When you are injured in an accident, you should call the at fault driver’s insurance company and file a claim right away. They have 15 days to acknowledge the claim. An actuary will call you and ask you questions about the claim. They will ask to record your answers, but you are under no obligation to let them. They then will have 40 days to accept or deny your claim. If they accept the claim, they will make you a settlement offer; chances are, they will try to underpay you. You should never accept a settlement offer without speaking to an attorney first.