What You Need To Do After a Car Accident: A Complete Guide

Updated Sep 5, 2025

It's normal to feel frazzled after a car accident, even a minor one. To get your life back to normal quickly after a crash, it's important to stay safe, document the accident properly and work with your insurance company.

What to do if you get in a car accident:

Move to a safe place
Call the police and file a report
Exchange personal and insurance info

Take photos of the damage
Review your insurance coverage
Call your insurance company

1. Move to a safe place and check for injuries

Before doing anything else, check to see if anyone in your car is hurt. Call 911 immediately if someone needs urgent medical care.

Then, if you can do so safely, move your car to the side of the road and out of traffic. If you're still close to passing cars, turn on your emergency lights to warn other drivers. If it's dark, find a flashlight to help you see.

2. Call the police and file a report

Once you're safe, call the police to file an official report. Even if there are no major injuries and there is no damage to the cars, you'll need the report if you file an insurance claim later.

When talking with the police, keep in mind that a police report is used only to capture facts. Don't admit fault or put blame on other drivers or pedestrians, and don't assume any details about the accident.

3. Share insurance and personal info

Next, you'll need to gather info for your own records. Many auto insurance companies have smartphone apps that help you document the right details, which can be useful when you file a claim.

You need to get info from the other driver, including their:

Name, address and phone number
Insurance company and policy number
License plate number
Vehicle description, make and model

You should also write down the date and time of the accident, along with contact info for any witnesses.

Even if a police officer documents some of the facts, make sure you have them for your own records.

If the other driver caused the accident, you should also contact their insurance company. Sometimes, people who cause an accident won't report it for fear of raising their insurance rates or concerns about other financial or legal repercussions.

4. Take photos of the damage

Next, take photos of both cars, along with any visible injuries. These photos can act as proof when you file your insurance claim.

You should take photos of:

All four sides of each car in the accident
The damaged parts of your car, from multiple angles
Your car's VIN and odometer reading

Make sure the photo quality is clear enough to see the damage, or lack of damage.

If you have a dashcam, download the footage and send it to your insurance company. This will be especially helpful if the other driver refuses to assume responsibility, since live video footage can clearly show the sequence of events.

5. Review your insurance coverage

Next, you'll need to deal with the insurance companies. If you're not sure already, take a look at your insurance policy to see what it covers before calling your insurance company.

Bodily injury liability insurance will cover the medical bills of your passengers, the other driver or pedestrians hurt in the accident, up to your policy limits.
Property damage liability insurance will cover any damage you caused, including damage to another car or a stationery object, such as a building or fence.
Personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage will cover your medical bills if you're hurt in the accident. PIP may also help cover lost wages if you can't work while you recover from the crash.
Collision insurance will pay to repair damage to your car after you pay a deductible (which you choose when you buy the policy).

If you're injured, the other driver's bodily injury liability coverage will cover your medical bills, up to their limits.

Florida and New Hampshire are the only states that don't require this coverage. In Florida, your own personal injury protection (PIP) will cover your medical bills. New Hampshire drivers who don't have insurance must deposit $100,000 with the state treasurer, which will help cover any injuries they cause in an accident.
If the accident damages your car, the other driver's property damage liability coverage will pay to fix or replace it, up to their limits.

Every state requires property damage liability coverage, except for New Hampshire. As with injuries, New Hampshire drivers without insurance will use their deposit with the state treasurer to pay for any damage they cause.
If the other driver doesn't have insurance, or their limits aren't high enough to cover all of the damage or injuries, your insurance may help cover the costs if you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

You can also use your own collision insurance to pay for damage to your car. You may need to do this if you're the victim of a hit and run and can't identify the other driver.

What to do after an accident in a no-fault state

If you live in a no-fault state and you cause an accident, your insurance company will cover your medical bills and lost wages.

That's because these states require personal injury protection (PIP). You must file a claim with your own insurance company after causing a crash to get these benefits.

If another driver caused the accident, you must make a claim through that driver's insurance company.

Puerto Rico and the following 12 states are no-fault states:

Florida
Hawaii
Kansas
Kentucky

Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New York

New Jersey
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Utah

PIP is generally expensive, which means insurance typically costs more in no-fault states.

6. Call your insurance company

Many insurance companies require you to report accidents right away. If possible, call your insurance company while still at the scene of the accident, or right after you leave. This can help ensure you provide the most accurate info.

Also remember: Reporting an accident to the insurance company isn't the same as filing a claim, so it won't automatically increase your rates.

But once you file a claim, your monthly rates may increase, even if the accident wasn't your fault.

Different insurance companies raise their rates by varying amounts. Progressive and Geico are more likely to increase your rates after accidents you didn't cause, while State Farm is the least likely to do so, according to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

If you do move forward with a claim, you need to pay a deductible first. After investigating your claim, the insurance company will send you an offer with the payout amount. Depending on the company, your plan may require you to pay your repair or medical bills out-of-pocket, and then reimburse you afterwards.

Sources

Data about rate increases after an accident is from the Consumer Federation of America.

About the Author

Lindsay Bishop is a Senior Writer at ValuePenguin, where she educates readers about home, auto, renters, flood and motorcycle insurance.

Lindsay began her career in the insurance and financial industry in 2010. She was a licensed auto, home, life and health insurance agent and held Series 6 and 63 financial licenses.

After a hiatus from the financial sector, Lindsay returned to the industry as a content writer for ValuePenguin in 2021. She enjoys having the opportunity to help readers make smart decisions about their insurance so they can be prepared for anything life throws their way.

When Lindsay isn't writing about insurance, you can find her spending time with family, enjoying the outdoors on Sunday long runs or riding her Peloton.

How insurance helped Lindsay

As a homeowner for 15 years located in South Carolina, Lindsay has plenty of experience navigating the coastal insurance market and managing the claims process. That includes successfully negotiating a full roof replacement claim.

Expertise

Home insurance
Car insurance
Flood insurance
Renters insurance
Motorcycle insurance

Referenced by

CNBC
Yahoo Finance
Miami Herald

Education

BS/BA Economics, University of Nevada Las Vegas

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.