The worst mistake people make is assuming the other driver's insurer starts paying everything right away. In Hawaii, that is usually not how it works.

Before you know the process: you may wait for the at-fault insurer, ignore your own policy, give a recorded statement too early, and miss what matters in the first few days.

After you know it: you understand that your own PIP coverage usually goes first. Hawaii is a no-fault state for initial injury benefits. After a head-on collision in Honolulu, your auto insurer opens a Personal Injury Protection claim to pay medical bills and some wage loss up to your policy limits, often at least $10,000, no matter who caused the crash.

At the scene, HPD investigates if there are injuries, and Honolulu EMS may take you to places like The Queen's Medical Center or sometimes Tripler Army Medical Center. On holiday weekends like Memorial Day or July 4th, police and insurers often look closely at impairment, speed, lane crossing, and witness accounts because drunk-driving crashes surge.

Next, your insurer gathers:

• crash report
• photos
• vehicle damage estimate
• medical records and bills
• proof of missed work or loss of daily function

If your injuries are serious enough, you can move beyond no-fault and make a liability claim against the other driver. In Hawaii, that usually means your injuries involve things like medical-rehabilitative expenses over $5,000, a significant permanent loss, serious disfigurement, or death.

Then the other driver's insurer evaluates fault and damages. This is the stage where adjusters test whether you were partly to blame, whether treatment was delayed, or whether age-related problems caused your limits instead of the crash.

If they do not offer fair payment, the pressure shifts. A lawsuit generally must be filed within 2 years of the crash in Hawaii. Knowing that deadline changes your position: you stop waiting for "one more review" and start tracking records, treatment, and how the injury affects living alone, driving, stairs, bathing, and other daily tasks.