Car Accident Injury Claims

A car crash can leave you with medical bills, time off work, and a stack of insurer calls. Start with care. Then preserve what you can: photos, names, and the crash report. Fault rules differ in Alabama and Georgia. For commercial trucks, see truck accidents. Motorcycle crashes have their own page.

What a car-accident claim usually involves

Insurance layers

How the crash happened

Frequently asked questions

Related resources

• Concussion After a Crash or Fall — Concussion After a Crash or Fall

  A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that can result from a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or from a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly. Symptoms may appear immediately or hours or days later. A CT scan is not used to identify every mild TBI or concussion, although imaging may be used when a clinician is concerned about bleeding or another serious injury.

• Dealing With Insurance After an Injury — Dealing With Insurance After an Injury

  You usually must cooperate with your own insurer. The other company’s adjuster does not work for you. Recorded statements, medical authorizations, and early settlement offers can affect the claim. Get advice before you guess about fault or future medical care.

• How the Crash Happened — How the Crash Happened

  How a crash happened can affect the evidence, insurance issues, and fault analysis. These guides explain common collision patterns and issues that may arise in rear-end, side-impact, head-on, pedestrian, bicycle, rideshare, and multi-vehicle crashes.

• Motorcycle Accident Injury Claims — Motorcycle Accident Injury Claims

  Motorcycle crashes can cause severe injuries even when the other vehicle has relatively little visible damage. Fault depends on driver conduct, roadway conditions, available evidence, and the law that applies where the crash occurred. Helmet or protective-gear use may affect injury issues, but it does not by itself determine who caused the collision.

• Multi-Vehicle Accidents — Multi-Vehicle Accidents

  A multi-vehicle crash involves three or more vehicles and can create disputes about the sequence of impacts, the actions of each driver, and which insurance policies apply. Determining responsibility may require evidence from multiple vehicles and witnesses.

• Rear-End Accidents — Rear-End Accidents

  A rear-end collision occurs when one vehicle strikes the back of another. The trailing driver is often the focus of the investigation, but fault can depend on following distance, speed, brake lights, traffic conditions, sudden movements, and whether another vehicle contributed to the collision.

• Truck Accident Injury Claims — Truck Accident Injury Claims

  A commercial-truck crash can involve the driver, motor carrier, trailer owner, cargo loader, maintenance company, or other parties depending on the facts. Driver logs, vehicle inspection and maintenance records, electronic data, company records, and insurance coverage may all become important.

• What to Do After a Crash — What to Do After a Crash

  After a crash, focus first on safety and medical needs. When possible, preserve basic information such as photographs, witness names, insurance details, and the crash-report number. Seek medical attention if you may be injured or develop symptoms, and be careful about giving recorded statements or signing releases before you understand their effect.