After a car accident, you may understand the customary practice is to talk to your insurance company. While your insurance company needs notification of a crash, you should hold off on calling too soon.
People involved in crashes in Ohio may not know how the state’s fault laws work. Getting an overview may help you when it comes to calling the insurer to report the crash.
What does at-fault mean?
Ohio is one state where the insurance carrier of the person deemed responsible should pay for any claim you make. This means that calling your carrier may get the ball rolling, but ultimately, any claim for a crash funnels first through the other insurer.
What happens when you call the insurance company?
After a crash, you may need time to process what happened. The police will document the scene, take statements and ensure that insurance information changes hands. When it is time to call the insurance company, the representative will want to take a recorded statement.
A recorded statement is crucial in the insurance company’s determination of fault and liability. The insurer records your retelling of the crash and then your answers to relevant questions. One thing that can trip people up soon after a crash is trying to fill in gaps or guess. If you give an answer that you later dispute, the recorded statement makes that more difficult to do. Refrain from guessing. Instead, inform the representative that you do not recall the answer.
You have the right to ask someone with experience in the aftermath of a crash to help you deal with the insurance company. This may prove a better course of action than calling the insurer straight away.
