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After-accident action plan

What should I do after a car accident?

In order: make sure everyone is safe, get medical attention, document what you can, and be careful about what you agree to in the first few days. Below is the full sequence, plus where to go for each part of it.

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Short answer

The short version

Safety and medical care first, documentation second, insurance third, decisions last. Most of the damage people do to their own position happens in the first week — by not being seen by a doctor, by not keeping records, or by agreeing to something before they understand it.

  • Get medical attention even if you feel alright; some injuries surface later
  • Photograph the scene, the vehicles, and anything relevant before it changes
  • Get the report number and the responding officer's details if police attend
  • Notify your own insurer — most policies require prompt notice
  • Keep every bill, message, and receipt connected to the accident

Requirements for reporting an accident, and the insurance system that applies, are set by state law and differ.

Were you not at fault?

If you believe another driver caused the accident, the steps below still apply — but who you deal with, and in what order, depends on your state's insurance system and on what the insurers decide about fault. Nothing is automatic, and the other driver's insurer is not on your side by default. Tell us what happened and we'll point you to the part that matters for your situation.

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Tell us what happened

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A few things worth knowing either way

Notify your own insurer promptly even when you were not at fault — most policies require it. Keep the scene photographs, the report number, medical records, and every message from an insurer. If fault is disputed, evidence about how the collision happened becomes the centre of the claim. Deadlines, shared-fault rules, and whether your state uses a no-fault system all vary, so check the rules where the accident happened.

The sequence

  1. Check for injuries and get emergency help

    Before anything else. If anyone may be hurt, call emergency services. Move out of live traffic if it is safe to do so; if it is not, stay where you are with hazards on.

  2. Get medical attention, even if you feel fine

    Adrenaline masks a lot, and some injuries — head injuries in particular — can present later. Being seen creates a record connecting any injury to the crash, which is difficult to reconstruct afterwards.

  3. Document the scene while it exists

    Photos of both vehicles from several angles, the wider scene, road and weather conditions, signage, skid marks, and any visible injuries. It takes two minutes and cannot be redone later.

  4. Exchange and preserve information

    Names, contact details, licence and plate numbers, and insurance details for everyone involved. Witness names and phone numbers matter as much — witnesses become unreachable fast.

  5. Understand the role of the accident report

    If police attend, note the report number and the officer's name and agency. The report is normally the first document an insurer looks for, and it carries the official account of what happened.

  6. Notify the appropriate insurer

    Your own policy almost certainly requires you to report the accident, often promptly. Which insurer handles what depends on your state's system and the coverages involved.

  7. Pay attention to symptoms over the following days

    Note what hurts, when, and what it stops you doing. If new symptoms appear, get them looked at rather than waiting to see whether they pass.

  8. Keep everything in one place

    Bills, receipts, medical paperwork, repair estimates, correspondence, and a dated note of every phone call. This is the whole evidentiary basis of a claim.

  9. Be careful with early decisions

    Recorded statements, quick settlement offers, and signed releases all have consequences that are hard to undo. It is reasonable to say you will respond in writing once you understand what is being asked.

Where are you now?

First-week checklist

Tick these off as you go. Nothing is saved or submitted.

What's worth keeping

  • Scene and vehicle photos

    Taken before anything is moved or repaired.

  • The accident report

    Or at minimum the report number and agency.

  • Medical records and bills

    Every visit connected to the accident.

  • Receipts and estimates

    Repairs, rental, prescriptions, travel to appointments.

  • Insurance correspondence

    Letters, emails, and dated notes of phone calls.

  • A dated timeline

    Appointments, missed work, and symptom changes.

Things that vary by state

Whether you must report the accident to a state agency, how shared fault affects a claim, whether your state uses a no-fault system, what coverages drivers are required to carry, and how long you have to bring a claim are all matters of state law. Where a deadline or requirement matters to you, check it against your own state's rules rather than a general figure.

Is this something I should have reviewed?

Plenty of accidents are handled directly with an insurer without any legal involvement. Some are not. These are the factors that usually decide it.

Review is more likely to help

  • Serious, lasting, or still-undiagnosed injuries
  • The insurer says you were partly or fully at fault
  • Several vehicles, a commercial vehicle, or a rideshare involved
  • The other driver was uninsured or left the scene
  • A claim has been denied, or has stalled with no explanation
  • You've been offered a settlement that would close everything out

Often handled without it

  • Property damage only, with no injuries
  • Fault is clear and undisputed
  • Treatment was brief and is finished
  • The insurer is paying what the bills show

If you are unsure which side you are on, the claim assessment walks through the same factors in more detail.

Tools for this stage

Claim value assessment

Work through the factors that affect an accident claim and see what's missing from yours.

Start the assessment

Questions people also ask

Should I call the police after a minor accident?

Many states require police or agency reporting above a certain level of damage or where anyone is injured, and the threshold differs. Even where it is not required, an official record of what happened is usually easier to rely on later than a private exchange of details.

Do I have to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement?

Your obligations to your own insurer come from your policy. You are generally not in the same position with another party's insurer. It is reasonable to ask what is being requested and why, and to respond in writing once you understand it.

What if I felt fine at the scene and sore two days later?

That is common. Get seen, describe the accident and the timing clearly, and follow the treatment advice. A delay is not fatal to a claim, but an unexplained one is something insurers tend to raise.

Who pays for my car in the meantime?

That depends on the coverages in play, whose fault is accepted, and your state's system. Your own policy may have collision or rental coverage that responds sooner than the other driver's insurer will.

What people ask next

Sources

General information about handling an accident, not legal advice for your situation. See our disclaimer.

Accidents

What usually comes next

What you may want to understand next

What you can do next

Work through the after-accident checklist

Free tool

After-Accident Checklist

Six practical steps for the first 24 hours after a crash.

Open After-Accident Checklist

When legal help may make sense

If injuries are still being treated, fault is disputed, or an insurer has already made an offer, the situation can get harder to handle alone.

Talk to a car accident lawyer

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