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The First 72 Hours After a Crash: A Step-by-Step Checklist
The first three days quietly decide most of what follows — your health, your claim, and your options. Here is exactly what to do, in order, so nothing important slips while you are still rattled.
Plain-English answers to the questions crash victims actually ask.
At the scene (first minutes)
Check for injuries and call 911. If anyone is hurt or vehicles block traffic, call. Do not move seriously injured people unless there is fire or oncoming danger.
Get to safety. Move drivable cars out of the lane, hazards on, stay off the roadway.
Exchange information — name, phone, insurer and policy number, plate, license, vehicle details for every driver.
Document like an investigator. Photograph all vehicles from several angles, the whole scene, signals and signs, skid marks, weather, and any visible injuries. Get witness names and numbers before they leave.
Say less. Never say "I'm sorry," "my fault," or "I'm fine." Stick to facts with police.
Within the first day
Get the police report information — the report number, the officers' names, and how to obtain a copy.
Notify your own insurer with facts only. Reporting promptly is usually required by your policy; speculating about fault or injuries is not.
Start a folder for photos, the report number, medical paperwork, and receipts.
The 72-hour medical rule
See a doctor within 72 hours even if you feel okay. Adrenaline masks pain, and concussion, whiplash, and internal injuries often surface days later. The visit protects your health and ties any injury to the crash — a treatment gap is the first thing an insurer uses to dispute a claim. Watch for delayed concussion symptoms like headache, fog, dizziness, and irritability, and go to the ER for any red-flag signs.
Do not give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement in these early days. You can decline. Read our claim guide first.