How to Write a Car Accident Claim Notification Letter

Use this letter as a model when informing insurers and other parties about your intent to make a car accident claim.

By , J.D. · University of San Francisco School of Law
Updated by Stacy Barrett, Attorney · UC Law San Francisco

If you plan to file an insurance claim after a car accident, the first step in the process is to identify each person or entity that might be responsible for the accident. Next, you'll need to notify each of them in writing that the accident happened and that you were injured. You'll probably want to send a separate notification letter to:

Your notification letter should be a simple typed or printed letter that provides only basic information about the accident and requests a response. A notification letter should never get into issues like who was at fault for the accident or the extent of your car accident injuries. You'll have plenty of time to dive into those issues in depth later in the process. For now, just include the fact that you were injured and the date, time, and location of the accident.

If you're sending your letter directly to a car insurance company, ask the company to confirm by return letter who it represents and whether the insurer is aware of anyone else who might be responsible for the accident.

Below are two sample notification letters, using "Maria Jones" as our fictional injured driver.

Get more tips on resolving an injury claim after a car accident. And for a step-by-step guide to successfully navigating any kind of personal injury case, get How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim by Joseph L. Matthews (Nolo).

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