Nobody wants to get involved in an automobile accident, but it is critical to report any accident to your insurance company as soon as possible. Doing so will ensure your insurance will financially protect you from third-party claims for repair costs and other damages. After gathering the necessary details about all the parties involved in the accident and reporting it to the police, it is time to notify your insurance company. Here we look at when you should inform your insurer and the consequences of not notifying them.
When to notify your insurance company of an accident
It is important to contact your insurer if you are in an accident that caused:
- Damage to your vehicle;
- Damage to anyone else’s automobile or property,
- You or your passenger(s) are injured,
- Another motorist, passenger in another car, or pedestrian is injured.
If you are insured the policy will almost ALWAYS REQUIRE that you inform your insurance company within a set amount of time. Quite often this period of time is limited. Sometimes 96 hours and sometimes a 30 day period. This will be indicated in your insurance policy. Even if you do not feel that you will claim from your insurer, you should still inform them of the accident. If your claim against the other insurance company fails, you may have options with your own insurer.
What could happen if I don’t notify my insurance company about an accident?
If you fail to notify your insurance company within the required time and later attempt to claim under your policy, any claim could be denied, even possibly a later claim which has nothing to do with the accident you didn’t report. Not notifying your insurer could eliminate their duty to cover damages caused by the accident. Without insurance protection, you could be personally liable for third-party claims against you and will need to pay for your own automobile repair bills.
You may face a substantial claim for damages from an injured passenger and be unable to claim your insurance cover for that. Your insurers or any insurance company you later wish to use may also claim that they cannot properly assess your risk because you didn’t advise them of any accident and some insurers will use this to refuse a later claim.
Blake Attorneys is best known for Family Law and regularly appears in the courts for divorce, maintenance, domestic violence applications and children’s court matters. We also have expertise in small business development and insurance litigation. Formed in 1998, we have been providing legal services in the Johannesburg area for over thirty years. Contact us to speak to an attorney today.