Every state
Car accident attorneys near you
Collisions, hit and run, uninsured drivers, rideshare and delivery crashes.
Deadline, in general
Commonly two to three years for injury, often longer for vehicle damage.
Most states are at-fault states, so the driver responsible for a collision, through their insurance, pays for the damage. About a dozen are no-fault states, where your own policy pays your medical bills first whoever was to blame. Either way it is rarely simple: fault is disputed, minimum policy limits are low, and a large share of drivers on the road carry no insurance at all.
Two rules catch people out. Most states require a collision involving injury, death, or more than a threshold amount of property damage to be reported to the state motor vehicle agency within days, separately from any police report. And your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage — the part of your policy you pay for and rarely think about — is often the only pocket that can actually pay when the other driver has nothing.
Tell us what happened
A few questions about your situation. It is free, and there is no obligation of any kind.
This may be your situation if
- —The other driver has no insurance, or their limits will not cover your treatment.
- —Fault is being disputed or you are being blamed for the collision.
- —You were hit while driving for work, or by someone who was.
- —A rideshare or delivery driver was involved, which changes which policy applies.
- —Your own insurer is slow, or is treating your claim as though you caused it.
What an attorney generally does here
- —Pin down fault using the report, the scene, vehicle damage and any available footage.
- —Identify every policy in play, including your own uninsured motorist coverage.
- —Keep the adjusters at arm’s length while you finish treatment.
- —Value the claim properly rather than accepting the first offer.
- —File before the deadline where the insurer will not deal.
The deadline
Commonly two to three years for injury, often longer for vehicle damage. Set by Your state’s statutes of limitations for injury and for property damage.
A crash involving a public vehicle — a county van, a transit bus, a city truck — usually falls under a government claim deadline measured in months, not years. Most states also require a report to the state motor vehicle agency within days of a collision involving injury or significant damage, and that is a separate obligation from any police report.
Worth gathering first
- —The police report or its number, and the other driver’s details.
- —Photographs of both vehicles, the road and any injuries.
- —Your own insurance declarations page, which shows your uninsured motorist limits.
- —Medical records and bills from the collision onward.
- —Repair estimates or the total-loss valuation.
- —Dashcam footage, or the address of any business whose camera faced the road.
If you work in care
Home care workers drive between clients all day, often in their own car and often unpaid for that time. A collision between visits raises two questions at once: who pays for the injury, and whether the drive was within the course of employment, which can open a workers’ compensation claim as well.
Common questions
Do I have to report a car accident to the DMV?
In most states, yes — where the collision caused injury or death, or property damage above a set threshold, and usually within days. The form, the threshold and the deadline are set by your own state motor vehicle agency. It is separate from calling the police at the scene and separate from telling your insurer.
The other driver has no insurance. What now?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage, if you carry it, is usually the answer. It is your policy, but it is still a claim you have to prove, and your insurer becomes the opposing party for that purpose.
Should I accept the first offer from the adjuster?
An early offer usually arrives before anyone knows what treatment will be needed. Once a release is signed the claim is closed, including for problems that appear later.
I was driving between clients when I was hit. Does that change anything?
It can. Driving that is part of your work may bring workers’ compensation into play alongside the claim against the other driver. The two systems run on different rules and different deadlines.
Related
This page is general information about how this kind of matter works in the United States, and the rules that matter most here are set state by state — the deadline where you live may be shorter than the general figure given above. It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for advice about your own situation, and reading it or sending the form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Unified Savers is not a law firm and not a lawyer referral service. Deadlines stated are general rules and exceptions frequently make them shorter. See the disclaimer and privacy policy.