The personal injury lawyers at Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm in South Carolina educate you on being responsible for notifying the other driver’s insurance company. Watch the video below to get your questions answered.
Are you responsible for notifying the other driver’s insurance company? The attorneys at Schiller and Hamilton explained that you should notify your insurance company as soon as you can after an accident occurs. It is very important that you notify your insurance company based on the instructions provided on your insurance card. In South Carolina, you have a duty to notify your insurance company within 15 days. At that time your insurance company is required to complete an FR-10 and send it to the Department of Motor Vehicles to verify on your behalf that the vehicle that you were driving at the time of the wreck was in fact insured. If you do not do that you could be subjected to having your license suspended.
The other driver has the same obligation, unfortunately. Sometimes an at-fault party does not get in touch with their insurance company soon enough so that they can get the vehicle repaired in a timely manner. In that case, you may have to contact their insurance company to set up a claim and get a claim number. Their insurance company will begin their investigation which includes taking statements. They will get statements from the insured and they are going to want to get a statement from the injured party as well. Additionally, they are going to want to speak to the officer who investigated the wreck. Obviously, it is recommended that you do not talk to their insurance company or give any statements prior to talking with an attorney.
In our initial consultation, we often get enough information to provide directly to the other party’s insurance company so a statement may not be necessary. For a free phone consultation, contact Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm today.