Overhaulin'

How many days does someone have to file a car insurance claim in massachusetts?

Ive heard 5 days if the accident hasnt been reported 10 days after the accident, can the other person still be found liable? or will it be dismissed? there was no visible damage done to eitehr car, no injury and no police on the scene. Extremely minor.

Public Comments

1. Call your insurance agent and ask.
2. you should file it asap....
3. If you are filing on your own policy, most companies require you file a proof of loss (claim) within 91 days of the date of the incident. If you are filing against someone elses policy, you would want to report it as soon as possible, although the statute in Mass is 3 years to file.
4. Technically, there's no timeframe for filing an insurance claim. It's not unheard of for someone to wait two weeks, or even longer. Of course, the insurance company is going to question you on why you waited, for example, six months before filing the claim. But the wait doesn't affect the LIABILITY. Massachusetts has "standards of fault". Fault will be determined based on how the accident happened. Reporting period is irrelevant.
5. You have five days to report the loss to the police department if the damage to the vehicles exceed $1k and/or there were injuries. You have 91 days to file a Proof of Loss against your own policy if you are filing a Collision or Comprehensive claim. If the other party is filing a liability claim against your policy, they have three years technically to file the claim. After three years, the statute of limitations expires. I always see claims where we receive a "blindsuit". The insured does not report the accident, and just before the SOL expires we receive the summons and complaint from the insured. Make sure you report the loss to your insurance company so they can properly investigate the claim and defend you should a claim be filed.