Reader question:

Besides filing a claim with my insurance company, what else do I have to do after an accident?

Demontrell

Excellent question.

When (if!) you do get an accident, you’ll be going through a load of stress, so you should know ahead of time what needs to be done, so that once the time comes you won’t overlook anything important.

When you get in a car accident, most states require you to file an SR-1 form with the DPS. What the SR-1 is, basically, is a proof of your financial responsibility, actually called Safety Responsibility form, and is used to document that you were in fact insured at the time of the accident. This form has to be submitted within thirty days after the accident takes place; if it isn’t, you might have to pay a hefty fine or risk having your license suspended. While you’re looking for a new car, repairing your old one, or possibly nursing injuries, that’s not exactly something you want to have on your mind. So keep yourself out of the trouble before it threatens.

You have to prove that you had insurance at the time, and just the fact alone that the officer who filed the police report on the accident didn’t ticket you and saw your insurance card won’t cut it. Here are some ways to prove that you were insured at the time:

• Get your insurance company to fill out an SR-21 form and send it to the DPS.
• A release of liability signed by the other person involved in the accident.
• A notarized covenant not to sue signed by the other person.
• A written statement by the other person or their insurance provider that you have received reimbursement for your property or injury.
• A copy of a bankruptcy petition with a list of creditors.

One of the above will be needed in order to file an SR-1 form, the easiest being to have your insurance file the SR-21, of course.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.