Inability to recover damages: If you don't notify your insurance of the accident, the company has the legal right to deny damages that you discover later on. Keep in mind that individual insurance companies may also have their own policies regarding the deadlines for filing claims. Always check with your personal provider. This is generally referred to as the notice period.
In any case, always report an accident as soon as possible. We recommend reporting within 24 hours, regardless of who was at fault. You can even report while you're at the scene of the accident. Don't confuse the state's statute of limitations with your insurance's individual reporting deadline.
It's important to understand that all auto insurance policies in the country require policyholders to immediately report any accident in which they are involved when the incident could generate coverage. You can't get in trouble for reporting an accident if it turns out that no one was injured, but you can get in trouble for not reporting a collision in which injuries occurred. While you're not always required to call the police from the scene of an accident in New York, if you're required to call the police and you don't, you could face severe penalties. You must file your own accident report within 10 days of the date of the accident; otherwise, the DMV may suspend your driver's license until it receives your report.
Let's say you agree with the other driver at the scene of the accident that he will simply work things out and not file insurance claims. If, after several weeks or months, the other driver files a claim for inadvertent damage to the vehicle or for injuries that have occurred, your insurance company may deny you some protection because you didn't report the accident right away. If you're ready to reach out now, you can use the features on this page to get in touch with a car accident lawyer in your area. The only time it might be reasonable to avoid reporting an accident to the insurance company is if the accident occurs in your vehicle, on your property, there are no injuries and the only damage is to the property of your property.
Keep in mind that a misdemeanor trial can be initiated against a driver who fails to file an accident report to the police within 10 days of being required to do so. If your car accident was really minor and you're comfortable doing so, it's probably safe to process your car accident claim on your own. Insurance companies generally require their policyholders to report all accidents regardless of their severity and regardless of fault. When you're involved in a car accident, there are a few steps you should always try to take at the scene of the collision.
This is in addition to the requirement to report the accident to the police if the accident resulted in injury, death, or damage to the property of an unknown owner.
