How to Deal with Insurance Companies After a Car Accident in Austin: Protecting Your Rights

Being in a car accident is a frightening and stressful experience, and can cause complications beyond damaged vehicles and minor injuries. While the obvious priority after a car accident is to ensure the safety and health of yourself and others, it is also essential to proceed with your insurance policy, legal rights and future in mind.

To protect your rights and maximize your available compensation, you should understand how to communicate effectively with insurance companies, and have all the documentation and information necessary to support your claim. Learn the best ways to deal with insurance companies and get the most out of car accident insurance claims in Austin.

At the Accident Scene

Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.021, drivers involved in a car accident in Austin must adhere to a strict set of duties following a collision. Directly after your car accident, take the following steps at the scene:

Call 911

If you or somebody else involved was injured, call 911 to get medical help immediately. Similarly, if you or the other party cannot move your vehicles out of the road, or if the other party leaves the scene, call 911 to report the accident and request roadside assistance.

You may also want to call 911 to report the accident and ensure official documentation of the incident, which may come in handy should you or the other party make a claim.

Note that Texas law requires you to call the police if the damages caused by the accident exceed $1,000.

Move Your Car

If your car is operable, you are uninjured and it is safe to do so, carefully move your vehicle to a safer area, such as the shoulder. This will help prevent further damage and accidents.

Collect the Other Driver’s Information

Document the other driver’s information for your insurance claim, including:

• Name
• Phone number
• Name of their insurance provider
• Insurance policy number
• A photo of their insurance card, if they have one

You can also provide your information to the other party at this stage.

Photograph Your Vehicle

Take photographs of the vehicles involved from multiple angles to ensure you have accurate documentation of the accident and the damage done to your vehicle.

When taking photos, make sure to capture:

• All signs of damage
• License plates
• Spatial relationship to nearby landmarks, such as traffic signals
• Road conditions

Gather Witness Statements

If there are any witnesses to your accident, politely request statements and contact details from those who can corroborate your account of the incident. Request copies of their video footage, if available.

Similarly, if you can see any surveillance cameras that may have captured the accident, make note of them for future reference.

Note Other Details

Make sure you have detailed notes of the incident, including:

• The exact location
• The time and date
• The weather conditions
• Exactly what occurred

After the Accident

Once you have left the scene, you need to take several steps to ensure your rights are protected and to make your interactions with car insurance providers as seamless as possible.

Contact Your Insurance Provider

Call your insurance provider to report the accident as soon as possible, ideally within 24 to 72 hours of the incident.

Whenever possible, maintain written communications with your insurance provider, and with anyone else involved, to retain clear documentation of all exchanges. For example, after calling your provider to report your accident, send a follow-up email that summarizes the key points of your conversation.

When contacting your insurance provider, you can request the following information to understand more about your policy coverage:

• Coverage limits
• Deductibles
• Claim filing deadlines

Understanding your coverage limits is key to determining how much you can claim for personal injury and property damage. 

Seek Medical Support

Even if you believe you have sustained no — or only minor — injuries, symptoms may not be apparent immediately. Delaying medical assistance can not only impact your health, but also your claim.

Following a car accident, schedule a medical examination to check for undiagnosed injuries, and to document and treat apparent injuries caused by the crash. You must retain documentation of any medical examination or appointment related to the accident to support your insurance claim.

File a Police Report

Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.062, you must file a police report within 10 days for an accident that results in any of the following:

• Death
• Injury
• Property damage of $1,000 or more

Even if only minor injuries were sustained, filing a police report is always a smart idea. It helps demonstrate to both your and the other party’s insurance provider that you have proper documentation of the event.

Dealing With the Other Party’s Insurance Provider

If the other driver’s insurance company contacts you, their motives are likely to determine fault and assess liability. Speaking directly to them might put you at risk of:

• Jeopardizing your claim
• Persistent and unnecessary communications
• Experiencing issues with insurance adjusters
• Receiving unfair settlement offers

Only provide them with the necessary information, and avoid discussing details of the event to prevent them from using your words to indicate liability.

To ensure your claim retains credibility and to prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of you, it is always advisable to communicate through an experienced legal representative. In Austin, if you are contacted by the other party’s provider, you have the right to refuse direct communication and can instead steer them toward your attorney, who can handle communications and adjustments on your behalf and ensure you receive fair compensation.

Choosing local legal representation with experience handling car insurance companies enables you to act with confidence. Having an attorney who understands the laws specific to Austin and car insurance company tactics maximizes your chance of a successful claim.

Act With Confidence and Protect Your Rights With Thomas J. Henry Law

Within two years of the date of the accident, contact an experienced Texas car accident lawyer before the statute of limitations for car accident insurance claims in Austin expires. This keeps you and your legal rights protected, and it’s the best way to ensure a successful car insurance claim following an accident.

At Thomas J. Henry Law, we have represented victims of car accidents in Texas for over 30 years and have a history of obtaining the compensation our clients deserve.

With our expansive network of Austin automobile accident professionals, including accident reconstruction experts, we have all the resources you need to pursue a robust car accident insurance claim.

If you need support from Austin car accident lawyers for insurance disputes or have questions regarding your rights, contact us for a free case review or call us at 866-970-5181 today.