It’s a normal morning—you’ve woken up early, gotten ready for work and are out the door on time. You toss all the bags in the car, pick up a coffee and start the commute, traveling the same route you take every morning. Then, in an instant, your morning takes an unexpected turn as you wait at a red light. The sounds of screeching tires, shattering glass and crunching metal trigger an adrenaline rush. You have just been rear-ended.
When car crashes happen, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed; your fight-or-flight response overrides your ability to think straight as you’re still experiencing waves of emotional distress. Car incidents happen more often than you think, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that approximately 6.18 million police-reported traffic collisions occurred in 2024 throughout the United States. Knowing what you should do after you get into a crash is not something you think to prepare for, but having a plan in place will help you navigate these situations smoothly, ensuring you avoid mistakes that can affect your health, insurance claim and legal rights.
What To Do After a Car Crash
1. Call the Police
The moments after a collision are the most important. Call the police immediately, regardless of how minor you think the incident is, and gather your driver’s license, insurance and registration cards in preparation. A detailed police report can come in handy later—by documenting the scene and having written statements, these incident reports help to prevent fabricated stories and injury claims the other party could make.
2. Make Sure Everyone is Safe
In the heat of the moment, injuries can be masked in the midst of the chaos, even for days following the incident. If you feel you or the other party involved needs immediate medical attention, call for an ambulance immediately, or schedule a medical evaluation shortly after the incident. Documenting any medical injuries in relation to the crash will be important down the line if you choose to pursue compensation.
3. Take Pictures
Taking photos and videos of the layout following a car crash is crucial to document the situation and preserve evidence. Using a smartphone, capture the positions of the vehicles right after the crash, any damage, both license plates, injuries of both parties, the surrounding area at various angles, as well as any names and addresses of bystanders who can testify on your behalf if you are not at fault. It also is beneficial to see if any surrounding businesses have cameras pointed towards the collision site to secure video evidence of the moment. Once the evidence is captured, call a towing company.
4. File a Claim
After taking pictures and videos of the crash, the next step is to exchange information with those involved and report the incident to your insurance company. Remember to provide all the facts pertaining to the incident, but avoid any further questions pertaining to fault or injuries until you have been properly examined and have requested the documented police report. Once you are safely able to, call your no-fault insurance carrier and get a no-fault claim number. This number must be given to all hospitals and medical providers for billing purposes. You must not use your private health insurance. Also, your no-fault carrier will pay your lost wages up to a maximum of $2,000 per month- up to a point.
5. Compensation
If you or a loved one are seriously injured following a car crash as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Call us for a free consultation at (845) 897-5199 or visit www.fkcs.law.