Should I Tell My Insurance Company if I’m in a Minor Car Accident?

If you or somebody you care about has sustained a relatively minor injury in the aftermath of a vehicle accident, you may be wondering whether or not you should even report it to your insurance carrier. The answer to that question is almost always going to be, “Yes,” you need to report the incident.

There are so many different factors involved in these cases. A failure to report an injury to an insurance carrier could result in long-term consequences that most people are not even thinking of in the immediate aftermath of a crash. Here, we want to discuss why you need to report even minor injuries to your insurance carrier after a crash occurs.

Even Minor Injuries Can Lead to Major Medical Bills

When most people think of minor car accident injuries, they may think of sprains or strains or perhaps a concussion. However, even though these may be relatively minor injuries that do not need much medical care, the reality is that the medical bills to treat these injuries can be much higher than what most people expect. 

According to information available from Debt.org, even a one-day stay in the hospital can result in more than a $2,000 tab. This does not even account for all of the tests that could be run, even if a person only goes to the emergency room. If a doctor wants to rule out a major head injury after a minor vehicle accident, the MRI alone can reach more than $1,000.

Any person who fails to report a minor car accident to their insurance carrier will be unable to recover compensation to pay for these medical bills. Minor injuries have major costs, and those involved should not be saddled with these bills, particularly if they did not cause the vehicle accident in the first place.

Minor Injuries May Not be as “Minor” as You Think

We cannot stress enough how important it is for vehicle accident victims to seek medical care immediately following the crash, regardless of the severity of the incident. When a vehicle accident occurs, adrenaline begins coursing through the bodies of those involved. This adrenaline can mask the signs and symptoms of vehicle accident injuries – even severe injuries. Sometimes, the signs and symptoms of crash injuries do not appear until hours or even days after the incident occurs. When a person seeks medical care immediately following a crash, they are taking the steps necessary to ensure their well-being.

Sometimes, even seemingly minor injuries (or after a crash with no immediately apparent injury) can be far more devastating than initially understood. Traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding often have delayed symptoms, with victims only later finding out that they are seriously injured and need significant medical care.

Crash victims need to report any incident that occurs so that they will be covered in the event they have suffered more harm than they initially realized.

Working With an Attorney

If you or somebody has been injured in a vehicle accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of someone else, you may need to work with a car accident attorney to help ensure that you recover the compensation you need. Vehicle accidents can be devastating, and insurance carriers can put up a fight when it comes to paying out compensation. An attorney will be able to fully investigate what happened, determine liability, and help victims recover the compensation they need for their losses.