What to Do After a Car Accident in Texas: Step-by-Step Guide

Knowing the steps to take after a car accident can protect your health, your insurance claim, and your right to compensation. A crash can leave you shaken, hurt, and unsure what to do first. The right actions in the first minutes, hours, and days can make a major difference, especially if another driver caused the wreck.

This guide explains what to do after a car accident in Texas, including when to call 911, how to document the scene, what information to exchange, when to seek medical care, how to deal with insurance, and when it may be time to speak with a lawyer.

Quick Answer: What Are the Steps After a Car Accident?

What are the steps after a car accident? In Texas, the safest approach is to:

1. Check yourself and others for injuries.
2. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, a vehicle cannot be safely moved, or property damage appears significant.
3. Move to a safe location if the vehicles can be moved.
4. Exchange driver, insurance, and vehicle information.
5. Take photos and videos of the scene.
6. Get witness names and contact information.
7. Seek medical care as soon as possible.
8. Notify your insurance company.
9. Avoid admitting fault or giving a rushed recorded statement.
10. Speak with a car accident lawyer if you were injured, fault is disputed, or the insurer is pressuring you.

These steps help create a record of the crash while protecting you from common insurance mistakes.

Step 1: Check for Injuries and Call 911

Your first priority is safety. Check yourself, passengers, and others involved. If anyone is injured, call 911 immediately. Even if injuries seem minor, emergency responders can evaluate the scene, request medical help, and document the crash.

You should also call police if there is major vehicle damage, the other driver leaves the scene, someone appears impaired, a driver refuses to exchange information, or a vehicle cannot be driven safely. A police report can become important evidence in a car accident claim.

According to TxDOT, law enforcement officers who investigate certain Texas crashes involving injury, death, or at least $1,000 in apparent property damage must submit a written crash report to TxDOT. That report can later help establish the date, location, parties, vehicles, witnesses, insurance details, and officer observations.

Step 2: Move to Safety Without Leaving the Scene

If the crash is minor and your vehicle can be moved safely, move it out of active traffic. Turn on hazard lights and stay away from moving vehicles. If the car cannot be moved or you are injured, wait for emergency responders in the safest place available.

Do not leave the scene before exchanging information and fulfilling your legal duties. Leaving too soon can create legal problems and make your injury claim harder to prove.

Step 3: Exchange the Right Information

After a Texas car accident, exchange information with the other driver. Get:

• full name
• address and phone number
• driver’s license number
• license plate number
• vehicle make, model, and color
• insurance company and policy number
• employer information if the driver was working

Do not argue about fault at the scene. Stick to facts. If the other driver is angry, impaired, uninsured, or refuses to cooperate, wait for law enforcement.

If the other driver has no insurance, you may still have options. A no car insurance accident may involve uninsured motorist coverage, underinsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection, health insurance, or a claim directly against the at-fault driver.

Step 4: Document Everything Before Evidence Disappears

Photos and videos can be powerful evidence. If it is safe, document the scene before vehicles are moved or debris is cleared. Capture:

• vehicle damage from multiple angles
• license plates
• skid marks
• broken glass and debris
• traffic lights and signs
• lane markings
• road conditions
• weather and lighting
• visible injuries
• airbag deployment
• nearby businesses or homes with cameras

Also write down what happened while your memory is fresh. Include the time, location, direction of travel, traffic conditions, and anything the other driver said.

This matters because insurance companies often dispute how a crash happened. In intersection cases, lane-change crashes, rear-end collisions, and a T-bone accident, early photos can help show impact points, right of way, and vehicle positions.

Step 5: Get Medical Care Quickly

Do not wait to get checked by a doctor. Many crash injuries are not obvious right away because adrenaline can hide pain. Neck pain, back pain, headaches, dizziness, shoulder pain, numbness, and abdominal pain may worsen hours or days later.

Medical care does two things. First, it protects your health. Second, it creates a record connecting your injuries to the crash. Insurance companies often use treatment delays to argue that an injury was not serious or was caused by something else.

Common injuries after Texas car accidents include:

• whiplash
• concussions
• disc injuries
• back and neck injuries
• shoulder injuries
• broken bones
• knee injuries
• soft tissue injuries
• traumatic brain injuries

Follow your treatment plan, attend appointments, and keep copies of bills, prescriptions, imaging reports, referrals, and work restrictions.

Step 6: Be Careful With Insurance Calls

You should notify your own insurance company after a crash, but be careful with what you say. Keep the report factual. Do not guess, admit fault, minimize injuries, or say you are “fine” if you have not been evaluated.

The other driver’s insurance company may contact you quickly. Their adjuster may sound helpful, but their job is to protect the insurance company. They may ask for a recorded statement, request broad medical authorizations, or offer a fast settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries.

One reason these calls matter is that adjusters often evaluate the claim early. They may look for statements about speed, distraction, prior injuries, missed appointments, or gaps in treatment. A careful report gives the insurance company the information it needs without giving away guesses. If you do not know an answer, say so. If your pain is still developing, do not describe your injuries as minor. Clear, accurate communication helps protect the value of a Texas car accident claim.

Before accepting money or signing anything, make sure you understand your medical outlook, lost income, vehicle damage, and future care needs. Once you settle, you may give up the right to seek more compensation later.

If another driver caused the vehicular crash, our guide on What to do after a car accident that is not your fault explains how fault, evidence, and insurance strategy can affect your claim.

Step 7: Understand Texas Insurance Rules

Texas law requires drivers to show proof they can pay for accidents they cause. Most drivers do this through liability insurance.

The Texas Department of Insurance explains that minimum Texas auto liability coverage is commonly called 30/60/25: $30,000 for injuries per person, $60,000 total per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

Minimum coverage is not always enough after a serious crash. A single ER visit, surgery, or totaled vehicle can create losses beyond policy limits. That is why your own coverage may matter too, including uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection, collision coverage, and health insurance.

Coverage review is also important because more than one policy may apply. The at-fault driver may have liability coverage, but your own policy may include uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist, personal injury protection, medical payments, collision, or rental coverage. In a no-car-insurance accident, those coverages can determine whether medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repairs are paid while the claim is pending.

If coverage is disputed or damages are significant, a Texas car accident lawyer can help identify available insurance, preserve evidence, and deal with adjusters while you focus on recovery.

Step 8: Keep a Claim File

Create a folder for everything related to the crash. Save:

• crash report information
• photos and videos
• witness contact details
• repair estimates
• towing and storage bills
• rental car receipts
• medical bills
• discharge papers
• imaging results
• prescription receipts
• proof of missed work
• emails and letters from insurers

Also keep a simple injury journal. Note pain levels, sleep problems, missed activities, medical visits, and how the injuries affect work and daily life. This can help show the real impact of the crash beyond the medical bills.

One practical tip is to treat the claim file like evidence, not paperwork. Save original photos, avoid editing videos, keep receipts in date order, and write down who you spoke with at each insurance company. If a doctor gives restrictions, keep the note. If your pain changes, document when it changed. Small details can become important when an adjuster questions treatment, wage loss, or how the collision affected life, work, and recovery during claim review or litigation.

Your claim file should also track damages, not just documents. Keep a running list of missed workdays, reduced hours, mileage to medical appointments, out-of-pocket costs, household help, childcare expenses, and activities you cannot do because of the injury. These details can support compensation beyond the repair bill. They also help your lawyer or insurer understand how the crash changed your daily life after the initial emergency passed.

What to Do After a Car Accident in San Antonio

What to do after a car accident in San Antonio depends on where the crash happened and how serious it is. Crashes on I-10, Loop 410, US-281, I-35, Wurzbach Parkway, Bandera Road, Culebra Road, and downtown streets may involve heavy traffic, multiple vehicles, rideshare drivers, commercial vehicles, or nearby surveillance cameras.

After a San Antonio crash, try to identify:

• the exact roadway and nearest cross street
• whether a business, apartment complex, or traffic camera may have footage
• whether a rideshare, delivery, city, or commercial vehicle was involved
• whether police, EMS, or fire responded
• whether witnesses stopped or left before officers arrived

In local cases, a San Antonio car accident lawyer may be able to move quickly to preserve videos. photos, inspect the scene, review the crash report, and handle critical insurance communications.

When Should You Call a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

You may not need a lawyer for every minor fender bender. But you should strongly consider legal help if:

• you were injured
• someone died
• fault is disputed
• the other driver has no insurance
• the insurer blames you
• the crash involved a company vehicle
• you need surgery or ongoing treatment
• you missed work
• your vehicle was totaled
• an adjuster is pushing a quick settlement
• the crash involved a T-bone, head-on, rollover, pedestrian, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle accident

Texas generally has a two-year deadline for many personal injury lawsuits, but waiting can still hurt your case. Evidence can disappear much sooner. Vehicles get repaired, video gets overwritten, witnesses become harder to find, and insurance companies start building their defense immediately.

Early legal guidance can be especially valuable when the crash involves serious injuries, disputed fault, uninsured drivers, commercial vehicles, rideshare drivers, or multiple insurance companies.

A lawyer can send preservation letters, request video before it is deleted, communicate with adjusters, calculate future damages, and help prevent a low settlement before your medical picture is clear. The goal is not to make the claim harder. The goal is to keep the insurance process from being controlled only by the company paying the claim. That protection can directly affect the final settlement outcome.

Talk to Ried Pecina Trial Lawyers After a Texas Car Accident

The steps to take after a car accident can affect the value and strength of your case. The sooner evidence is preserved and insurance issues are handled correctly, the better positioned you may be to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain, vehicle damage, and future care.

Ried Pecina Trial Lawyers helps injured Texans understand their options after serious crashes. If you were hurt in San Antonio or anywhere in Texas, contact our team for a consultation.