All car accidents in the state of Washington abide by the fault-based insurance rule. Like most states, Washington uses a tort law to determine legal and financial responsibility (liability) for a car crash. This law states that the driver who caused the car accident – or, more likely, the driver's insurance company – will be responsible for paying for the crash. Before you can file an insurance claim for a car accident in Minnehaha, therefore, you must determine fault and causation.