After an accident on a federal installation

At the scene

The first difference is who turns up. Installation law enforcement responds, whether that is security forces, military police or a civilian police department run by the installation. Local and state police often have no jurisdiction on federal property, and jurisdiction itself varies from installation to installation.

• Call the installation's emergency number, not just 911, and stay until they arrive.
• Get the responding officer's name, unit and the incident or report number. Without that number the report is very hard to retrieve later.
• Photograph everything: both vehicles, position, plates, damage, road markings, signage and the wider scene.
• Exchange insurance and licence details as you would anywhere.
• Take names and numbers for witnesses, including their unit or office, since people transfer.

Getting the report

Your insurer will ask for a police report, and this one does not appear in the state system. Expect a slower and more formal process than a local accident report.

• Ask the responding office how a copy is released. Many installations require a written request, and some route it through a Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act request.
• Start it immediately. Requests can take weeks, and the insurer's clock is already running.
• Tell the insurer up front that this was on a federal installation and that the report is coming through a different channel, so the file is not closed for inactivity.
• Keep your own photographs and notes; they carry the claim while the report is pending.

Your own insurer

Nothing about federal property changes your policy. Report it promptly, the same coverages apply, and fault is determined the usual way.

• Report within your policy's notice period even if the other driver suggests handling it privately.
• If the other driver is uninsured, this is what uninsured motorist cover is for, which is a good reason never to drop it.
• If your car was parked and struck, or damaged by weather on the installation, that is a comprehensive claim.
• Your deductible applies as it would anywhere.

If a government vehicle was involved

This is the real difference. You cannot simply file against a federal driver's personal insurance, because a federal employee acting within the scope of their duties is generally covered by the United States rather than by a personal policy.

Claims of that kind go through an administrative process against the agency, not through the usual carrier-to-carrier negotiation. Your own collision cover can repair your car in the meantime, and your insurer may pursue the claim on your behalf.

The federal claim route

Claims against the United States for property damage or injury caused by a federal employee acting within the scope of employment are made under the Federal Tort Claims Act, on Standard Form 95, filed with the agency involved.

• Two years is the general deadline to present the administrative claim, and it is strict.
• The agency has six months to respond, and you generally cannot sue before it does or before that period passes.
• Military claims can run under a separate statute with its own rules, so ask the installation's claims office which applies.
• Ask that office early. They deal with this constantly and will tell you which form and which office.

None of this is legal advice, and a serious injury claim is a conversation with an attorney rather than with a form.

Tow trucks, adjusters and gate access

• A commercial tow operator may not be able to get through the gate without an escort or prior clearance. Ask the responding officer how recovery is handled.
• Your adjuster will usually need to inspect off the installation. Photographs matter more than usual here.
• A vehicle left on the installation may be subject to time limits before it is impounded or removed.
• If the vehicle is undrivable and you are deploying or moving, sort storage before you go rather than after. The storage rules are here.

Common questions