In Case of Accident

To Report Your Collision, Call us:

Winnipeg: 204-985–7000
Outside Winnipeg (and outside Manitoba): toll-free 1-800-665-2410

When reporting the collision, you’ll need this information:

– The vehicle registration and the driver’s license of whoever was driving your vehicle
– Details about the accident (where, when and how it happened)
– Details about any other vehicles and drivers involved
– Information about any witnesses

If you’re claiming damage, our representative will take a preliminary report from you. Your options for a damage estimate will be discussed with you.
If your vehicle has been damaged from something other than a collision, please see information about reporting a comprehensive claim.
You may be asked to complete a Driver’s Report to provide details of the collision and damages. Please refer to this sample document for assistance.

The Role of Your Adjuster:

After you have reported your vehicle claim, an adjuster will be assigned to your file. The adjuster investigates the claim, makes sure you had proper Autopac coverage, and determines who was at fault for the collision. Your adjuster can also help you understand how the claims process works and can explain the repair and appeal options available to you.

Out-of-province claims

If you are in a collision while travelling outside Manitoba, there are some special steps you need to take since the other vehicle involved in the collision is probably registered and insured in another jurisdiction. Here’s what to do:

1. Stay at the scene.
2. Don’t discuss responsibility.
3. Call local police, and ask for a copy of their report.
4. Obtain the:
   – Names and addresses of drivers and vehicle owners
   – Make/model/year of all vehicles involved
   – License plate numbers, along with province or state
   – Other parties’ insurance information, including the insurer and policy number
   – Names of any witnesses, their addresses, phone numbers, etc.
   – Collision details (date, time, weather, positions of vehicles before and after the collision)
5. Take photos of any damage or skid marks.
6. Call us toll free at 1-800-665-2410 to report your claim. Claims can be made Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
7. Keep all your bills and receipts for medical, repair or medical services needed because of the accident. You must provide them to your Autopac adjuster to support your damage claim.
8. If your vehicle is not driveable, contact a local towing company to make arrangements, and ask where your vehicle will be towed.
9. Review your policy to see if you are eligible to be reimbursed for the cost of a vehicle rental. See information on Loss of Use coverage, and note that coverage limits are in Canadian dollars.

When your vehicle has been involved in a hit-and-run collision, you must report the incident to Manitoba Public Insurance as well as the local police where the collision occurred. The procedure will vary depending on location.

Hit and Run Claims in Winnipeg

1. Report the hit and run collision in-person to the Winnipeg Police Service.
2. Next, call 204-985-7000 to book an appointment at one of the following MPI locations:

Bison Driver Service Centre: 15 Barnes Street
Gateway Road Service Centre: 40 Lexington Park
Main Street Service Centre
St. Mary’s Road Service Centre (French estimates only)

Hit and Run Claims Outside Winnipeg

Prior to making an Autopac claim, hit-and-run collisions occurring outside Winnipeg must be reported to local police in the jurisdiction where the collision occurred. If you want us to handle your claim in Winnipeg, call us at 204-985-7000. If you would like your claim handled at one of our offices outside of Winnipeg, call our toll-free number at 1-800-665-2410.

When you call us to file your claim, we will help you determine if you must also report your collision to the police.

There’s no need to report a straightforward fender-bender to the police. But if your collision involves any of these things, you must report it the police:

• Fatality
• Hospitalization because of injury an unlicensed driver or unregistered vehicle
• An unidentified vehicle (e.g., hit and run) you failed to get the other driver’s particulars you suspect the other driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs You must report these types of collisions to the police within seven days. All reports can be made in-person, and reports about incidents occurring in Winnipeg can be made online. Hit-and-run reports must be made in person.
• Vehicle damage resulting from suspected vandalism, attempted theft and theft must also be reported to the police. You must report vandalism, theft or attempted theft as soon as reasonably possible.

The police and Manitoba Public Insurance have entirely different responsibilities. The police are primarily interested in whether both drivers obeyed criminal and traffic laws. We need the information to assess who was at fault and to confirm both drivers met the conditions of their insurance policy.

If your vehicle can’t be driven from the scene of a collision because of damage, you’ll need to have it towed. If the collision occurred in Winnipeg, we will assist you by arranging a tow directly to our compound. Simply call 204-985-7000 and provide us with the details of the collision.

If we happen to be closed, we have a contract towing service you can use in Winnipeg and Brandon. For towing in Winnipeg, call 204-956-4665. For towing in Brandon, call 204-729-9510.

For towing outside Winnipeg and Brandon, but within Manitoba, call 1-800-665-2410. If we’re closed and your vehicle isn’t driveable, you can arrange your own towing. We will reimburse you for reasonable towing and storage costs.

Outside Manitoba, contact a local towing company to make arrangements. The local tower is required to tow the vehicle to the storage facility closest to where the collision occurred.

Please note: Don’t repair damage before we’ve seen it! Except for temporary or emergency repairs to keep your vehicle mobile or to prevent further damage, you shouldn’t repair your vehicle before we’ve inspected the damage.

Basic Autopac covers replacement transportation in three situations:

1. When your vehicle is stolen. Your Basic Autopac insurance covers you, but there is a 72-hour waiting period after the theft before replacement transportation will be covered.
2. When another Autopac-insured driver was at fault for damaging your vehicle in a collision. Here, you claim against the other driver’s liability insurance. In this case, you must minimize costs and only use replacement transportation if there are no other options. If you own another vehicle that you can drive, coverage would not apply.
3. When you have Manitoba Public Insurance’s Extension Loss of Use coverage.

Covering these three situations achieves a good balance between protection and the premiums we have to charge. If you have to rent a vehicle, we pay for daily rental charges and taxes but not gas, mileage, collision damage waivers (CDW) or personal accident waivers (PAI).

Minimizing the costs of replacement transportation:

• Use less expensive transportation, like public transportation, when possible.
• Rent the least expensive type and size of vehicle needed for temporary transportation, if you must rent a vehicle.
• Consider a rental company with membership in the Manitoba Car and Truck Rental Association (MCTRA). Manitoba Public Insurance and MCTRA have agreed on reasonable rental charges for different types and sizes of rental vehicles. Plus, these rental companies can bill Manitoba Public Insurance directly for your rental (with pre-approval from Manitoba Public Insurance, certain restrictions apply)
• Use your vehicle until your body shop has the parts on hand to do the repairs, provided your vehicle is safe to drive.
• Ask your body shop how long the repairs will take and then check with your adjuster to confirm that the time frame is reasonable.
• Try to get your vehicle into the repair shop early enough in the week so that you don’t have to leave it over a weekend.
• Start to look for another vehicle if it’s clear yours is a write-off. Don’t wait for your settlement to start looking.

Commercial Claims:

Our Commercial Claims department handles losses involving heavy vehicles and specialized equipment.

Examples of the types of vehicles adjusted at Commercial Claims include:

• Highway tractor over 9,000 kgs/ semi-trailers buses vehicles with primary insurance coverage under Special Risk Extension trucks with specialized equipment (cement mixers, garbage packers, cherry pickers, etc.)
• All heavy and specialized vehicles are handled through the Commercial Claims, so the adjusters are familiar with the various types of equipment and the policies they require.