What to Do After a Car Accident in San Antonio: A Step-by-Step Checklist
The decisions you make in the first 24 hours after a San Antonio car accident determine more than 80% of your case's value. Here is the exact checklist, in order.
A car accident is one of those moments where the difference between being made whole and being shortchanged comes down to what you do in the first day. Most people make their costliest mistakes in the first hour, before the dust has settled. This checklist exists so you do not have to think — you just follow steps.
At the scene (first 30 minutes)
- Check yourself and your passengers for injury. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately. Do not move someone with a possible neck or back injury unless there is fire or other immediate danger.
- Move vehicles out of traffic only if drivable and only if it is safe to do so. Hazard lights on. If a car is not drivable, leave it.
- Call the police. In San Antonio, call SAPD non-emergency 210-207-7273 if no injuries; 911 if anyone is hurt or vehicles are blocking traffic. You want a police report. Without one, the insurance company has full discretion to dispute who was at fault.
- Do not say you are fine. Do not say you are sorry. Do not discuss fault — yours or theirs. Just exchange information.
- Photograph everything before vehicles move: all four corners of both vehicles, license plates, position in the road, skid marks, debris, any visible injuries, traffic signs, traffic lights, weather, road conditions. Photograph the other driver's license and insurance card.
- Get contact information from anyone who saw what happened. Witnesses disappear within hours.
- Note the responding officer's name, badge number, and the police report number — they will give it to you.
In the first 6 hours
Get medical attention — even if you feel fine
This is the single most important step, and the one most people skip. Adrenaline blocks pain for 24 to 72 hours. Spinal injuries, concussions, internal bleeding, and soft-tissue damage frequently do not present symptoms until day two or three. By then, the insurance company's argument is set: if you were really hurt, you would have gone to the hospital. Go to an ER, an urgent care, or your primary doctor today. Tell them you were in an accident. Describe every symptom — headache, neck stiffness, ringing in the ears, anything. Get it documented.
Do not post about the accident on social media
Defense investigators routinely scrape Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for content that contradicts injury claims. A photo of you smiling at dinner two days after a wreck — even if you were in pain the whole time — can be used to argue you were not really hurt.
Notify your own insurance company
Your policy requires prompt notification. Stick to facts. Time, location, vehicles involved. Do not give a recorded statement, even to your own insurer, until you have spoken to a lawyer — many policies have provisions that limit your own coverage based on what you say.
In the first 24 hours
Start a written log
Open a notes file on your phone or a notebook. Every day, write down: pain level (1-10), what activities you could not do, medications you took, doctor visits, sleep quality. This becomes your contemporaneous pain diary, and it is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence in any personal injury case. Memory fades; written records do not.
Save everything
Photos, medical records, prescription receipts, towing receipts, rental car receipts, mileage to and from doctor appointments, time off work. Set aside an envelope or a digital folder. Save everything for at least two years.
Expect the call from the other driver's insurer
They will call within 24-72 hours. Do not give a recorded statement. Do not accept any offer. (See our separate post on what not to say to adjusters.)
In the first week
- Talk to a personal injury attorney. Free consultations cost nothing. Most cases that get shortchanged were the ones where the injured person tried to handle the adjuster directly for the first few weeks.
- Continue seeing your doctor. Gaps in treatment are the most common defense weapon. If your doctor says come back in 3 weeks, go in 3 weeks.
- Follow every medical recommendation. If they say physical therapy, go. If they say specialist referral, see the specialist. The medical record is the foundation of your case.
- Get a copy of the police report once it is filed (usually 5-10 days in San Antonio).
What insurance companies hope you do
Settlements are largest for people who: documented everything, sought medical care promptly, kept consistent records, did not give recorded statements, did not post on social media, and hired counsel. Settlements are smallest for people who did the opposite. The math is that simple. Adjusters are trained to identify which category you fall into within the first week.
When to call J. Perez Law
Now. Even if you are not sure you have a case. The free consultation is fifteen minutes. We tell you straight whether your case is worth pursuing. If it is, we handle every adjuster, every call, every form, every doctor visit coordination. If it is not, you have lost nothing and gained clarity. Call (210) 823-0047. Available 24/7.
Hurt in San Antonio? Free Consultation.
Tell us what happened — we will tell you exactly where you stand.
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