How A Personal Injury Lawyer Reports A Baltimore City Car Accident Case State Farm
The nation’s largest car insurance companies deny Baltimore-based personal injury claims every single day of the year. The top personal injury and accident lawyers are all too aware, State Farm handles claims the same way. State Farm styles itself as the “leading Auto and Home insurer in the United States”. The company has hundreds of billions in assets. Even in a ‘bad year” the company “remains financially strong”. “The A.M. Best Co., which provides an independent opinion of an insurance company’s ability to meet obligations to policyholders, continues to give State Farm Mutual its highest rating (A++)”. Despite the strong self-reported financial picture, – this company denies, minimizes, and delays hundreds or thousands of Baltimore personal injury and car accident cases and claims every year. Every personal injury lawsuit ever filed in Baltimore likely began the same way- with an insurance claim.
State Farm’s Baltimore Personal Injury Claim Reporting Process
“Having an auto accident or dealing with a catastrophe is stressful, yet it’s important to try to stay calm and focused.”
Baltimore injury, personal injury, and accident attorneys report claims. If you have car insurance with State Farm and are involved in an auto accident-causing personal injury, I generally advise my clients to let State Farm directly know of the accident regardless of fault. To report a personal injury or car accident claim to State Farm insurance company, you can follow these general steps:
Ensure Safety: First, make sure that everyone involved in the accident is safe. If there are injuries that require immediate medical attention, call 911 or your local emergency services. Indeed, State Farm advises:
- If the car accident is minor, move vehicles out of traffic to a safe place.
- Shift into park, turn off your vehicle, and turn on the hazard lights.
- Use cones, warning triangles, or flares for added safety, if you have them.
Contact the Authorities: If necessary, contact the police to report the accident. They will create an accident report, which can be important for your insurance claim. As a personal injury attorney in Baltimore, I understand the police do not necessarily respond to every call. State Farm suggests specific steps:
- Check for injuries; call an ambulance when in doubt.
- Call the police, even if the accident is minor. A police report can be invaluable to the claim process and help establish who’s at fault.
Gather Information: Collect as much information as possible at the scene of the accident. Here, State Farm offers specific detailed guidance on the information it desires:
- Drivers and passengers: names and contact information.
- Vehicle descriptions (make, model, year).
- Driver’s license numbers – License plate numbers.
- Insurance companies and policy numbers.
- Eyewitnesses: names and contact information.
- Accident scene location and/or address.
- Police officer’s name and badge number.
- Take photos of all vehicles involved and the accident scene, if it is safe to do so.
- Do not sign any document unless it’s for the police or your insurance agent.
- Be polite, but don’t tell anyone the accident was your fault, even if you think it was.
Contact State Farm: Notify your State Farm insurance agent or the company’s claims department as soon as possible. You can report a claim in several ways. Specifically, State Farm advises:
- Phone: Call State Farm’s claims hotline, which is typically available 24/7. The phone number should be listed on your insurance policy documents or on their website. File a claim online, use their easy State Farm® mobile app, or call us at 800-SF-CLAIM (1-800-732-5246).
Through Your Agent: If you have a local State Farm agent, you can contact them to help you initiate the claim process.
- You can start the claim process immediately at the scene and add details when things are calmer.
- Notify your insurance agent as soon as possible.
Not surprisingly, State Farm assumes if you were in an auto accident, you were not injured, and when reporting the claim, the injury victim should be aware of this assumption. The finest Baltimore City car accident lawyers are aware of it. Note that in the guidance given by State, the advice, “go get yourself checked out by a doctor” is nowhere to be seen, On its face, the claims process means fixing your car, or if it was the other driver’s fault, it means fixing their car. If you are a State Farm insured and were injured, you must also take the additional steps outlined by State:
You may need to complete and submit a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and/or Medical Payments Coverage (MPC) form(s). Your State Farm claim associate can help.
If you do not have your car insurance with State Farm, and you were injured, you should start your claim report with the sentence:
“ I sustained bodily injury of an evolving and undetermined nature when I was involved in a car accident caused by a State Farm insured.”
You must then get medical treatment if you need it. If you were injured in an accident, seek prompt medical attention and follow your healthcare provider’s advice. If you were not injured, don’t say you were, and don’t get medical care. Keep records of medical bills, treatment plans, and any other relevant documentation related to your injuries.
Provide Details: When reporting the claim, be prepared to provide all the necessary details about the accident, including the date, time, location, and a description of what happened. You may also need to provide the police report number, if applicable.
Cooperate with the Claims Adjuster: State Farm will assign a claims adjuster to your case. If the claim involved a Baltimore City-based car accident, you must tell State Farm you sustained bodily injury at every opportunity. Cooperate fully with the adjuster, providing any requested documentation or information. They will guide you through the claims process and assess the damage and injuries. Do not allow them to set the tone of “minor” injury or “minor impact.”
Document Everything: Keep records of all communication with State Farm, including dates, times, names of individuals you spoke with, and the content of your conversations.
Remember that the specific process may vary depending on your location and the details of your policy. It’s essential to review your Maryland policy and contact State Farm directly for the most accurate and up-to-date information on how to report a claim. For years, our practice has been dedicated to serving the hardworking residents of Baltimore’s 278 diverse neighborhoods. Of course, our commitment isn’t limited to cases within Baltimore City limits—if you’ve been injured in suburban areas, such as Catonsville, we’re here to help. Recently, I’ve handled numerous car accident injury cases originating from Catonsville, a bustling community located southwest of Baltimore. If you have questions or are not sure about the advice given by State Farm, you should speak to a Baltimore car accident or personal injury attorney, depending on the nature of the event, the compensation you seek.
- Baltimore Personal Injury Trial Lawyer Eric T. Kirk
- Baltimore Car Accident Legal Analysis & Case Studies
- Baltimore Neighborhoods I Serve
A Baltimore car accident and personal injury litigator who has taken hundreds of cases to trial in Maryland, New York and Florida, recovering millions over a 30-year mission to obtain denied compensation for his clients.
