What to do after a car accident

Make the scene safe first

1. Stop. Every state requires a driver involved in a crash to stop at the scene. Leaving one where someone is hurt is a crime everywhere, even if the crash was not your fault.
2. Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt, complains of pain, or you are not sure. Tell the dispatcher where you are, how many cars are involved and whether anyone is trapped.
3. Get out of the traffic lane if the cars can move. Many states have steer-it-clear-it laws that require moving drivable cars off the road after a minor crash with no injuries. If a car can't move or someone is hurt, leave it, turn on the hazard lights and stay buckled or well away from traffic.
4. Warn other drivers with hazard lights, flares or a warning triangle if you carry them.

Don't try to move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger, such as from fire. Paramedics would rather find someone where they fell than deal with a spinal injury made worse.

Call the police when the law requires it

Each state decides when a crash must be reported to the police. A common rule is any crash with an injury or a death, and many states add property damage above a threshold, such as $1,000. In Texas, for example, you must call right away if anyone is hurt or a car can't be driven safely. Your state's rules are on its page in claim rules by state.

Even when a report isn't required, a police report is the most neutral record of a crash an adjuster will see, so it is often worth asking for one. Get the officer's name, the agency and the report number before you leave. Some states also require drivers to file their own report with the motor vehicle department within a few days; that duty is separate from calling the police.

Trade details and keep your words short

Exchange the information an insurer will need to find the right policy: names and phone numbers, insurance companies and policy numbers, driver's license numbers, license plates, and the make, model and color of every car. If the driver doesn't own the car, get the owner's name too. Photograph the other driver's insurance card and registration rather than copying them by hand. The full list is in what to exchange after an accident.

If witnesses stopped, ask for their names and phone numbers before they leave. Witnesses are hard to find a week later and they carry weight when two drivers tell different stories.

Build the record while it's fresh

• Photos: damage to every car from several angles, all four corners of your own car, the license plates, the road, skid marks, debris, traffic signs and signals, the weather and the light.
• Notes: the time, the exact place, your direction and speed, what you saw and heard, and what the other driver said. Write them the same day.
• Receipts: towing, a rental car, a ride home, medical visits. Start a folder or a note on your phone now.

Our guide to documenting the damage covers the photos adjusters ask for most. If the car is towed, find out where it went and ask your insurer before you approve repairs: most policies let the insurer inspect the damage first.

Tell your insurer, then decide about a claim

Your policy's conditions section almost certainly requires you to report an accident promptly, and to cooperate with the investigation. Reporting a crash is not the same as filing a claim, but a late report can give the insurer grounds to refuse coverage, especially if the other driver claims against you later. Reporting an accident to your insurer walks through the call.

Once the insurer has notice, the clock starts on its side too. Most states follow a model regulation from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) that asks insurers to acknowledge a claim within 15 days and to accept or deny it within 21 days after receiving proof of loss, and some states set tighter or looser deadlines in law. Whether to claim a small loss at all is a money question the claim or pay calculator can help with.

Questions people ask