Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company?
Tell your own insurer about the crash. California's insurance department says to notify your agent or company immediately and not to sign statements about fault. The other driver's insurer is not your lawyer. You still share driver, vehicle, and insurance details at the scene. Save the rest of the story for the police and your own company.
On this page
Two insurers can call after the same crash. One is yours. The other works for the other driver. They are not interchangeable.
Your own company
The California insurance department says to notify your agent or your insurance company immediately. A claim representative should contact you within a reasonable time after you report the loss. In some cases the company can take up to 15 days to contact you.
When it does, it will ask for details of the loss. It may take a written or recorded statement. An examination under oath can be requested. If you have medical payments or an uninsured motorist claim, you have to provide documentation of injuries, medical expenses, and lost wages.
The same page tells you to cooperate with the adjuster and investigators. The duty to cooperate lives in the policy, not on this site. Read that policy.
The other driver's company
At the scene, California's insurance page and the DMV handbook both say to share driver, vehicle, registration, and insurance information. That is the required exchange.
After that, the other driver's insurer may call for a statement. It is looking after the other driver. It is not your lawyer. California's insurance page says not to sign statements regarding fault or promise to pay for the other party's damages, and not to sign anything if the other party offers to pay your deductible.
Save your story for the police and your own company. That is the department's wording.
If no one calls back
If your own company does not contact you, call the agent or the company. If they are not responsive, or you believe there is an unreasonable delay, the California page points you to the Department of Insurance.
What to do in the first hours is the rest of the order, including photos and the state report. Do I need a police report? is the next page if no officer came. If you want someone on the file before the next recorded statement, how to choose a personal injury lawyer is the checklist.
Sources
Where our facts come from
Who wrote this page
- Written by
- Injury First Steps editorial staff. Who runs this site
- Licensed professional
- None. No personal injury attorney has checked this page.
Ask about the first hours
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