Arizona · Personal injury · Trial-ready representation
A practical, step-by-step guide for the first 30 minutes after a crash — what to do, what to say, what to document, and what to avoid. Designed to be readable on a phone at the side of the road.
The first 30 minutes after a crash shape the rest of the case more than almost anything else. Witnesses leave. Skid marks fade. Vehicles get moved. Memories blur. And the things you say at the scene — to the other driver, to the police, to the responding paramedics — get pulled into the file and used months later. This page is the short version of what to do, written so you can read it on a phone at the side of the road.
If you're at the scene right now
The first 30 minutes
Check for injuries — yours and others'
Move only if it's safe to do so. Significant pain in the head, neck, back, or chest means stay where you are and wait for paramedics.
Get to safety
If vehicles are drivable and blocking traffic, move them to the shoulder. If not, leave them in place and get yourself out of the lane of traffic.
Call 911
Even for what looks like a "minor" crash. The police report is the foundational document for every later claim. If 911 declines to send an officer, request a non-emergency response and document the time you called.
Photograph everything before vehicles move
Vehicles in their resting positions, all damage from multiple angles, license plates, the road surface (skid marks, debris, fluid), traffic signals and signs, weather conditions, and the surrounding intersection. More photos are better than fewer.
Exchange information — but say almost nothing else
Driver's license, insurance card, plate number. That's it. Don't apologize, don't accept fault, don't speculate, don't agree to handle it without insurance.
Get witness contact information
Names, phone numbers, and email if possible. Witnesses leave the scene quickly and are very hard to track down later.
Talk to the responding officer carefully
Answer their questions. Stick to the facts you actually know. If you don't know something, say "I'm not sure" — don't guess.
Get medical attention
Either at the scene with paramedics or by going to an ER, urgent care, or your doctor that day. Adrenaline masks injury. The "next-morning" pain is usually worse than the same-day pain.
Get the report number
Ask the officer for the case or report number and the officer's name and badge number. You'll need it for every step that follows.
Date, time, and exact location
Cross streets, mile marker, lane, direction of travel.
Weather and visibility
Rain, glare, dust storm, time of sunset, anything affecting the scene.
What you were doing right before
Speed, lane, last action you took. Write it down before the conversation muddies it.
What the other driver said
Especially anything close to "I didn't see you," "I'm sorry," or "my brakes failed."
Make and model of every vehicle
Plate numbers, color, condition, occupants.
Visible injuries — yours and others'
Photos of bruises, cuts, marks within hours and again over the next few days.
Don't apologize.
An automatic "I'm sorry" — even meaning "I'm sorry this happened" — gets quoted as an admission of fault. Express concern for the other person's wellbeing without using the word "sorry."
Don't speculate.
"I think they were going about 50" is a guess. Guesses become testimony. Stick to what you actually saw and felt.
Don't accept a "settle this between us" offer.
The other driver may offer cash to skip insurance and police. Always say no. Without the police report and insurance involvement, the case is much harder to prove later — and your injuries may not show up for hours.
Don't refuse medical attention because "I feel okay."
The most common serious injury we see — a soft-tissue spinal injury with delayed symptoms — feels manageable at the scene and disabling 24 hours later. Get checked.
Don't post about the crash on social media.
Insurance investigators look. "Just got rear-ended, I'm fine!" lives forever and gets used to argue you weren't really hurt.
Don't talk to the other side's adjuster yet.
If they call within the first day, take their information and tell them you'll be in touch. Then call a lawyer.
Get medical care
If you didn't go to the ER, see your primary care doctor or an urgent care now. The medical record connecting your symptoms to the crash starts on the day you go in.
Notify your own insurer
A short, factual notification. They may open a MedPay or UM claim that helps you immediately.
Save everything
Photos, the police report (or report number), business cards, hospital wristbands, prescription bottles, towing receipts.
Write down your account
From the moment before the crash to the moment after. Memory degrades fast — pin it down while it's accurate.
Call a lawyer if anyone was injured
Initial consultations should always be free. The deadline rules in Arizona — including the 180-day public-entity rule — start running immediately.
Most people don’t react to a crash the way they expect to. The immediate response is often calm and businesslike, sometimes even agreeable — a stress response, not real composure. That’s the moment when the worst statements get made. If you can hold one rule in mind at the scene, hold this one: be polite, be helpful to police, and say almost nothing else until you’ve had a chance to think clearly.
A short conversation with an attorney can save weeks of guesswork.
