurance provider for another liable party
- Liable parties directly—you may sue liable parties, and they may offer a settlement in response
For most accident victims, the most important consideration is that they receive the compensation they deserve. It may be an acceptable outcome if you can receive that fair compensation through a settlement.
Should I File a Lawsuit Following a Car Accident?
Some car accident cases require the victim to file a lawsuit. Lawyers decide whether they should sue on a case-by-case basis, with some considerations including:
- Whether or not the at-fault motorist (or other at-fault parties) have insurance
- Coverage limits within insurance policies covering their client’s losses
- The approach of insurance companies during settlement negotiations
- The monetary amount of any settlement offers the client receives—and whether those offers are within the acceptable range
Most civil lawsuits do not go to trial, which means the liable party and the victim’s attorney can often reach a settlement agreement. However, every client should expect their attorney to sue if it is in the client’s best interest.
Losses That Insurance Companies—or Other Liable Parties—Should Cover for You
Your lawyer will demand that liable parties cover the cost of your accident, which may include:
- Vehicle repairs
- Replacement of property damaged during the accident
- Pain and suffering
- Lost income
- Medical costs
The types of injuries you’ve suffered, duration of injury symptoms, and many other factors can influence how much money you deserve for accident-related damages.
What Should I Do Once I Hire My Lawyer?
Once you’ve chosen a lawyer, let them handle your case. They will reach out regularly, advise you when you need to take action, and keep a close eye on your recovery—both because they care and because it is vital to your case.
A Car Accident Attorney Is Standing By
Don’t wait to hire your Kingman personal injury lawyer. They can determine fault and work to settle your claim quickly. There can be strict deadlines for filing claims and lawsuits, so find a qualified, highly-rated law firm as soon as possible.