After a car accident, there are a lot of aspects to handle, especially when there’s physical damage or injuries resulting from the wreck. You might feel like you want to take time to heal before dealing with the insurance company, but that might not be your best move. If you wait too long, you could miss out on filing an insurance claim completely, and that could leave you in an even tougher situation.
Auto wrecks can leave you struggling physically, mentally, and financially. At the Law Office of Todd W. Burris, we know how hard it can be to recover without the proper support. That’s where we come in. Our expert Lexington car accident lawyer can help you recover financially so you can regain your peace of mind. But first, let’s look at how long you have to file an insurance claim after a collision.
Kentucky’s Insurance Laws
The first thing to consider when you’re reporting a car wreck to your insurance company is how long you have according to state laws. In Kentucky, your deadline to file a claim starts quickly approaching immediately after the wreck. In order to file an insurance claim, you’ll first need to file an accident report, so it’s important you file an accident report to the Kentucky State Police within 10 days of the accident.
Once you have a police report, you’ll be able to file an accident claim with your insurance company. Since Kentucky is a no-fault state, you’re legally required to have basic personal injury protection (PIP) on all vehicles and minimum bodily injury liability coverage of:
- $25,000 for bodily injury damage to one person from one accident.
- $50,000 for bodily injury damage to all persons from one accident.
- $25,000 for property damage from one accident.
Alternatively, you can have a policy with a limit of $60,000. Insurance regulations are important because of our no-fault status, which means that in the event of an accident, most times neither driver takes fault, but instead each driver must file a claim with their own insurance for help with costs from the accident.
Since you are filing a claim with your own insurance company after an accident, you’ll need to know how much time you have so you don’t wait too long and miss your window for recovering money for damages and injuries. When it comes to insurance claims, ideally, your company will want you to file a claim within 24 hours of the accident. However, sometimes that’s not possible for you to accomplish.
Time limits for an insurance claim are set by your state, and usually fall under the statute of limitations. In Kentucky, the statute of limitations for car accidents is one year for bodily injury and two years for property damage. So if you’re unable to file an insurance claim right away, you must do it within these timelines in order to have a chance for a successful claim.
The Law Office of Todd W. Burris Can Help You
Sometimes an insurance claim from auto accident damages and injuries can be denied by your insurer. When that happens, you might feel as though you were mistreated or wronged, and not know who to turn to. An experienced car accident lawyer from the Law Office of Todd W. Burris in Lexington can be there for you in your difficult time and provide you with the legal support and guidance you need to file an appeal or complaint.
You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Reach out to our office today so we can discuss your options and how best to move forward with your claim.