I’ve Been in a Car Accident, What Should I Do Next
A car accident can leave you trying to make decisions while your body is still full of adrenaline. You may be worried about an injured passenger, children in the car, whether the vehicle is safe, how you will get home, what you are supposed to tell the police and what happens when you cannot get to work tomorrow.
A car accident can leave you trying to make decisions while your body is still full of adrenaline. You may be worried about an injured passenger, children in the car, whether the vehicle is safe, how you will get home, what you are supposed to tell the police and what happens when you cannot get to work tomorrow.
You do not need to solve the insurance, repair and compensation position at the roadside. The priorities are safety, health and preserving accurate information about what happened.
At the scene: concentrate on people before paperwork
If anyone needs urgent medical help, that comes first. Make the situation as safe as you reasonably can and contact the emergency services where necessary.
In the UK, after an accident causing damage or injury, drivers have legal duties around providing details. If the required details are not exchanged at the scene, the accident may need to be reported to the police within 24 hours. You should also tell your insurer about the accident even if you do not intend to make an insurance claim.
When it is safe, useful information can include vehicle registrations, names and contact details, insurer information, photographs of the vehicles and road, witness details and any police reference. Do not put yourself in danger to take photographs or argue about fault at the roadside.
The next day can feel harder than the accident itself
Once the immediate shock settles, practical disruption often begins.
You may have no usable car. Childcare, work, medical appointments and caring responsibilities may suddenly need rearranging. The insurer may be discussing recovery, inspection, repair, total loss or a replacement vehicle while you are also sore, tired and trying to understand unfamiliar terminology.
Create one place for important information: claim numbers, police references, repairer details, medical appointments, photographs and receipts. A simple written timeline can also help when several organisations ask you to repeat what happened.
If symptoms develop or worsen after the accident, seek appropriate medical advice rather than assuming that because you left the scene you cannot have been injured.
What about a personal-injury claim?
If another person may have been responsible and you were injured, compensation may potentially be available. The route depends on the circumstances and the type and seriousness of the injury.
For eligible adults with certain minor road-traffic injuries in England and Wales, the Official Injury Claim service provides a free route to make a claim without legal representation. It is not the route for every road user or every injury.
More serious injuries, disputed responsibility or complex financial losses can raise very different issues. Independent legal advice can help you understand your own position. The existence of a possible claim should not delay treatment or practical support.
When the accident keeps replaying in your mind
People can feel shaken after a collision even when the physical injuries are relatively minor. You may keep seeing the other vehicle approaching, become tense at the same junction, dislike being a passenger or find yourself checking mirrors far more than before.
A serious road accident can be a traumatic event. Anxiety, poor sleep and feeling unusually alert can occur after frightening experiences. That does not mean you should diagnose yourself with PTSD, but persistent flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance or hypervigilance deserve proper support.
Counselling can provide space to process what happened independently of any insurance or compensation claim. If symptoms are persistent or significantly affecting everyday life, a GP or NHS Talking Therapies can also be appropriate.
A useful first-week checklist
Try to establish:
• whether everyone who was injured has appropriate medical support;• whether the accident has been reported where required;• what your insurer needs from you;• whether the vehicle is being repaired, inspected or considered a total loss;• what temporary transport you genuinely need;• what evidence and receipts should be retained;• whether loss of earnings or other financial pressure needs immediate attention;• whether you need independent legal advice; and• how the accident is affecting your sleep, confidence and ability to travel.
Dealing with those as separate questions is usually easier than treating “the accident” as one enormous problem.
Important informationThis guide provides general information and is not intended to provide legal, financial, medical or other professional advice. Individual circumstances can be different. You may wish to check current information from official sources and seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional before making important decisions.