How to report an accident
The first thing to do in the unfortunate case of a car accident is to report it to your insurance company.
Reporting is always mandatory, as specified by Article 143 of the Private Insurance Code: "in the event of an accident occurring between motor vehicles for which there is an obligation to insure, the drivers of the vehicles involved or, if different persons, the respective owners are required to report the claim to their own insurance company, using the form provided by the same, the model of which is approved by IVASS ”.
According to article 1913 of the Civil Code, the insured must communicate the occurred accident no later than 3 days from the moment in which it occurred. The same article specifies that the notice is not necessary if it is the insurer himself who intervenes within the deadline for the operations for ascertaining the accident.
The complaint must be forwarded to the company using the blue form (or CAI, friendly statement of compensation), attaching any documentary evidence in favor (for example the photo of the damage suffered and the estimate from the body shop). If the document is signed by both drivers involved, it is valid as an agreement on the dynamics of the accident: the damaged party will therefore have an advantage, given the reduction in the time required to manage the accident. In the event of disagreement between the parties, it is still useful to fill out the form individually, in order to provide your own version of what happened. Texas Department of Insurance License Agent Lookup
It is important that the CAI is completed in all its parts. The pre-print must contain the following information :
- place and date in which the collision occurred;
- personal data of the drivers and policyholders of motor liability policies;
- data relating to vehicles and insurance companies;
- the description of the circumstances and methods of the accident ;
- indications of any injuries and witnesses;
- indications of possible intervention by a public authority (traffic police, carabinieri).
We remind you that specifying any witnesses is essential, as they can be fundamental in the event of a trial. However, if the witness appears in at least three cases for road accidents in five consecutive years, the magistrate will send his name to the Public Prosecutor's Office to ascertain any cases of perjury.
If it is not possible to find the blue form at the time of the accident, it will be enough to inform the company through the so-called " precautionary report ", ie a letter describing the accident.
What happens after the accident is reported?
The insurance will verify the data sent and will proceed with the estimate of the damages through an insurance adjuster: only then will it establish the amount of the compensation to be paid to the injured party.
We remind you that there are two procedures to be compensated, direct compensation and ordinary compensation. The first allows you to contact your company directly, but can only be activated if there are two and both identified vehicles involved (as well as registered in Italy and with an existing insurance policy) and if any injuries sustained are considered minor (they must not exceed the threshold of 9% of permanent disability). The ordinary procedure is instead the only one applicable in the case of:
- an accident between more than two vehicles (or with non-motorized vehicles);
- accident with pedestrians or injured people who sustain injuries greater than 9% of permanent disability
- accidents without collision between vehicles.
As regards the offer of compensation, both procedures provide for the same timing, ie:
- 60 days, in the case of damage to vehicles only (a term that drops to 30 days in the case of joint signature of the blue form);
- 90 days, in the case of damage suffered by people.
What happens if the accident
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