I was rear-ended by a taxi last week in San Francisco, CA and although I was able to obtain his drivers license and license plate number, he was unable to produce any insurance information because the company is self-insured. How do I go about filing a claim in California against a self-insured company? I called the taxicab company, but they said that they need to speak with the taxi driver and have not returned my phone calls.

Per California's Financial Responsibility Law (Vehicle Code 16020) all drivers and all owners of a motor vehicle shall at all times be able to establish financial responsibility.

In California the Department of Insurance and Department of Motor Vehicles both list the four ways to accomplish financial responsibility which includes:

1. Coverage by a motor vehicle or automobile liability insurance policy;
2. A cash deposit of $35,000 with the DMV;
3. A certificate of self-insurance issued by DMV to owners of fleets of more than 25 vehicles; or
4. A surety bond for $35,000 obtained from an insurance company licensed to do business in California.

If the owner is a self-insurer, as provided in Section 16052, the certificate of self-insurance or the assignment of deposit letter issued by the department of motor vehicles.

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16052 reads - Any person in whose name more than 25 motor vehicles are registered may qualify as a self-insurer by obtaining a certificate of self-insurance issued by the DMV.

So filing a claim with a self-insurer is more complex then with a normal insurance company and every situation can be a bit different. We would advise that you start by sending a certified letter to the taxicab company that the driver was operating his vehicle for. Make sure the letter is sent by certified mail with return receipt requested so that there is a paper trail and that they must sign for the letter to show that it was received.

In the letter include such information as the date, taxi number, name of driver and a description of the location and facts of how the accident occurred. In essence this is a demand letter for them to provide you with the contact information and procedures for filing a claim since they are self-insured.

If you do not get a response or an acceptable one you can contact the state agency that regulates the licensing of taxi companies in your state and file a complaint. You also may need to contact the CA DOI and CA DMV, since this latter state agency appears to be whom issues self-insurance certificates for the state of California.

Filing a claim with a self-insurer, especially if they delay on giving you information on how to file your claim, can be time consuming so if you have collision coverage on your vehicle you may instead want to place a claim with your insurance company. You will need to pay your deductible however you can see if your insurance company will subrogate with the at fault party and get your deductible amount returned to you as part of that process.