Nothing! You are under no contractual obligation to speak or otherwise interact with any insurance company other than your own. Therefore, you should think twice before speaking with the insurance provider of any other driver who was involved in your accident. Unfortunately, too many past dealings with other insurance companies have taught us that these providers are far less concerned with the well-being of the injured party than they are with their own financial profit or retention.

As such, insurance adjustors are likely to use underhanded ploys to evoke statements from the victim that could be used against them later on. If you are being asked to discuss your car accident with an insurance adjuster other than your own, then you should immediately seek help from a personal injury attorney. A legal professional can intervene and communicate with the other insurance company on your behalf, thus ensuring that nothing is said on the record that could put your case in jeopardy down the road.

Yes. Your car insurance policy acts as an indicator of the professional relationship held between you and your provider. Accordingly, you are expected to act within the guidelines of this policy, one guideline of which is to promptly inform your insurance provider of any accident in which you were involved; this is true even in circumstances in which you are not at fault for the collision.

The working relationship between you and your insurance provider calls for mutual respect and trust, much of which is built on communications between both parties. Failure to inform your insurance provider of your accident in a timely manner could result in the complete loss of coverage for you injuries and / or damage. Therefore, you should not wait to speak with your insurance company about your accident.

The aftermath of a San Jose car collision can be complex and even stressful if it is not handled correctly. Therefore, we encourage you to involve a legal professional in the matter as soon after the accident as possible. In this way, you can rest assured that all of the proper legal actions that are needed in order to be successful in your case are being made when they need to be. Generally speaking, we suggest that any individual who was victimized in an auto accident take the following steps after the collision:

• Take notes – The more information you have to supplement your car accident claim, the better. Any details that you can remember from the accident should be recorded as soon as possible, because having notes to trigger your memory of the events of the incident could be extremely helpful later on during the claims process. From what you were doing, to where you were going, to the time of the accident, everything is worth documenting, including your thoughts and feelings at the time of the accident.
• Take photographs of property damage and injuries – In order to ensure that no one can deny the damage that was done to your vehicle or the injury that was sustained to your person, you should take photographs of both. If you can supply pictures of your auto damages and / or personal injuries, then there will be far less room for anyone to argue the consequences of the accident that ensued.
• Track your injuries daily – The injuries sustained in a car accident can result in far more than just physical damage to the body. In addition, symptoms such as sleep loss, anxiety, and other emotional issues can be experienced as well. The more documentation that you have of your injuries, the better chances you stand of being compensated for the harm that was caused to you.