What to Do After a Car Accident: A Step-by-Step Guide
General information, not legal advice. Read the full disclaimer.
The minutes after a car accident are chaotic, and what you do in that window can affect your safety, your health, and — if you were hurt because of someone else's negligence — your ability to recover compensation later. Here's a general framework for what to do, roughly in order.
1. Check for injuries and get to safety
Before anything else, check yourself and any passengers for injuries. If the vehicles are drivable and it's safe to do so, move them out of traffic. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately — some injuries, like concussions or internal bleeding, don't show obvious symptoms right away.
If you're in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, or Juab County and need to find the nearest ER, urgent care, or a tow company right now, see Local Resources After a Car Accident.
2. Call the police
Utah law requires you to stop and stay at the scene, exchange information with the other driver (name, address, vehicle registration, and insurance provider), and notify law enforcement immediately by the quickest means available if anyone was injured or killed, or if the accident caused property damage of apparently $2,500 or more (Utah Code §§ 41-6a-401, 41-6a-401.3, and 41-6a-401.7). If anyone is hurt, you must also give reasonable assistance, including arranging transportation to a hospital if treatment is apparently necessary or the injured person asks for it. If the other vehicle is unattended, you must find its owner or leave a written note with your name, address, and registration number. For a crash involving injury, death, or $2,500 or more in damage, the Utah Department of Public Safety can also require you to file a written accident report within 10 days of its request, and your license can be suspended until you file it.
Even where a report isn't strictly required, a police report creates an independent, timestamped record of what happened — which matters a great deal if there's ever a dispute about fault.
3. Document everything at the scene
If you're physically able to:
- Take photos of all vehicles involved, from multiple angles, including license plates
- Photograph the road, any skid marks, traffic signs, and weather conditions
- Get the other driver's name, contact information, license plate, and insurance details
- Get contact information for any witnesses — they may be gone by the time an insurer asks
4. Get checked out by a doctor, even if you feel "fine"
Adrenaline masks pain. Soft-tissue injuries and concussions commonly don't present symptoms until a day or more later. Beyond your health, a documented, timely medical visit also matters for any later injury claim — a long gap between the crash and your first treatment gives an insurance company an easy argument that your injury wasn't caused by the accident.
5. Be careful what you say — and what you sign
Exchange information calmly, but avoid discussing fault at the scene. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you" can be used against you later, even if you meant it as simple politeness. Similarly, be cautious about giving a recorded statement to any insurance company — including your own — before you understand your rights. You're generally not required to give a detailed statement to the other driver's insurer.
6. Notify your own insurance company
Most policies require prompt notice of an accident regardless of fault. Report the basic facts — when, where, who was involved — without speculating about who caused it.
7. Keep a file of everything
Medical bills, repair estimates, time missed from work, photos, the police report number — keep copies of all of it. This record is what supports any claim for damages later, and it's much harder to reconstruct months afterward than to build as you go.
When to talk to an attorney
Not every fender-bender needs a lawyer. But if you were seriously injured, if fault is disputed, or if an insurance adjuster is pushing you to settle quickly, it's worth a free consultation before you sign anything — including a settlement release, which typically closes out your claim permanently even if your injuries turn out to be worse than they first appeared.