Do I Have To File A Claim If I’ve Been In A Car Crash?

It happens to the best of us. Through no fault of your own, after years of careful driving and making sure to follow every rule of the road, one finds themselves in a car crash. Despite our best efforts at safety and security, hundreds of incidents occur every day on roadways around the globe, meaning the spectre of dealing with an insurance company looms large for many people, whether they want to think about it or not.

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One of the best ways to handle the situation is to be well informed. There’s plenty of misinformation out there about how best to approach tasks which need to be carried out after a crash, with the wisest drivers already having that information in their back pocket (or in their car’s glovebox, as the case may be). Does one need to call the police? How about filing a claim with the insurance company? Important questions but, for now, this post will just deal with the latter.

What’s important are the steps one takes after the incident. Making sure everyone is ok should be the first step taken after calamity stops; after all, human life and health are more important than any vehicle. After the essentials are addressed, one can move onto sorting out the potentially confusing world of car insurance.

To help with this, we contacted the experts at Toyota Insurance. “In some cases,” their representatives helpfully explained, “If the damage is very minor and no other parties are involved, you may want to absorb the costs to repair, as accidents can have an impact on your insurance rates.” This is sage advice, since a bumper scuff inflicted at parking lot speeds may cost significantly less to fix than the total cost of a potential rate hike.

But be aware that modern cars can be notoriously expensive to repair correctly. What may look like a minor fender bender could have damage running into the thousands. “If the cost of the claim exceeds what you are willing to absorb,” they continued, “We recommend reporting all potential claims especially if liability with other parties is involved. You want to preserve all evidence and information as early as possible.”

In other words, while a crash can be extremely stressful in the moment, try and have the presence of mind to document what happened either with photos or by writing it down. The details are likely to evaporate from one’s brain once the adrenaline wears off.

Your insurer can help you navigate reporting a claim simply by calling them or contacting through one of the many channels available. For example, Toyota Insurance has partnered with insurance companies which also allow reporting a claim online.

Dealing with a car crash can certainly be nerve-wracking, but insurance professionals can help a person navigate the claim process and get one back on the road to recovery.