Florida Auto Insurance Claims: What to Do First

The first hour matters more than the next three weeks

Car insurance claims go sideways for different reasons than home claims do, and it comes down to evidence. With a house the usual problem is waiting too long, and with a car the problem is that the evidence is gone in twenty minutes, because both vehicles get towed, everyone drives away, and the only record of what happened is whatever somebody thought to write down at the side of the road.

Whether your policy says auto insurance or car insurance on it, the claim process in Florida works the same way, and so do the mistakes people make in the first hour.

Florida adds a wrinkle that catches people every year, which is a hard 14-day deadline that has nothing to do with reporting the claim and everything to do with seeing a doctor. More on that below, because it is the single most expensive thing Florida drivers get wrong.

At the scene

Work through these in order, and do as much of it as your condition safely allows.

Check for injuries first. Everything else can wait.
Get out of the travel lanes if the vehicles are drivable. Hazard lights on. Secondary crashes on Florida highways are a real risk and people get hurt standing beside a car in a live lane.
Call law enforcement. More on when this is legally required in a moment, but as a practical matter, call.
Exchange information. Name, address, phone number, insurance company and policy number, driver license number, license plate, and the year, make and model of the vehicle. Photograph their license and insurance card rather than copying it by hand, because handwriting at a crash scene is not reliable.
Photograph everything. Damage to both vehicles from several angles, wide shots that show where the cars ended up relative to the lanes and the intersection, skid marks, debris, traffic signals and signs, road conditions, and the other vehicle’s plate. Take more than feels necessary.
Get witnesses before they leave. A name and a cell number from someone with no stake in it is worth more than anything either driver says.
Write down the officer’s name, agency and the crash report number.

One thing not to do. Do not apologize or speculate about fault, even to be polite. Tell the officer what happened factually, and let the adjusters and the report sort out who is responsible. People say “I’m so sorry” as a reflex and it turns up later as an admission.

When Florida law requires you to report the crash

Under Fla. Stat. 316.065, the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury or death, or damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500, must immediately give notice by the quickest available means to the local police department if it happened inside a municipality, or otherwise to the county sheriff or the nearest Florida Highway Patrol office. Failing to do it is a noncriminal traffic infraction.

Five hundred dollars is not much damage in 2026. A bumper cover and a sensor will clear it. Our practical advice is to treat essentially any crash as reportable, because the cost of calling when you did not strictly have to is nothing, and the cost of not calling when you should have is a citation plus a claim with no independent record of what happened.

If law enforcement does not come out, which happens on minor crashes, Florida’s DHSMV still expects a record. You can file a Driver Report of Traffic Crash yourself or complete a Driver Exchange of Information form, both available through the state’s crash report page.

The 14-day rule, and why it is not what most people think

This is the one to remember.

Under Fla. Stat. 627.736(1)(a), to receive Personal Injury Protection medical benefits you must obtain initial services and care within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident. Not report the claim within 14 days. Be seen and treated within 14 days, by a qualifying provider such as a physician, an advanced practice registered nurse, a dentist for oral injuries, a chiropractic physician, emergency services, or a hospital.

Miss that window and your PIP medical benefits are gone for that accident. Not reduced. Gone. You become personally responsible for the bills, and a gap between the crash and your first treatment also gets used later to argue the injuries were not serious or were not caused by the accident.

The reason this catches people is that soft tissue injuries do not announce themselves. You feel fine at the scene, stiff the next morning, genuinely sore by the weekend, and by the time it is bad enough that you decide to do something about it, three weeks have gone by. Get checked out in the first few days even if you feel fine, and note that calling a doctor’s office does not count. You have to actually be examined and treated.

While we are in that statute, two other things worth knowing about Florida PIP. It pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost wages up to $10,000, and it is limited to $2,500 unless a qualifying provider determines you had an emergency medical condition. That EMC determination is the difference between $2,500 and $10,000, and most drivers have never heard of it.

Call your car insurance company’s claims department

Same point we make about home claims, and for the same reason. Report the loss to the claims department at your auto insurance company. Not billing, not the general service line, and not a voicemail for whoever you spoke to last.

Telling someone at the company that you were in an accident is not the same as filing a claim. Ask whether a claim number has been assigned and write it down. Report it even if the crash was not your fault and even if you think you will go through the other driver’s insurance, because your own carrier needs the notice, your PIP pays regardless of fault, and if the other driver turns out to be uninsured you will be glad the claim was already open.

Documentation, and what happens to the car

Photograph the damage again in daylight once you are home and calm, including the interior and any personal property damaged in the crash. Keep receipts for towing, storage, a rental car and anything else the crash cost you. Keep a log of who you spoke with and when.

Do not have the vehicle repaired before the insurance company has had its opportunity to inspect it. This is the same principle as not replacing a lightning-damaged HVAC system before anyone looks at it. Once the car is fixed, nobody can verify what was wrong with it or what the repair should have cost.

Most carriers now accept photo estimates for straightforward damage, which is faster, and they will tell you when a physical inspection is needed instead.

Repair shops, and the carrier’s approved list

Every major auto insurance company maintains a network of approved or preferred repair shops, though they all call it something different. GEICO’s version is Auto Repair Xpress, and their shops handle inspection, repair and the rental in one stop, with repairs guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Other carriers run comparable programs under their own branding.

Using a shop on the carrier’s list is usually the path of least friction. The shop and the insurer already agree on labor rates and parts pricing, supplements get approved faster because the shop knows how to document them, payment goes directly to the shop, and the repair typically carries a written guarantee backed by the insurer rather than only by the body shop.

You are not required to use their list. You have the right to have your vehicle repaired wherever you want. It just means you are the one in the middle if the shop’s estimate and the insurer’s estimate do not agree, and that middle is an uncomfortable place to stand while your car sits on a lift.

Whichever direction you go, use a shop that is licensed and insured, and be wary of anyone who approaches you at the scene or calls you shortly afterward offering to handle everything. Ask your adjuster what the carrier recommends in your area before you commit the car to anybody.

Who you will actually be dealing with

Auto claims follow a similar pattern to property claims, and it surprises people the same way.

The person who takes your call is an intake representative, not your adjuster. The claim is then assigned to an adjuster who works from the carrier’s office and who is the person you will deal with throughout. If the damage needs to be looked at in person, an appraiser or field estimator inspects the vehicle and writes up what they find, and then that person is generally out of the picture. Their report goes back to your adjuster, who makes the coverage decisions and issues payment.

Get your adjuster’s name, direct line and email early, and route your questions there rather than through the main claims number, where you will explain the whole thing again to somebody new each time.

A short checklist for the glovebox

Check for injuries, then get clear of traffic if you safely can.
Call law enforcement. Florida requires it for injury, death, or apparent damage of $500 or more.
Exchange information and photograph their license, insurance card and plate.
Photograph everything, wide and close, before the vehicles are moved if it is safe to do so.
Collect witness names and numbers.
Say what happened factually and do not apologize or speculate about fault.
See a qualifying medical provider within 14 days or your PIP medical benefits are forfeited.
Call your insurance company’s claims department and get a claim number.
Do not repair the vehicle before the inspection.
Ask your adjuster about the carrier’s approved repair network before choosing a shop.

Call us if you are not sure

If you have been in a crash and you are not sure what to report, who to call first, or whether something is worth filing, call us and we will walk you through it. We would much rather answer that question in the first week than untangle it in the second month.

Common questions

What is the 14-day rule for PIP in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. 627.736(1)(a), you must obtain initial services and care within 14 days after a motor vehicle accident to receive Personal Injury Protection medical benefits. It means being examined and treated by a qualifying provider, not simply reporting the claim or calling a doctor’s office. Miss the 14 days and your PIP medical benefits for that accident are forfeited entirely.

Do I have to call the police after a car accident in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. 316.065, you must immediately notify law enforcement if the crash caused injury or death, or damage to any vehicle or property in an apparent amount of at least $500. Failing to do so is a noncriminal traffic infraction. Five hundred dollars is very little damage on a modern car, so the practical answer is to call for almost any crash.

Should I report an accident to my car insurance company if it wasn’t my fault?

Yes. Your PIP pays regardless of who was at fault, your policy requires notice of the loss, and if the other driver turns out to be uninsured you will want the claim already open. Report it to your insurance company’s claims department and get a claim number.

Do I have to use my insurance company’s repair shop?

No. You can have your vehicle repaired wherever you choose. Carrier networks such as GEICO’s Auto Repair Xpress handle inspection, repair and the rental in one place and often guarantee the work for as long as you own the vehicle, and using one tends to avoid disputes because the shop and the insurer already agree on labor rates and parts pricing, but the choice is yours.

How much does PIP actually pay in Florida?

Florida PIP pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost wages up to a $10,000 limit. That limit drops to $2,500 unless a qualifying provider determines you had an emergency medical condition, which is a distinction most drivers have never heard of.

Written by Brian Lough, owner of The Insurance Man and Company in Sarasota, Florida. Licensed Florida insurance agent, license #P034754, with over 20 years in the business.

Last reviewed September 19, 2026

FL Auto Insurance Claims Tips