Car Accidents: What to Do After
By Kimberly Graf. Published on November 27, 2025
It's an unfortunate fact that car accidents are just part of life when you own a motor vehicle. Some lucky people never get into an accident, while most will get into at least one during their lifetime. It's good to know what to do after one, because if you've never had the experience before it can be a little daunting. We're hoping that you never have to put this into practice, but here's what to do immediately after a car accident.
Get to Safety
The first and most important thing you should do immediately after a car accident is to get your car to a safe place. If you can, and the car is able to be moved, get it out of traffic and off the roadway as best you can. You don't want your stopped car getting anyone else in a wreck, do you?
Once the car is no longer in the way of other drivers, put it into park and turn the car off. You will definitely want to put your hazard lights on, and if you have other emergency items like flares or cones this is the most opportune time to use them.
Get out of the car to assess the damage and go through the next steps.
Check for Injuries
You should check with everyone involved to see if there are any injuries. Even something as small and seemingly simple as dizziness or lightheadedness should probably be addressed by a professional. If there are any injuries among the parties involved, or even suspected injuries, call the ambulance just to make sure.
Some people may even be going through shock and not know it. So for absolutely anything that feels out of the ordinary, call 911.
Call Authorities
With emergency medical help on the way, it's time to call the police. They may decide not to come, but you need to call and report the incident just in case. If they do come, it's easier for your insurance to get a claim started. This is because they will have the information they need via the police report of the incident. So call the police even if it's a minor accident.
Gather Information
Talk with the person driving the other car. Be polite, even though it may seem difficult, but one of the most important things to do after a car accident is not to admit fault. This is something that is even printed on some insurance cards to remind you. Even if it's definitely your fault or you suspect it might be, or the other person is being rude to you, never admit that you're at fault because it could damage your insurance claim.
Instead, you should let the police and your insurance company work to figure out whose fault the accident was. This way it's less ambiguous and they will know for sure.
You should get names and contact information, if possible, for all drivers and passengers. This is invaluable information for both the police and your insurance company. You should also obtain the make, model, and year of the other car or cars involved, as well as license plate numbers and the driver's license numbers of the other drivers. Of course, you should always get the name of the other drivers' insurance company as well as their policy number.
Other information that your insurance company might like to have is the name and contact information of any witnesses that were on the scene, the location of the accident (closest address if possible), and the names and badge numbers of any police officers that were called to the scene. All of the paperwork that the police department has to file gives some validation to your claim, and it's easier to track down this way.
Survey the Scene
You should also attempt to get photos of the vehicles at the scene if possible. This will also help with your insurance company, and if there are any other legal proceedings afterward. Take as many photos as you feel are necessary to capture the extent of the damage.
Aftermath
Remember not to sign anything, either. This is just as important as not admitting who is at fault in the accident. If you sign something without checking what it is, which is, of course, easy to do in such a highly emotional situation, you could land yourself in a lot of legal trouble. The only things you should be signing in regards to your accident is anything from the police and anything from your insurance agency.
Once everyone is home safe from the accident, it's time to file a claim with your insurance. Each company has a different policy or way to go about doing this, so follow your particular insurance's methods for filing a claim. Most will try and get your car repaired as quickly as possible.
Car accidents may be unavoidable in today's busy world, but that doesn't mean they have to be difficult to deal with. As upsetting as this situation is, keeping your head and doing the above things can help to make sure that your car accident doesn't become a world-ending event.
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