When You Don’t File A Claim

If you are a commuter, you might found yourself inching along on your way home in the usual morning bumper-to-bumper traffic. As you pass the accident that has been causing the traffic and glare hatefully, but you’re also glad no one was seriously injured. We never want to be those people, especially in traffic. But you know when you will feel that dreaded sudden jolt as the car behind you wasn’t paying attention, didn’t stop on time, and just barely touched your rear bumper. And even though it feels minor, you both have to pull over to the nearest shoulder. Generally, there’s a little bit of damage in fender benders, but every once in a while, you’ll be surprised to see that there is no obvious damage to either of your cars. Not a scratch or dent in sight. What do you do in this situation? What if you were the at-fault driver and there’s a risk that the other driver involved will file a surprise and maybe trivial claim?

Even if there is no visible damage, or maybe there’s only a small scratch or paint mark, there could be a small amount of damage that you did not notice. This is also true for injuries to yourself, like whiplash injuries that take a while to show symptoms. If you exchange information and simply get back in your car and drive off, you have essentially lost the ability to file a claim should vehicle damage or an injury to the body caused by the accident show up later on. It is common for people to try to avoid reporting minor collisions to their insurance companies for many reasons, including:

• Assumption that insurance rates will increase
• Assumption that things can be “worked out” with the other driver without involving their insurance company
• Assumption there is nothing wrong (especially internally) with their car

If the other driver makes a claim after several weeks or for vehicle damage you didn’t notice, or for injuries that have cropped up overtime, your insurance company will most likely deny certain protection to you once they find out that you didn’t report the accident right after it happened. Basically, your attempt to avoid an increase in your insurance payment could result in owning even more money in the long run. The only reasonable reason to avoid reporting an accident to the insurance company is when the accident happens to your vehicle on your own property, especially in there were no injuries and the only property that was damaged was your own. This can be you hitting your mailbox and your mirror knocking off and no being able to stop on time and backing into your garage door. Whatever the reason, this situation does not warrant a dispute with another person, so you can deal with it on your own

If you do end up calling your insurance company and if you or someone you know has been injured as a result of another driver, it’s important not to wait until your problems worsen to ask for help. Call One Law Group now at (844) 626-1529 to speak with one of our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys. Personal injuries will happen when you least expect them, and it is common to not be prepared. The attorneys at One Law Group in Beverly Hills are always prepared to go to work for you. Again, call (844) 626-1529 now!