Carolina Casualty Insurance Claims After a Truck or Bus Crash

Carolina Casualty Insurance Company is a Jacksonville, Florida transportation insurer and a member of W. R. Berkley Corporation that has insured trucking and public transportation since 1943 (Carolina Casualty). If a truck or bus it insures hit you, Carolina Casualty takes loss reports 24/7 at 1-800-874-8053 (Carolina Casualty claims). Beverly Law does not work for or with Carolina Casualty or W. R. Berkley.

Who is Carolina Casualty?

Carolina Casualty describes itself as a national transportation insurance company dedicated to trucking and public transportation, and lists its office at 4800 Deerwood Campus Parkway in Jacksonville. It says it has been a transportation insurer since 1943 and is a member of W. R. Berkley Corporation.

Its claims overview says its claims staff averages more than 20 years of experience in transportation and insurance, and that since 2011 it has reached more than 97 percent of insureds within eight business hours of a reported loss (Carolina Casualty claims). In other words, the trucking company’s side of the claim usually starts moving the same day.

How do I report a claim?

Carolina Casualty lists these options on its claim page:

• Phone: 1-800-874-8053, with 24/7 loss reporting.
• Online claim form on its customer site.
• Email for claim documents: claimdocs@carolinacas.com.

Have the motor carrier’s name and USDOT number from SAFER, the police report number, and the date and place ready. If the report names a carrier but not its insurer, the federal Licensing and Insurance search shows insurance filed for interstate for-hire carriers. Ask for the claim number and adjuster in writing.

Because Carolina Casualty reaches its own insureds quickly, the adjuster may already have the driver’s version before calling you. Stick to facts you know: where you were, what you saw, which body parts hurt. Do not guess at speeds or distances. You can decline a recorded statement, and any medical authorization should be limited to the injuries and dates from this crash. Ask the adjuster to put any offer in writing.

Why might Carolina Casualty’s claims team handle a claim the carrier pays?

Carolina Casualty says it offers a full-service, in-house claim administrator for customers with a self-insured retention. With that kind of program, the trucking company pays claims up to a set amount itself, and the insurance applies above it. The adjuster who calls you may be handling money that ultimately comes from the carrier, not the insurer. Ask whether a retention applies and how large it is, because it affects who must approve a settlement.

I was hurt on a bus. Does a higher duty apply?

Carolina Casualty also insures public transportation. In California, a carrier of persons for reward must use the utmost care and diligence for passengers’ safe carriage (Cal. Civil Code 2100). For interstate for-hire passenger carriers, federal minimum liability coverage is $5 million for vehicles seating 16 or more, including the driver, and $1.5 million for 15 or fewer (49 CFR 387.33T). Keep your ticket or booking record, which shows who carried you.

How much coverage and which records?

For most interstate for-hire freight trucks of 10,001 pounds or more, the federal minimum is $750,000 in liability coverage (49 CFR 387.9). Ask for all policy limits in writing, including excess layers.

Driver duty-status records need only be kept for six months (49 CFR 395.8), and maintenance and inspection records for one year, and for six months after the vehicle leaves the carrier’s control (49 CFR 396.3). A prompt letter asking the carrier and Carolina Casualty to keep logs, video and maintenance files protects that evidence.

What claim rules apply in California, Texas and Washington?

California’s fair claims rules cover claimants against someone else’s policy (10 CCR 2695.2), and insurers generally must accept or deny within 40 calendar days of proof of claim or explain in writing every 30 days (10 CCR 2695.7). Washington generally requires acknowledgment within 10 business days (WAC 284-30-360). In Texas, get any refusal to pay explained in writing, as the Department of Insurance advises (TDI). Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.

What to do now

1. Get medical care and keep records of every visit.
2. Write down the carrier or bus company name and vehicle number.
3. Report the claim at 1-800-874-8053.
4. Ask whether a self-insured retention applies.
5. Request every policy limit in writing.
6. Send a preservation letter for logs, video and maintenance files.
7. Talk with a lawyer before signing any release.

Talk to us about a Carolina Casualty claim

Hurt by a truck or bus? Call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free review in English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win. See our truck insurance claims section for other insurers.

Common questions

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Important: This page is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Beverly Law. Laws change and every case is different; talk to a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. You owe no fees or costs unless we win. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: 2026-11-12.