What happens after a car accident that is your fault?

It only takes a few seconds of not paying attention to the road to find yourself in a fender bender. Picture this: you decide to multitask and use your phone while behind the wheel. In the blink of an eye, you crash into another vehicle. Terrified, you quickly jump to the conclusion that you are at fault for the car accident.

As unfounded thoughts and feelings begin to cloud your judgment, you wonder what’s next or what happens after a car accident that is your fault.

However, while it could be true that you caused the collision, it’s also equally possible that you’re only partially at fault or not at all. With other parties involved and your future at stake, you can’t just take things by chance. It is worth getting a car accident attorney for reliable information and guidance in pursuing the truth.

What does it mean to be at fault in a car accident?

Fault in an accident means that you are to blame for an incident or the one who caused it. As the at-fault driver in a car crash, you may have been operating your vehicle carelessly. Negligent driving can be due to several reasons, such as driving under the influence, speeding or violating traffic rules.

Determining fault in a collision is crucial. If you believe you are the at-fault driver, you must pay for the losses sustained by the other party. Damages could include medical bills, car repair costs, and income deprivations due to physical injuries and emotional traumas. In the worst case, limited insurance puts your property at risk.

But proving liability is not as easy as it sounds. It requires a thorough evaluation of the facts and evidence involved in an accident claim. To position you in the right direction and protect your best interests, you can choose to work with a legal representative in establishing your extent of liability, or whether you are fully or partially at fault for the crash.

Further, what happens after a car accident that is your fault varies depending on state laws. Suppose you are a Washington State resident who has been proven to be at fault for a car collision for only a certain degree. In that case, the state follows a fault-based insurance system, where you and the other party, together with your respective insurance providers, may negotiate a car crash settlement based on your percentage of fault.

What to do after a car accident that is your fault?

As if a vehicular wreck isn’t traumatic enough, knowing that you caused it can be doubly distressing. As challenging as it is to remain calm during a crash that you’re convinced you caused, you must still try to face it carefully. Let’s say you find yourself in a Seattle car accident. The immediate thing to do is to stay on the scene. Do not drive away out of baseless guilt, acting like a hit-and-run driver. Instead, focus on securing everyone’s safety.

Once an emergency medical team responds to the situation, call the police and your insurance company as quickly as possible. Notifying both the authorities and your insurer can help document the scene, which can also aid in establishing your side of the story if the other party files an accident claim.

Most importantly, cooperate cautiously. Unless your at-fault car accident lawyers have already advised you on how to proceed, avoid signing documents hastily, providing conclusive statements, apologizing for anything and directly admitting that the car accident is your fault.

What happens to your insurance coverage after a car accident that is your fault?

If solid evidence shows that you share the responsibility for a collision, then your insurance policy must pay for the harm you caused to other people and property. For instance, Washington State implements the “25/50/10 coverage.” This rule mandates that all drivers must meet the minimum financial responsibility requirements, which entail the following:

• $25,000 for another person’s bodily injuries or deaths

• $50,000 for two or more persons’ bodily injuries or deaths

• $10,000 for property damage

If the amount you need to pay for another party’s losses is beyond your insurance coverage, you are still legally liable to compensate them for the excess amount. To lessen your financial burden during a motor vehicle collision, some states, such as Washington, require your insurer to offer additional coverage, which is commonly referred to as the Personal Injury Protection (PIP).

By opting to add PIP to your insurance coverage, your policy can pay for your losses regardless of liability. In other words, even if you are at fault in a car accident, your and your relatives’ hospital bills, wage losses, and funeral services may all be paid for.

However, trying to understand all these technicalities alone is too risky. Negotiations with insurance providers demand utmost caution. Adjusters are skilled in employing deceptive tactics to safeguard their company’s profits. Your personal injury lawyer can equip you with valuable knowledge and legal advice to prevent unwanted financial consequences.

Will your car insurance rates increase after a car accident that is your fault?

Short answer: It almost certainly does. What usually happens after a car accident that is your fault is that your insurer sees it as proof of risky behavior. In effect, they apply an extra charge or “surcharge” to raise your total premium. But remember, this increase only applies when you renew your insurance coverage.

To support this fact, a study analyzing 10 car insurance companies shows your car insurance rates will likely go up if you are at fault in a car crash. The national average rate is a 45% increase for collisions resulting in property damage. If there are injuries involved, the increase can go as high as 47%.

However, based on the same research published in 2023, states across the country are trying to regulate these auto insurance rate upswings. Case in point, the average increase after an at-fault car accident with property damage in Washington State is 36%, and 37% if with injuries.

These rates are in the lower spectrum, if considering at-fault wrecks with property damage in Colorado at 35%, Delaware at 34% and Wyoming at 31%, which is the lowest among all states. Comparatively, North Carolina and California have the highest average insurance rate escalations if you are at fault in a car collision with property damage at 79% and 72%, respectively.

How can you protect yourself after an at-fault car accident?

What happens after a car accident that is your fault can be unpredictable and often depends on your specific set of circumstances. After you’ve handled the physical and emotional shock, the legal considerations follow next.

During these difficult times, the most strategic way to face liability is to recognize that you need help. The technical aspects of processing an accident claim, especially those that impact your insurance coverage, can quickly get confusing.

As soon as you contact us at Dean Standish Perkins & Associates, we will work with you every step of the way. We can determine if you are indeed liable, discuss your options in precise detail, and negotiate with your insurance company in ways that can uphold your rights and interests.

In the end, as your at-fault car accident lawyers, we will build your case and try to seek a fair settlement if you also happen to be another victim in a complex legal situation.

Contact Our Washington Personal Injury Law Firm at Dean Standish Perkins & Associates

We serve all areas in Issaquah, Seattle, and throughout Washington.

Dean Standish Perkins & Associates

1495 NW Gilman Blvd #11, Issaquah, WA 98027, United States
(206) 467-0701

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