How long do I have to report a road accident?

Whether you're driving to work, driving home from a family trip, or running errands every day, there's never a good time to get involved in a car accident. However, these incidents tend to happen more frequently than we would like and you need to be prepared to handle them as best you can. if you asked yourself How long do I have to report a car accident?keep reading, we'll explain it to you right away.
When you have an accident with your car, no matter who is to blame, you will have to take care of some things relatively quickly. After that fender blow (or worse) there are a few steps you need to take to ensure your problem is effectively resolved.
Of course, proper medical care should be the priority if you or one of your passengers are injured. However, you should also consider how much time do you have to report a car accident your insurer or, if necessary, how much time you have to file a claim.
What happens if my car is declared a total loss?
How long do I have to report a car accident?
Each state government sets the time it takes to file an auto insurance claim after an accident, which typically ranges from one to 10 years.
The deadline may vary for different types of complaints, even within the same jurisdiction. For example, the time allowed for a global claim may differ from that for personal injury or property damage.
Please refer to the tables below for your state's statute of limitations when filing a claim. Please note that contacting your insurance agent as soon as possible will simplify the claim process.
How long do I have to file a complaint or lawsuit?
You can only file a complaint or lawsuit within the liability time limit set by your stateKnown as the "statute of limitations". Each state has its own statute of limitations, and there are different time limits for various types of damages, such as personal injury or property damage. We will review the statute of limitations for each state in the table below.
You should be aware that your auto insurance policy may indicate that you must initiate the claim procedure immediately at the time of the accident or within 24 hours of the date the damage to your vehicle occurred.
However, the shorter deadline stated in your policy is not limiting and does not prevent you or another driver from filing a claim or lawsuit months or even years later, provided that within the statute of limitations of the state in which the accident occurred. This is because some injuries and mechanical damage are not noticeable until days or weeks after the accident with your car.
IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that the longer you wait to file a complaint, the harder it will be to defend it.
Insurance companies may suspect significantly delayed claims and will investigate whether the damage was actually the result of the covered accident or a subsequent accident. If they have legitimate reasons to doubt your request, they can deny coverage.
Claims for auto insurance generally fall under one of two limitation periods:
- A time limit for personal injury claims
- Another time limit for other claims, including property damage (to another vehicle), collision damage (to your vehicle) and total damage (to your vehicle from theft or vandalism).
How much time do I have to report a traffic accident: statute of limitations
Condition | physical damage | Property / Collision / Full damage |
Alabama | 2 years | 2 years |
Alaska | 2 years | 2 years |
Arizona | 2 years | 2 years |
Arkansas | 3 years | 3 years |
California | 2 years | 2 years |
Colorado | 3 years | 3 years |
Connecticut | 2 years | 2 years |
Delaware | 2 years | 2 years |
Florida | 4 years | 4 years |
Georgia | 2 years | 4 years |
Hawaii | 2 years | 2 years |
Idaho | 2 years | 2 years |
Illinois | 2 years | 5 years |
Indiana | 2 years | 2 years |
Iowa | 2 years | 5 years |
Kansas | 1 years | 2 years |
Kentucky | 1 years | 2 years |
Louisiana | 1 years | 1 years |
Maine | 6 years | 6 years |
Maryland | 3 years | 3 years |
Massachusetts | 3 years | 3 years |
Michigan | 3 years | 3 years |
Minnesota | 6 years | 6 years |
Mississippi | 3 years | 3 years |
Missouri | 5 years | 5 years |
Mountain | 3 years | 2 years |
Nebraska | 4 years | 4 years |
Nevada | 1 years | 1 years |
New Hampshire | 3 years | 3 years |
New Jersey | 2 years | 6 years |
New Mexico | 3 years | 4 years |
New York | 3 years | 3 years |
North Carolina | 3 years | 3 years |
North Dakota | 2 years | 2 years |
Ohio | 2 years | 2 years |
Oklahoma | 2 years | 2 years |
Oregon | 2 years | 6 years |
Pennsylvania | 2 years | 2 years |
Rhode Island | 3 years | 10 years |
South Carolina | 3 years | 3 years |
South Dakota | 3 years | 3 years |
Tennessee | 1 years | 3 years |
Texas | 2 years | 2 years |
Utah | 4 years | 3 years |
Vermont | 3 years | 3 years |
Virginia | 2 years | 5 years |
Washington | 3 years | 3 years |
Washington DC. | 3 years | 3 years |
West Virginia | 2 years | 2 years |
Wisconsin | 3 years | 3 years |
Wyoming | 4 years | 4 years |
If the fault lies with another driver and the accident occurred in the no-fault state, you will first need to submit your initial claim under your collision protection or personal injury (PIP) policy.
However, you can also file a claim against the other driver if you suffer permanent or permanent physical injury and the cost of the treatment exceeds your policy coverage.
What does total self mean in Spanish?
The amount of time available to report a car accident to DMV or to the police varies by state. In case of minor accidents, after which no insurance claim is required, it may not be necessary to report it to the authorities. However, most states require that you report accidents that result in injury or involve more than $ 2,000 in property damage.
IMPORTANT: Since some injuries and damage to the vehicle are not noticeable until days or weeks later, it is always best to contact the police immediately after an accident.
The police report will serve as evidence for all reports you file with the DMV and for any claims you can file with your auto insurance company.
Here are the time limits for reporting a traffic accident in each state. When an "immediate" report is required, you are generally expected to call the police from the crash site.
CONDITION | WEATHER |
Alabama | 30 days |
Alaska | 10 days |
Arizona | Right away |
Arkansas | 30 days to file a car accident report, 90 days to provide proof of insurance. |
California | 10 days |
Colorado | Right away |
Connecticut | Right away |
Delaware | Right away |
Florida | 10 days |
Georgia | Right away |
Hawaii | Right away |
Idaho | Right away |
Illinois | 10 days |
Indiana | Right away |
Iowa | Right away |
Kansas | Right away |
Kentucky | 10 days |
Louisiana | Right away |
Maine | Right away |
Maryland | 15 days |
Massachusetts | five days |
Michigan | Right away |
Minnesota | 10 days |
Mississippi | Right away |
Missouri | 30 days |
Mountain | Right away |
Nebraska | 10 days |
Nevada | Right away |
New Hampshire | 15 days |
New Jersey | Right away |
New Mexico | Right away |
New York | 5 days |
North Carolina | Right away |
North Dakota | Right away |
Ohio | 6 months |
Oklahoma | Right away |
Oregon | Three days |
Pennsylvania | Three days |
Rhode Island | 21 days |
South Carolina | 15 days |
South Dakota | Right away |
Tennessee | 20 days |
Texas | 10 days |
Utah | Right away |
Vermont | five days |
Virginia | Right away |
Washington | four days |
West Virginia | five days |
Wisconsin | Right away |
Wyoming | 10 days |
While you may be given a few hours or several weeks to report an accident, doing so immediately after the collision can increase your chances of recovering your losses.
Insurance companies and courts rely on police reports as vital proof, and having an agent assess the scene of an accident helps insurers clearly determine who was to blame.
Now that we've answered your question: How long do I have to report a car accident? You just have to pay attention to the deadlines we have entered in the tables according to your status. Also, remember that the faster you do it, the better. Good luck!




![Car loan calculator [Choose your ideal monthly premium]](https://infocarsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/car-loan-calculator-choose-your-ideal-monthly-premium-150x150.png)





If you want to discover other articles similar to How long do I have to report a road accident?, you can visit the Last News category.
DISCLAIMER: By reading this, you agree to the following: you understand that this is an expression of opinions and not professional advice. You are solely responsible for the use of any content and hold harmless ©INFOCARSUSA.COM and all members and affiliates from any event or claim. The information provided on the site may contain errors, both grammatical and contextual and/or information, and we recommend that you conduct your own research through the means you deem appropriate to satisfy your search intention. If you purchase something through a link, you should assume that we have an affiliate relationship with the company providing the product or services you purchase, and we will be compensated in some way. We recommend that you conduct your own independent research before purchasing anything.
Leave a Reply
Most Read Articles