Getting into a car accident can be one of the most stressful experiences you’ll ever face. In those first moments after impact, your heart races, your hands shake, and you might not know what to do next. Whether you’re dealing with a minor fender bender in a Salt Lake City parking lot or a serious collision on I-15, knowing the right steps to take can protect your health, your legal rights, and your financial future. At AVS Law Group, we’ve created this comprehensive Utah guide for 2026 to help you understand exactly what to do after a car accident and how to protect yourself during this challenging time.
Utah’s roads see thousands of accidents every year—over 62,000 in recent years according to state data—and the aftermath can be overwhelming. Between dealing with insurance companies, medical bills, and potential legal claims, many accident victims feel lost in the process. We’ve been helping Utah families through these exact situations for years, and we know firsthand how confusing it all can be.
Car accident with front bumper smashed
Immediate Steps to Take at the Accident Scene
First things first: check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If anyone is hurt, even if it seems minor, call 911 right away. Don’t play doctor here. We’ve seen too many cases where someone thought they were “fine” only to discover serious injuries hours or days later. Whiplash, concussions, and internal injuries are sneaky. They don’t always announce themselves immediately, but they can become life-threatening if left untreated.
If it’s safe and your vehicle is blocking traffic, move it to the shoulder or a nearby parking lot. Utah law actually requires this when possible, but only if you can do so safely. Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers. If you have flares or warning triangles (and honestly, you should keep these in your trunk), set them up.
Here’s something that should go without saying but apparently doesn’t: never leave the scene. Ever. Even if it’s just a little fender bender in a parking lot and the other person waves you off. Leaving can result in hit-and-run charges, and those carry serious legal consequences that’ll make your insurance rates look like pocket change.
Contact Law Enforcement
Utah law requires you to report any accident that results in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $2,500. That threshold might sound high, but modern vehicles are expensive to repair—a crumpled bumper can easily exceed that amount.
Even if the damage looks minimal, call the police and file an official report. This report becomes crucial evidence if you need to file an insurance claim or pursue legal action later. Insurance companies love to dispute claims, and a police report gives you solid documentation that something actually happened.
When officers arrive, stick to the facts. Tell them what happened, but avoid speculating about fault or—and this is important—don’t apologize. People apologize reflexively after accidents (“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”), but insurance adjusters will twist that into an admission of guilt faster than you can say “liability coverage.”
Get the report number before you leave. You’ll need it for literally everything that comes next.
Exchange Information with Other Drivers
While you’re waiting for police to arrive, exchange information with the other driver. You need their full name, phone number, address, driver’s license number, license plate number, insurance company name, and policy number. If there are passengers in the other vehicle, grab their contact information too.
Your smartphone is your best friend here. Take photos of everything—the other driver’s license, insurance card, license plate. This ensures you’ve got accurate information and creates a timestamped record that can’t be disputed later. Also note the vehicle’s make, model, color, and any visible damage.
Be polite but cautious. Don’t discuss fault or admit responsibility, even if you think you might have made a mistake. Let the professionals sort out who’s at fault based on the evidence and Utah’s comparative negligence laws. We’ve had clients who were absolutely convinced they caused an accident only to discover later that the other driver ran a red light or violated right-of-way rules.
Document the Accident Scene Thoroughly
Your smartphone is about to become the most important tool in your case. Take extensive photos and videos from multiple angles—and we mean extensive. Go overboard here. Capture damage to all vehicles involved, skid marks on the road, traffic signs and signals, weather conditions, and the overall layout of the intersection or roadway.
If there are witnesses, ask for their contact information. Independent witnesses can provide crucial testimony about what happened, especially if there’s a dispute about fault (and there usually is). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, witness statements often play a decisive role in accident investigations.
Make notes about everything you remember while it’s fresh. The time of day, weather conditions, traffic patterns, what you were doing in the moments leading up to the collision. Was the sun in your eyes? Was it snowing on Parley’s Canyon? Did someone cut you off right before impact? These details feel trivial in the moment but become critical evidence later when your memory starts to fade.
Seek Medical Attention Immediately
Here’s where people make one of the biggest mistakes: they skip the doctor because they “feel fine.”
Don’t do this.
Even if you feel perfectly fine, see a doctor within 24 hours. Many serious injuries—concussions, internal injuries, soft tissue damage—don’t present obvious symptoms right away. Adrenaline is a powerful drug, and it’ll mask pain and injury in the immediate aftermath of a crash. We had a client once who walked away from an accident feeling great, only to collapse two days later from internal bleeding. Thankfully he survived, but it was a close call.
Visit an emergency room or urgent care center. If you’re in Salt Lake County, facilities like Jordan Valley Medical Center or Intermountain Medical Center can evaluate you properly. Medical records created shortly after the accident establish a clear link between the collision and your injuries, which is absolutely essential for any insurance claim or personal injury case.
Delaying medical care gives insurance companies ammunition to argue that your injuries weren’t caused by the accident. They’ll claim you must have hurt yourself doing something else in the days or weeks afterward. Don’t give them that opening.
Follow all treatment recommendations from your healthcare providers and keep detailed records of every appointment, prescription, and expense. Seriously—keep everything. Receipts, bills, appointment cards, mileage logs for medical visits. All of it.
How Do I Report the Accident to My Insurance Company?
Contact your insurance company within 24 hours of the accident. Most policies require prompt notification, and delays can give them grounds to deny your claim.
Have your policy number, the police report number, and information about the other driver ready when you call. Provide basic facts about what happened, but here’s the key: avoid giving a detailed recorded statement until you’ve talked to an attorney.
Insurance adjusters are trained professionals whose job is to save their company money. They’re skilled at asking questions designed to minimize your claim or establish fault. And yes, this includes your own insurance company. They’re not necessarily your friend here, even though you’ve been paying premiums for years.
Utah uses a modified no-fault system for minor injuries, which means your own insurance company will initially pay for your medical expenses through Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, regardless of who caused the accident. But for serious injuries or damages exceeding your PIP limits, you’ll need to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance—and that’s when things get complicated.
What If the Other Driver Doesn’t Have Insurance?
This happens more often than you’d think, especially in Utah. If you’re hit by an uninsured driver, your uninsured motorist coverage should kick in to cover your medical expenses and vehicle damage. This is exactly why we always tell people to maintain adequate uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage—because you can’t control whether other drivers follow the law.
If you don’t have uninsured motorist coverage (or if it’s insufficient), you might need to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver directly. Good luck collecting from someone who couldn’t afford insurance in the first place, though. A Salt Lake City car accident lawyer can help you explore all available options, including whether the driver was working at the time (which could make their employer liable) or whether there are other potential sources of compensation.
When Should I Contact a Car Accident Lawyer?
At AVS Law Group, we offer free consultations. No obligation, no pressure. We’ll evaluate your case honestly and let you know if we can help. Not sure if you need a lawyer? Here are clear signs you do:
- The accident resulted in significant injuries
- There’s substantial property damage
- Fault is being disputed
- The insurance company is offering an inadequate settlement (and trust us, first offers are almost always inadequate)
- You’re dealing with an uninsured or underinsured driver
- Your injuries are keeping you out of work
An experienced Utah car accident lawyer understands state traffic laws, insurance regulations, and—most importantly—the tactics insurance companies use to minimize payouts. We’ve negotiated with every major insurance company operating in Utah. We know their playbooks. We can handle negotiations with adjusters, gather evidence to support your claim, calculate the full value of your damages (including future medical needs that you might not have considered), and represent you in court if necessary.
Understanding Utah’s Statute of Limitations
Utah law gives you four years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. For property damage claims, you’ve got three years.
Four years sounds like plenty of time, right? It’s not. Evidence disappears. Witnesses move away or forget details. Security camera footage gets deleted. Insurance companies become less willing to negotiate as time passes because they know you’re running out of options.
The American Bar Association recommends consulting with an attorney as soon as possible after any serious accident, and we couldn’t agree more. The sooner you act, the stronger your case will be.
Miss these deadlines and you lose your right to pursue compensation, period. Doesn’t matter how strong your case is or how badly you were injured. The courthouse doors close, and there’s no appeals process for “I forgot about the statute of limitations.”
What Compensation Can I Recover?
If another driver’s negligence caused your accident, you may be entitled to various types of compensation.
Economic damages cover measurable financial losses: medical expenses (both current and future), lost wages, property damage, rehabilitation costs, medical equipment, and more. These are relatively straightforward to calculate—just add up the bills.
Non-economic damages are trickier. These address subjective losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent scarring or disfigurement. How do you put a dollar value on chronic pain or the inability to play with your kids? It’s complicated, which is why having experienced legal representation matters.
Utah follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Translation: you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault for the accident, as long as your fault doesn’t exceed 49%. Your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of fault, though. So if you’re found 30% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you’d recover $70,000.
Common Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident
People unknowingly sabotage their claims all the time. Here are the biggest mistakes we see:
Never admit fault at the scene. Even if you think you caused the accident, wait for investigators to determine what happened. You might be wrong about what you think you saw.
Don’t accept early settlement offers without consulting an attorney. Insurance companies love to rush you into settling before you understand the full extent of your injuries. That “generous” offer they’re making? It’s probably a fraction of what your claim is actually worth.
Stay off social media. Seriously. Insurance companies monitor social media religiously. That photo of you at your nephew’s birthday party gets twisted into “proof” that you’re not really injured. Private your accounts and don’t post anything about the accident or your injuries.
Don’t sign any documents from insurance companies without legal review. That “routine paperwork” might include language that waives your rights or limits your ability to seek additional compensation later.
Never give a recorded statement without legal advice. Adjusters will call you while you’re still shaken up and in pain, acting all friendly and concerned. They’re fishing for statements they can use against you.
Moving Forward After Your Accident
Dealing with the aftermath of a car accident is never easy. The physical pain, the financial stress, the emotional toll—it all adds up fast. But taking the right steps immediately after the accident can make a massive difference in protecting your health and your legal rights.
Prioritize your safety and medical care above everything else. Document everything thoroughly—photos, records, receipts, everything. And don’t hesitate to seek professional legal guidance when you need it. There’s no prize for toughing it out alone.
At AVS Law Group, our experienced team of personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers has helped countless Utah accident victims navigate this complex process. We’ve seen every trick insurance companies try to pull, and we know how to fight back effectively. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll a car accident takes on you and your family, and we’re here to fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident anywhere in Utah—whether it’s downtown Salt Lake City, up in Ogden, down in Provo, or anywhere in between—contact AVS Law Group today for a free consultation. Let us handle the legal complexities while you focus on your recovery. Your path forward starts with one phone call, and we’re ready to help you take that first step toward justice.
