Easy SR 1 Filing After An Accident
Reader question:
When I get in a car crash, what do I have to do besides making a claim with my car insurance company?
Melanie
Great question, Melanie.
Any car accident brings trouble, so arming yourself with information ahead of time is a good strategy. If you are already informed about your options and your requirements, then there is no panicked last minute research and easy to avoid trouble with your claim and the law.
If you are involved in a car accident, you are required to have proof of insurance. They don’t exactly ask you this while they are writing up the police report, so within a month of the accident taking place you have to go to the department of public safety office and file an SR 1 form. An SR 1 is similar to an SR 22, except that it is not used as a means of punishment. It is, though, filed to prove that you were financially responsible at the time of the accident, and is required by law in most states. If you don’t file the SR 1 in the amount of time allotted, you could face major consequences such as fines and the loss of your license.
You can’t just say that you flashed your insurance card at the person filing the report, because that doesn’t work. Rather, in order to show that you were insured at the time of the accident, you have to do one of the following.
- Have your car insurance company file an SR 21 form with the DPS
- Get the other driver that was in the accident to sign their name on a release of liability form
- Or you could get them to sign statement saying that they won’t sue you and have it notarized
- A letter from the car insurance company of the other driver that says you have gotten your claim money back
- A bankruptcy petition copy that has your creditors named
The best way to go is the first option.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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