After a car accident in New Jersey, you have 10 days to report the claim to the police for documentation and to create a police report. It is never wise not to file a police report in situations where you are suffering from injuries or have property damage. At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our New Jersey car accident lawyer recommends taking action as soon as possible to document the losses you have.
Know the New Jersey Car Accident Reporting Requirements
After a car accident, it is critical that you immediately notify law enforcement of the accident located in the city of the accident within 10 days. In most cases, as the victim, this is wise to do right away. It is a legal requirement in certain situations:
- There was someone hurt in the accident.
- Someone died as a result of the accident.
- There was $500 or more of property damage expected.
In these situations, you will need to call the police to the scene of the accident, if possible, to file a report with the local police department. You can also report a car accident in New Jersey by filing with the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Remember, you only have 10 days to take this action.
What Happens if You Do Not File a Crash Report with the Police?
In situations where you do not report the accident to the state or police, you may face a fine. In some situations, you may not be able to renew your vehicle registration, or you may have your driver’s license suspended if you are found to have not reported a vehicle crash that you were involved in. This can happen, for example, if the other party files a claim later.
How Long Do You Have to Report a Car Accident to Your Insurance Company?
In addition to filing a claim with the police department, you may also report a car accident in New Jersey to your insurance company. There is no legal requirement to do so, but some insurance companies have terms and conditions written into their policies that govern this rule. For example, many require that you contact the insurance company within that initial 10 days to alert them of the incident, though some provide for up to 30 days.
Filing a crash report is not the same as filing a claim for compensation with the insurance company. You should wait to do that until you have a full understanding of all of the losses you suffered in the accident. Typically, that means waiting until you have recovered from the incident.
In all of these situations, we encourage you to contact a car accident attorney in New Jersey to get help filing your claim. Do not let the insurance company force you into bringing the vehicle in or having an estimate done just yet, nor rush you to get medical care. Let your car accident attorney guide you through this process, and be sure to review our personal injury verdicts and settlements.
What Happens if You Do Not File a Report with Your Insurance Company?
In situations where you do not abide by the rules within your insurance policy, the insurance company may deny you coverage in the incident. They may deny personal injury protection coverage, for example, if you do not report the accident in a timely manner – and that could mean you do not get the compensation owed to you. Again, we encourage you to let our car accident attorney guide you throughout this process.
How Long After a Car Accident Can You Claim Injury in New Jersey?
Filing a car accident claim for compensation owed to you from the insurance company must be done within two years of the incident if you have an injury. This is the statute of limitations for most types of auto accidents in the state of New Jersey. That means that you have two full years to the date of the car accident occurring to request a claim for compensation.
In situations where you have property damage only, you have up to 6 years from the date of the incident to file a claim. It is rarely beneficial to wait that long to take this action. However, the statute of limitation gives you a bit longer for property damage than it does for injury claims.
If you fail to take action within these timelines, it may be impossible for you to recover the damages you have suffered. The key here is to know that filing a claim within these timeframes helps to protect your right to recover the damages you have lost. We strongly recommend doing so only with the help of a car accident attorney and learning how to get a police report for a car accident in New Jersey.
Why You Should Use a Car Accident Attorney to Help You with This Process
A car accident lawyer will work closely with you to ensure you are filing a claim fully and properly. Most importantly, you learn what your rights are throughout this process. With the help of our car accident attorney at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, you can expect:
- Help in determining if you should file a claim if you are unsure
- Help report a car accident to the police if you failed to do so initially
- Support in filing an insurance claim for all of your losses
- Guidance on how much your claim may be worth
- What to do if the other driver did not stop or did not have proper coverage
When you work with our car accident attorney, you gain insight into all of your legal options. We encourage you to reach out to an attorney even if you are unsure if you can take legal action. With the support of a lawyer, you protect all of your rights.
Contact Rand Spear for a Free Consultation After Your Car Accident
Call our car accident attorney in New Jersey if you suffered an injury or property damage after an incident. We can set up a consultation to discuss your case without cost or obligation to move your case forward if you change your mind. Report a car accident in New Jersey and Demand Rand Spear—The Accident Lawyer, today.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
