What to do if a car crashes into your home

When you think of car accidents, you probably picture two cars colliding on the road. Lately, however, more and more crashes involve unexpected things—buildings. According to a 2022 article in The Hamilton Spectator, between 2018 and 2022, about 176 vehicles crashed into homes, businesses, or other structures in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario. That’s an average of 41 crashes a year.

Now, imagine you are at home, going about your day, when suddenly—BAM!—a car comes barreling through your wall. What do you do next? Here’s what you need to know.

How to respond when a vehicle crashes into your house

The moments right after an accident are crucial —you’ve got to act fast and make smart decisions. But when a car comes crashing into your home, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. To help you stay on track, here are 10 key steps to guide you through the chaos:

1. Check for injuries

The first and most important thing to do is to check for any serious injuries. If someone is hurt, avoid moving them—doing so could make things worse. Also, be sure no one is standing in front of or behind the vehicle in case it shifts unexpectedly. Here’s what to do right away after a car crashes into your home:

• Check yourself and your family for any injuries
• See if the driver is okay
• Check on any passengers in the vehicle
• Look around to see if anyone else was caught in the car accident

2. Call emergency services

Once you've checked everyone for serious injuries, call 911. If there are serious injuries, seek medical attention by requesting an ambulance. If there are no injuries, request the police and firefighters. The situation will need to be assessed by the police, and the accident reported. This is important for insurance purposes and legal reasons. The driver could potentially face a criminal charge.

3. Evacuate your home

If the crash has weakened your home’s structure, you’ll need to evacuate immediately just in case it collapses. If someone is seriously injured, don’t try to move them—just make sure paramedics know where they are when they arrive. Firefighters should assess the damage to your home and let you know if and when it’s safe to go back inside.

4. Exchange information with the driver

Next, exchange as much information as possible with the driver. Get their name, contact details, and insurance information, including their provider and policy coverage. Also, note the make, model, and licence plate number of their vehicle.

If the driver seems shaken, injured or uncooperative, stay calm and document whatever details you can. If possible, take photos of their driver’s licence and insurance card.

5. Document the scene

You’ll also want to take pictures and video of the crash scene, including damage to your home and the car itself. If there are any witnesses to the car crash, take down their statements and their contact information. You should also ask the police officer for a copy of the accident report or the report number. The more information you gather now, the easier it will be to handle the insurance claim later.

6. Call your home insurance company

The next step is to call your home insurance company right away to let them know about the car accident. However, if you were injured in the accident and taken to the hospital, don't fret—you have up to two years from the date of the accident to file a claim.

In most cases, if a car crashes into your home, the driver’s auto insurance policy will cover the damage under their liability coverage for property damage. However, it's still important to call your homeowner’s insurance company as soon as possible.

Even if the driver’s car insurance is responsible for paying, your home insurance company can help facilitate communication and make sure things move along smoothly through the claims process. If the driver’s policy doesn’t cover everything, your homeowner’s insurance policy should step in to cover the remaining costs, as well as your additional living expenses if your home is unsafe to stay in until the renovations are complete. Most policies include protection against vehicle damage, but it’s always a good idea to double-check with the insurance agent or your insurance broker.

While you're on the phone, you can also ask your insurance agent or broker for recommendations on a local emergency restoration contractor. Having a trusted professional assess the damage and start repairs quickly can make a big difference in getting your home back to normal.

7. Secure your home—but don't do any more than that

You can’t leave your home exposed to the elements—it needs to be boarded up as soon as possible. By now, you’ve called your insurance company, and they’ve likely recommended some restoration contractors. These professionals should have emergency services available to secure your home quickly.

However, be sure to hold off on any major cleanup or repairs until the insurance adjuster has inspected the damage. It’s okay to do emergency fixes to keep your home safe, but you’ll want the adjuster to see everything as it is—including items that can’t be salvaged—so they get the full picture of the damage.

8. Start looking for a restoration contractor

After the insurance adjuster's inspection is completed, you can start looking for a restoration contractor. Keep in mind that the company that boards up your property is often different from the one that will handle the full repairs. While you’ll have acted fast to secure your home, you can now take your time researching local construction companies for the actual restoration work. When reaching out, ask if they have experience working with insurance claims and home restorations.

If possible, contact a few different companies so you can compare quotes for the repair costs. Provide these to your insurance adjustor or company so they can add them to your claim.

9. Keep detailed records of everything

Staying organized can make a huge difference in handling your insurance claim smoothly. Start a binder or digital folder to keep track of everything—notes from conversations with your insurance company, adjuster, and restoration contractor, along with dates and names of those you spoke with.

Create a dedicated folder for emails and any other correspondence related to the accident. Keep all receipts, photos, medical records, police reports, repair estimates, and insurance documents in one place. That way, when you need a document, you won’t be scrambling to find it.

10. Wait for the insurance company to reach a settlement

Having a car crash into your home is a shocking and overwhelming experience. Waiting for your insurance company to process the claim and your contractor to complete repairs can be frustrating, especially if your home isn’t safe to live in and you’re temporarily displaced.

To keep things moving smoothly, stay in regular contact with your insurance company and check in on the progress of your claim. Just as important, make sure you hire a licensed and insured contractor with experience in restoration work. The right team can make all the difference in getting your home back to normal as quickly as possible.

How having home insurance can help if a car hits your house

As we mentioned earlier, in most cases, the driver’s auto insurance policy will cover the damage under their property damage liability coverage. However, depending on how much coverage the driver has, they may not have enough. In most provinces in Canada, the minimum required amount of coverage for third-party liability is only $200,000. If the injuries and/or damages to you and your home exceed that, that's where your home insurance comes in. Your home insurance likely covers:

• The physical structure of your home, including any detached structures on the property
• Your belongings
• Additional living expenses
• Personal liability

All of these can help you out if your home is crashed into and the driver doesn't have enough coverage. Here's how they can help:

Dwelling coverage

The dwelling coverage portion of your home insurance will help cover the costs to repair the physical structure of your home, subject to your insurance deductible, as well as any detached structures that were damaged in the crash, like your deck, fence, shed, or garage. If the damage is severe enough that your home cannot be repaired, your policy will likely have replacement cost coverage to help you rebuild your home of a similar quality.

Contents coverage

The contents coverage portion of your policy will help cover the cost of repairing or replacing any belongings that were lost or damaged during the crash. Depending on your policy, it can either cover the cost of replacing your belongings minus depreciation (actual cash value) or for items of similar size and value (replacement cost).

Additional living expenses

Your additional living expenses can help cover the costs associated with having to temporarily stay somewhere else while your home is being repaired. This can include things like the costs of renting a hotel or Airbnb and the costs of meals if you have to order out because you don't have a kitchen to cook in.

Personal liability coverage

Your personal liability coverage is for third-party injuries or damages, just like the driver's. If you had someone visiting your home when the car crashed into your house and they were injured, they would go through the driver's insurance first to cover any medical bills, like rehabilitation costs and prescriptions. However, just like for your home, if the driver didn't have enough insurance coverage, they could go through your liability coverage to cover the rest since the injury occurred in your home.

How having car insurance can help if a car hits your house

Throughout Canada, most drivers have mandatory accident benefits coverage. This coverage provides policyholders with compensation if they or another person is injured (or killed) in a car accident. Accident benefits cover any drivers, passengers, or pedestrians involved in an accident. This means that if you were injured when the car crashed into your home and the other driver doesn't have enough insurance to cover your medical expenses, you can file a claim under your accident benefits coverage.

No-fault car insurance

Now, in Canada, there are a few provinces that have what's known as no-fault insurance, including Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces. This means that if you live in one of these provinces and you're involved in a car accident, you can file your claim through your insurance provider instead of the other driver’s insurance company. No-fault insurance helps to speed up the claims process since you're no longer waiting on the other driver's insurance company. If a car crashes into your house, even though you weren't driving, it still counts as you being in a car accident. Therefore, if:

• You were injured in the accident
• You have car insurance
• You live in a no-fault insurance province

You would file your personal injury claims through your own insurance company under your accident benefits coverage instead of through the other driver's insurance. As we mentioned, this will allow for a smoother claims process and also help to speed it up, meaning you receive your compensation sooner.

Learn more from BrokerLink

Home insurance policies aren't mandatory in Canada, but having one can be of huge help if a car crashes into your house and the driver doesn't have enough car insurance coverage. That's where BrokerLink can help. Our expert insurance brokers can help you find the right home insurance coverage for your needs and help you answer any questions about insurance you may have.

You can reach us by phone at 1-855-451-8748, by email, or in person at any one of our locations throughout Canada. No matter how you choose to get in touch, a BrokerLink insurance advisor will be happy to assist you. We also encourage you to take advantage of our free online quote tool that can provide you with a competitive quote in minutes.

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