What to do in the first 48 hours after a car accident

The steps you take right after a wreck shape everything that follows, and most of them cost nothing.

The two days after a collision are the noisiest two days of the whole process. You are sore, your car is somewhere you did not choose, and your phone is ringing with people who want a statement. It is the worst possible time to make decisions, and it is exactly when the most important ones get made.

None of what follows is complicated. Most of it is free. The point is simply to preserve what is true about your crash before it disappears, because memories fade, vehicles get repaired, and swelling that looked dramatic on day one is gone by the time anyone asks about it.

Get checked out, even if you feel fine

Adrenaline is very good at hiding injuries. People walk away from serious wrecks feeling shaky but functional, then wake up two days later unable to turn their head. A medical evaluation early gives you a professional record of how you were doing right after the impact.

It also matters for a practical reason. When treatment starts days or weeks after a crash, the other side has an opening to argue that something else caused the problem. An early visit closes that door before anyone can walk through it.

Photograph more than you think you need

Photograph both vehicles from every side, including the undamaged sides. Photograph the intersection, the skid marks, the debris field, the traffic controls, and the position of the cars if they have not been moved. Photograph the inside of your car, especially deployed airbags and anything that broke loose.

Then photograph yourself. Bruising, swelling, and cuts change fast, and a photo with a date on it is worth more than a description written months later.

If a witness stopped, get a name and a phone number before they leave. Witnesses are the single most perishable piece of evidence in a car wreck. Once they drive off, they are usually gone for good.

Report it, but be careful who you talk to

You will typically need to notify your own insurance company that a crash occurred. That is different from giving the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, which is usually requested within a day or two and is not something you are obligated to rush into.

Adjusters are trained, friendly, and working from a script. Questions like how are you feeling today sound like small talk, and the answer fine gets written down. If you are still figuring out how hurt you are, it is reasonable to say so and to talk again once you know more.

Start a file on day one

Use an envelope, a folder, or a note on your phone. Keep the crash report number, the claim numbers, the names of every adjuster who calls, discharge paperwork, prescriptions, and every receipt connected to the wreck.

Add a short daily note about what hurts and what you could not do. Two sentences is enough. Months later, that log is often the only detailed record of how the injury actually affected your life, and it is far more convincing than trying to reconstruct it from memory.

Slow down on the paperwork

Early in a claim you may be asked to sign a broad medical authorization or to accept a quick payment to close things out. Both can have consequences that are hard to undo, particularly before anyone knows how your injuries will resolve.

Reading before signing is not being difficult. It is the same caution the insurance company applies to every document it sends you.

This article is general information for the public, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Nothing here predicts an outcome or the value of any claim. Laws and filing deadlines differ by state and change over time — talk with a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising.