The first 72 hours checklist
What to do at the scene, that evening and over the next two days, in the order it tends to matter.
After a vehicle crash
Know your next step after a car crash
Plain guides for the days and weeks after an accident: what to collect, what to say to insurers, and when it is worth talking to an attorney. Free to read, with someone to ask when you are stuck.
Resources
Start with the three guides people ask for most
Short, practical guides you can read on your phone at the roadside or in a waiting room.
Calls with insurance companies
What to say to your own insurer, what to hold back from the other driver’s, and how to keep a record of every call.
Questions to ask an accident attorney
Twelve questions for a first conversation, so you leave knowing how the attorney works, what it costs and who does what.
Our mission
A clear place to start when everything else is confusing
After a crash, the calls start before anyone has explained the rules. Crash Next Law was set up to put the first steps in order, explain the words insurers and attorneys use, and make it easy to ask for help without being pushed into anything.
- Written in plain English
- Free to read and to ask
- No pressure to hire anyone
- Organised by what to do first
- Honest about what we are not
- Your details shared only if you ask
If it just happened
What to do, and when
-
At the scene
Record it before it is gone
Photos of every car, the plates and the road. Names and numbers of anyone who stopped.
The first 72 hours -
That evening
Get checked by a doctor
Even if you feel fine. Some injuries take a day or two to show, and the record starts here.
Why the record matters -
Within a few days
Tell your own insurer
Report the facts to your insurer. A recorded statement for the other driver’s can wait.
About recorded statements -
Before you sign
Read what the release ends
An early offer can arrive before you know what the crash will cost you.
Before the first offer
What a review looks at
Four things an accident attorney usually asks about
You do not need every document before asking for help. These are the areas a first conversation tends to cover, so you know what to gather.
Who was at fault
The police report, citations, photos of the scene and what witnesses saw.
Your injuries
When you were first seen, the treatment since, and what your doctors expect next.
The insurance involved
Each driver’s policy and limits, plus any uninsured motorist or commercial cover.
What the crash has cost you
Missed work, bills, the car, getting around, and the things you can no longer do.
Crash types
Different crashes raise different questions
A rear-end collision, a truck crash and a rideshare crash can involve different evidence, different insurers and different deadlines.
Car crashes
Rear-end, side-impact and intersection collisions, and crashes involving more than two vehicles.
Truck and commercial vehicles
Semi-trucks, delivery vans, buses and company vehicles, where an employer and its insurer are involved too.
Motorcycle crashes
Riders are more exposed and often face assumptions about speed and visibility from the start.
Rideshare and delivery
Crashes involving app-based drivers, as a passenger, another driver or someone on the street.
Pedestrians and cyclists
People on foot or on a bicycle struck by a vehicle, at a crossing, in a parking lot or on the road.
Serious injury and loss of life
Crashes that change what someone can do, or take someone from their family.
Articles
Common problems after a crash, explained
Each one covers a single mistake people make while a claim is open, and what to do instead.
Why a recorded statement can wait
The other driver’s adjuster often asks to record your account in the first week. Here is why many people hold off.
Gaps in medical treatment, and why they matter
Weeks without a doctor’s visit are often read as weeks without pain. How to keep your records matching how you feel.
What to post, and not post, after a crash
Photos from a weekend away can be read against an injury claim. A plain approach to social media while a claim is open.
FAQ
Questions people ask us first
No. Crash Next Law is an information service. We publish plain guides about what happens after a vehicle crash, and we answer questions about using them. We do not give legal advice and we cannot represent you.
You tell us the state, the kind of crash and what happened. If you choose a review on the form, we pass those details to one independent attorney who handles vehicle accident claims in that state, so they can decide whether to contact you. We do not pass on your details unless you choose that option.
Reading the guides and sending us a form is free. If you later decide to work with an attorney, any fee is agreed between you and them, in writing.
No. Asking a question or asking for a review creates no obligation. You decide whether to speak to an attorney, and which one.
Not us. Only an attorney who has looked at your records can give a view on that, and nobody can promise an outcome.
Not sure what to do next?
Tell us what happened and we will point you to the right guide, or pass your request to an accident attorney if you ask us to.