The short version
- This page is for a person hurt in a crash in California, Texas or Washington that another driver caused, who wants to open a claim with that driver’s insurance company. It is not for a driver who caused the crash, and it does not answer questions about your own policy.
- This page reports what the websites of Allstate, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Progressive and State Farm said on October 6, 2026 about starting a claim when you are not their customer, and links each statement to the page it comes from. This site is not affiliated with any of them.
- We found no California, Texas or Washington statute or insurance regulation that requires a person to give a recorded statement to another driver’s insurer. That is not a rule that a statement is never required. This site has no verified rule either way.
- California and Washington generally require everyone on a call to consent before it is recorded. In Texas, a person who is part of the call may record it without the other person’s consent. What you say can later be offered as evidence against you in all three states.
- California’s general deadline to sue for an injury is two years. Texas’s is two years. Washington’s is three years for most injury claims. Some deadlines are much shorter. This page does not say what your own deadline is.
Start with the right company
This page is for a person who was hurt in a crash that another driver caused, and who wants to open a claim with that driver’s insurance company. If you caused the crash, this page is not for you. If your question is about your own policy, your policy and your own agent govern that. The firm helps people who were hurt.
This page is about a claim opened with the company that insures the other driver. A claim with your own insurer is a different thing, and your own policy governs it. Use the company name you wrote down at the scene. If you do not have it, see this site’s page “How do I get the crash report, and what does it tell me?”.
This site is not affiliated with any insurance company. The parts below report what five companies’ own websites said when this site read them on October 6, 2026: Allstate, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Progressive and State Farm. They are in the order of the alphabet. Each statement is set apart with the page it comes from. If the other driver’s company is not one of the five, this page has nothing verified about it, and that company’s own website is the place to look.
A company can change its website, its phone number and its process at any time. Before you rely on any of this, look at the company’s own page. This page does not describe what happens after a claim is opened, and it says nothing about how any company handles claims. The rules of law further down were checked against their sources on October 3, 2026.
What Allstate’s website says
This is what Allstate’s own website said when this site read it on October 6, 2026. This site is not affiliated with Allstate.
Allstate’s page for filing or tracking a claim asks “Not an Allstate customer?” and says to call 800-255-7828 to file the claim.
Allstate, “File or Track a Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026On the page it read, this site found no link for a person who is not an Allstate customer to start a claim online. The page gives the phone number above for that.
Under its heading “Track a claim”, the same page says a person can log in to manage a claim online whether or not that person is an Allstate customer.
Allstate, “File or Track a Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026What Farmers’ website says
This is what Farmers’ own website said when this site read it on October 6, 2026. This site is not affiliated with Farmers.
Farmers’ page for starting a claim gives three choices: “I’m a current Farmers customer”, “I represent another insurance carrier” and “I’m someone else”. Each choice has its own link named “File a claim”.
Farmers, “Let’s get started on your claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026This site did not read where the link for “someone else” leads, so the form behind it is not described here.
Farmers’ main claims page says a person who still has questions can contact the Farmers claims center, and prints the number as 1-800-435-7764.
Farmers, “Farmers Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026That sentence is on Farmers’ general claims page. It does not say whether the number is for a person who is not a Farmers customer.
What Liberty Mutual’s website says
This is what Liberty Mutual’s own website said when this site read it on October 6, 2026. This site is not affiliated with Liberty Mutual.
Liberty Mutual’s website has a page headed “File a claim against a Liberty Mutual customer”. It says individuals can file there, and gives a link named “File as an individual”.
Liberty Mutual, “Third Party Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026The same page says that a person who files online answers a few questions about the accident and about any damage to the vehicle.
Liberty Mutual, “Third Party Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026It says a claim number is given once the claim is submitted, and that the claim number is needed to create an online account for following the claim.
Liberty Mutual, “Third Party Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026On that page this site found no phone number for a person filing a claim against a Liberty Mutual customer, so this page prints none.
What Progressive’s website says
This is what Progressive’s own website said when this site read it on October 6, 2026. This site is not affiliated with Progressive.
Progressive’s claims page has a part headed “Continue as a guest”. It says that a person who is not insured by Progressive can report a claim, or view an existing one, through two links it gives there, named “Report a claim” and “View my claim”.
Progressive, “File or View Your Insurance Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026The same page prints a phone number in a part about what to do after a car accident. This site could not tell from the page whether that number is meant for a person who is not insured by Progressive, so this page does not print it.
What State Farm’s website says
This is what State Farm’s own website said when this site read it on October 6, 2026. This site is not affiliated with State Farm.
State Farm’s page for tracking a claim asks who you are. One of its choices is headed “I had an incident with a State Farm customer”.
State Farm, “Check Existing Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026Under that heading, State Farm says that a person who has not yet filed a claim can begin the process through the link it gives there. The link leads to a page on State Farm’s own claims website.
State Farm, “Check Existing Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026State Farm’s auto claims page has a link named “Claims for non-customers”. It leads to the same place on State Farm’s claims website.
State Farm, “Car Accident Claims Help” web page, as read on October 6, 2026Under the same heading, State Farm says a person who still needs help can call, and prints the number as 800-SF-CLAIM (800 732-5246).
State Farm, “Check Existing Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026State Farm’s auto claims page says a claim can be filed online, with its app, or by calling a number with the same digits as the one above, and it adds the words “anytime, day or night”.
State Farm, “Car Accident Claims Help” web page, as read on October 6, 2026State Farm’s auto claims page lists information to try to have at hand when filing an auto claim: the date and time of the incident, the vehicles involved, a description of the incident, a description of the damage, and the location of the incident.
State Farm, “Car Accident Claims Help” web page, as read on October 6, 2026State Farm says a person who has already filed a claim against a State Farm policyholder can log in or create an account to check the status of the claim and get updates. It says to have the claim number at hand.
State Farm, “Check Existing Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026This site’s page “The other driver has State Farm. How do I open a claim, and what should I know first?” has these statements with the sentences that join them, and what this site could not read.
What to have in front of you
These steps are practical. They are not statements of law, and they are not any company’s instructions. Where the law of your state bears on the call, the rule is in the next part, with its source.
The basic facts of the crash
The date, the time and the place, and the vehicles involved.
What you have on the other driver
The name, the plate number and the insurance details you wrote down at the scene, or the ones on the crash report.
The report number, if an officer came
And which agency the officer works for.
Pen and paper
Write down the date and time of each call, the name of each person you speak with, and the claim number once you have one.
Find out who is on the line
Two companies may call: your own insurer and the other driver’s insurer. Ask which one is on the line and whether the call is being recorded.
Say what you saw and did
Leave out guesses about fault and about how badly you are hurt.
This site’s pages “What should I do after a car accident in California?”, “What should I do after a car accident in Texas?” and “What should I do after a car accident in Washington?” have the steps for the first days.
What your state’s law says about a recorded statement and about what you say
In this situation the company is the other driver’s insurer, not yours. If you are asked for a recorded statement, this is what this site has verified.
We found no California, Texas or Washington statute or insurance regulation that requires a person to give a recorded statement to another driver’s insurer. Read that sentence narrowly. It reports what our research did not find. It is not a rule that says a statement is never required, and this site has no verified rule either way for any of the three states. Whether to give a statement, and when, is a question to ask a lawyer about your own facts.
Recording a phone call has its own law, and the three states do not agree.
| California | Texas | Washington |
|---|---|---|
California
| Texas
| Washington
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The same statutes cover you. In California and Washington, recording a call generally requires the consent of everyone on it. In Texas, a person who is part of the call may record it.
A recording keeps your exact words. In California, Texas and Washington, a party’s own statement is not kept out by the hearsay rule when it is offered against that party. In plain terms, what you say to an insurance adjuster can later be offered as evidence against you.
| California | Texas | Washington |
|---|---|---|
California
| Texas
| Washington
|
These rules are about hearsay only. They do not say that an insurer will use a statement, or that a court will admit it.
People handle a request for a recorded statement in different ways. Some give it. Some ask for time first, or ask for the questions in writing. Some have a lawyer handle the contact. Which one fits depends on the facts.
This site’s page “The insurance company wants a recorded statement. What should I know first?” has the rest: your own insurer, getting a copy of a statement, and each state’s claims rules.
Deadlines to keep in view while a claim is open
Below are each state’s general rules: the deadline to sue for an injury, the deadline for damage to a vehicle, and the separate rules for a claim against a government agency. To sue means to file a lawsuit in court. These are not deadlines to open a claim with an insurance company. This page has no verified rule under which opening a claim with an insurer, or talking with one, changes any of them. Do not assume that an open claim gives you more time.
| California | Texas | Washington |
|---|---|---|
California
| Texas
| Washington
|
These are general rules. Exceptions exist, and some deadlines are much shorter. This page does not say what your own deadline is.
This site’s pages “How long do I have to sue after an injury in California?”, “How long do I have to sue after an injury in Texas?” and “How long do I have to sue after an injury in Washington?” go through each state’s deadlines one at a time. If a child was hurt, see this site’s page “My child was hurt. Who brings the claim, and how long is there?”.
This page gives the rules as they are written and reports what the companies’ pages said. It does not say how either applies to your crash. If you were hurt in a crash someone else caused, the intake team can tell you whether the firm can help: 800-411-9049.
Questions and answers
Can I open a claim with the other driver’s insurance company if I am not its customer?
The websites of the five companies on this page each had something for that when this site read them on October 6, 2026. Allstate’s page says to call a number. Farmers’ page has a choice named “I’m someone else”. Liberty Mutual has a page headed “File a claim against a Liberty Mutual customer”. Progressive’s page has a part headed “Continue as a guest”. State Farm’s page has a choice headed “I had an incident with a State Farm customer”. This site is not affiliated with any of them.
Which of these companies print a phone number for a claim?
Allstate’s page says a person who is not its customer can call 800-255-7828 to file a claim. State Farm’s page for tracking a claim prints 800-SF-CLAIM (800 732-5246) under its heading for a person who had an incident with a State Farm customer. Farmers’ main claims page prints 1-800-435-7764 for its claims center and does not say who the number is for. On the pages it read, this site found no number that Liberty Mutual or Progressive said is for a person who is not their customer. That is what the pages said on October 6, 2026. A company can change its number, so look at its own site before you call.
Do I have to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company?
This site has no verified rule either way. We found no California, Texas or Washington statute or insurance regulation that requires a person to give a recorded statement to another driver’s insurer. That is not a rule that a statement is never required. A lawyer can advise on your facts.
Can the call be recorded without my consent?
It depends on the state. California and Washington generally require the consent of everyone on the call. In Washington, an announcement to everyone that the call is about to be recorded counts as consent, if the announcement is recorded too. In Texas, a person who is part of the call may record it without the other person’s consent.
Can what I say on the call be used against me later?
It can be offered as evidence. In California, Texas and Washington, a party’s own statement is not kept out by the hearsay rule when it is offered against that party. That does not mean a statement will be used or admitted in any given case.
Does opening a claim change the deadline to sue?
This page has no verified rule under which opening a claim with an insurer changes a deadline to sue. California’s general deadline to sue for an injury is two years. Texas’s is two years. Washington’s is three years for most injury claims. Some deadlines are much shorter. These are general rules, and this page does not say what your own deadline is.
Sources
Primary sources for the rules on this page. Checked on October 3, 2026.
California
- Cal. Penal Code § 632(a), (c)
- Cal. Penal Code § 632.7(a)
- Cal. Evid. Code § 1220
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 338(c)(1)
- Cal. Gov. Code §§ 911.2, 911.4, 945.6
Texas
- Tex. Penal Code § 16.02(b)(1), (c)(4)
- Tex. R. Evid. 801(e)(2)(A)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101
Washington
- RCW 9.73.030(1)(a)
- RCW 9.73.030(3)
- Wash. ER 801(d)(2)
- RCW 4.16.080(2)
- RCW 4.96.020; RCW 4.92.100; RCW 4.92.110
Also cited
- Allstate, “File or Track a Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- Farmers, “Let’s get started on your claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- Farmers, “Farmers Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- Liberty Mutual, “Third Party Insurance Claims” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- Progressive, “File or View Your Insurance Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- State Farm, “Check Existing Claim” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
- State Farm, “Car Accident Claims Help” web page, as read on October 6, 2026
This site gives general legal information. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney client relationship. Deadlines depend on the facts. Some are much shorter than the general rule. Do not rely on this page to decide how long you can wait.
