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How soon should I report a car accident to insurance?
I got into a little fender bender last evening, took the other driver's info, and we both drove off. How soon should I report this accident to insurance?
Carlos Kirby · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Sorry to hear about your accident. It is advised that you
report any car accident
to your insurance company as soon as possible, regardless of who caused the accident.Depending on your
car insurance company
, you may have as little as a day to start the process of filing a claim. The provider you’re working with and what type of claim needs to be filed (i.e., personal injury or property damage) can determine your timeline. Most insurers only specify that you need to file a car accident claim “promptly” rather than specifying a timeline. Still, you should check the documents you received when you first opened your policy or call your provider directly to make sure there isn’t a strict deadline.
One reason you won’t want to wait to report an accident is that if you are not at-fault but the other party denies hitting you, your insurer will need to launch an investigation of what happened. This can delay the process of getting you the money to repair your car.
If you don’t like the provider you’re working with,
Jerry
can help you make an easy switch. Download the Jerry app to compare dozens of competitive quotes from top insurers and discover hundreds of dollars in potential savings.View full answer
- Gregory R.
WHY YOU CAN TRUST JERRY
Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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