How To Dispute Car Accident Fault: A Comprehensive Guide

If you want to seek compensation after an Oklahoma car accident, your degree of liability for the accident must be 49% or less. This is due to Oklahoma’s comparative negligence policy for accidents. 

Has the insurance company assigned you 50% or more of the blame? You can dispute this ruling with the help of an experienced law office in Oklahoma City 

Learn how to dispute car accident faults in Oklahoma. 

Inform the Insurance Company That You Disagree

After reviewing the details of the accident, the insurance company will assign you and the other driver a fault percentage based on their understanding of your roles in the accident. If you disagree with this ruling, inform the insurance company via phone and in writing. 

The adjuster may point you to an official insurance dispute process. In some cases, simply telling the adjuster you disagree may prompt them to investigate the accident further and adjust their fault determination. 

Request a Police Report Amendment

The officer who arrived at your accident scene likely created a police report detailing their understanding of how the accident occurred. But this officer probably didn’t have all of the information, and their fault determination isn’t fact. 

If you disagree with the officer’s fault determination, request an amendment to the police report. Your car accident attorney can help you provide additional evidence for the officer to include in the report. This evidence should lead them to rethink their determination. 

Provide Additional Evidence 

To dispute car accident faults effectively, you need to provide evidence of why the initial fault determination was wrong. Your attorney can help with evidence gathering to help paint a more accurate picture of how the accident happened and show that you were not at fault. 

Compelling evidence to prove fault in car accidents in the U.S. can include:

• Videos from security cameras and dashcams
• Photos of the accident scene
• Witness statements
• Documentation about the damage to your vehicle

The more evidence you can provide the insurance company and police department, the stronger your chances of disputing your car accident fault. 

Seek Arbitration, If necessary

After submitting additional evidence through the insurance dispute process, the adjuster should re-evaluate their fault determination. But if the insurance company refuses to budge, you may need to use arbitration to resolve the dispute. 

You, your attorney, and the insurance company can meet with an arbitrator, present your arguments, and seek a resolution. The arbitrator should have experience with insurance dispute processes. After hearing all evidence from both parties, the arbitrator will make a new fault determination. 

Contact Owens Law Office Today

An experienced accident attorney can help you know how to dispute car accident faults and navigate every other step of your accident case, from when you exchange information after the accident to when you accept an insurance compensation award or settlement offer. Owens Law Offices is your go-to guide for Oklahoma City car accident legal support. 

Contact Owens Law Office today at 405-608-0708 or fill out our online form for legal assistance with your car accident case.