What to Do After a Car Accident in Florida: 7 Steps to Protect Your Health and Claim
If you are involved in a car accident in Florida, first get to a safe location, check for injuries, call 911 when required, exchange information, photograph the scene, and seek medical attention if you may be injured. You should also notify your insurance company promptly while avoiding speculation or unnecessary statements about fault.
The first hours after a crash matter. Physical evidence can disappear, witnesses can leave, surveillance footage may be overwritten, and injuries that initially seem minor can become more noticeable later.
Here are seven steps to take after a Florida car accident to protect your health and preserve important information for an insurance claim.
Quick Answer: What Should You Do After a Car Accident in Florida?
After a Florida car accident:
- Get to safety and check for injuries. Call 911 if anyone is injured or needs emergency medical attention.
- Call law enforcement when required. Florida law requires immediate reporting when a crash causes injury, death, or at least $500 in apparent property damage.
- Exchange information. Get the other driver’s name, contact information, driver’s license, vehicle registration, license plate, and insurance information.
- Document the scene immediately. Photograph vehicle damage, impact points, debris, road conditions, traffic signals, skid marks, and visible injuries. Get witness contact information.
- Seek medical care promptly. Florida PIP law generally requires initial medical care within 14 days. PIP provides up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits, subject to statutory requirements and policy terms.
- Notify your insurer, but be careful what you say. Report the basic facts without guessing about fault, minimizing your injuries, or agreeing to a broad medical authorization before understanding what it covers.
- Protect your claim and filing deadline. For negligence claims arising from accidents occurring on or after March 24, 2023, Florida generally provides a two-year deadline under Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
1. Get to Safety and Check Everyone for Injuries
Safety comes first after any crash. Stop your vehicle as close to the scene as safely possible. If the vehicles can move and no one needs emergency assistance, move out of active traffic when it is safe to do so. Turn on your hazard lights and remain in a protected location.
Check yourself, your passengers, and the occupants of the other vehicles for injuries. Call 911 if anyone reports significant pain, appears confused, has trouble breathing, is bleeding, or shows another sign of injury.
Do not move someone who appears seriously injured unless remaining in place exposes that person to traffic, fire, or another immediate danger.
Some accident injuries do not produce strong symptoms immediately. Adrenaline can temporarily mask pain associated with concussions, back injuries, neck injuries, and soft-tissue damage. Someone who feels shaken but functional at the scene may notice more significant symptoms hours later.
Avoid creating another hazard while inspecting the crash. Do not stand between damaged vehicles or walk through active traffic to photograph debris. On busy Tampa Bay roads such as Trinity Boulevard or State Road 54, move behind a barrier or to another protected area when possible.
2. Call Police and Exchange the Required Information
Florida law requires drivers involved in certain crashes to stop and provide identifying information. Leaving the scene can result in serious legal consequences, particularly when someone has been injured or killed.
Exchange the following information with the other driver:
- Full name and contact information
- Driver’s license information
- Vehicle registration
- License plate number
- Insurance company and policy information
- Vehicle owner’s information if the driver does not own the vehicle
When appropriate, take clear photographs of driver’s licenses, insurance cards, license plates, and registrations rather than relying only on handwritten notes.
If another driver leaves the scene, do not chase the vehicle. Write down or photograph anything you can safely identify, including the make, model, color, license plate, visible damage, and direction of travel. Give that information to law enforcement.
When Does Florida Require You to Report a Crash?
Under Fla. Stat. § 316.065, a driver must immediately report a crash that results in:
- Injury to a person
- Death
- Apparent damage of at least $500 to a vehicle or other property
Because even relatively minor-looking vehicle damage can involve expensive bumpers, cameras, sensors, lights, and other components, many modern collisions can exceed the $500 threshold.
Tell the dispatcher where the accident occurred, how many vehicles are involved, and whether anyone needs medical attention.
When an officer responds, obtain the officer’s name, agency, badge number, and crash report number if available. The report may contain information about the drivers, witnesses, vehicle positions, insurance coverage, and citations.
Drivers can review current crash-report procedures through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
3. Be Careful About What You Say at the Scene and to an Insurance Adjuster
You should cooperate with law enforcement and provide required information, but you do not need to speculate about why the crash happened.
What Should You Say After an Accident?
Stick to facts you personally observed.
For example, you can accurately describe:
- Your direction of travel
- Where your vehicle was located
- What you saw immediately before impact
- The traffic signal you observed
- Where the vehicles collided
- Whether you are experiencing symptoms
Do not guess about another driver’s speed, distraction, or behavior if you did not actually observe it.
What Should You Avoid Saying?
Avoid statements such as:
- “The accident was my fault.”
- “I didn’t see the other car.”
- “I must have been speeding.”
- “I’m completely fine.”
- “I’m not injured.”
An apology may seem harmless at the scene, but statements about fault can later become part of an insurance dispute.
Likewise, avoid declaring that you are uninjured immediately after the collision. Some symptoms develop later. Describe what you are actually experiencing rather than making a final conclusion about your medical condition.
What Should You Say to an Insurance Adjuster?
Notify your own insurer promptly and provide basic factual information, including the date, time and location of the crash, the vehicles involved, the police report number, and any injuries or symptoms you currently know about.
Be careful about:
- Guessing about who caused the crash
- Estimating speeds when you do not know them
- Minimizing pain or symptoms
- Agreeing with an adjuster’s characterization of the accident if it is inaccurate
- Signing a broad medical authorization without understanding its scope
- Giving definitive answers about injuries before you have been medically evaluated
Do not exaggerate or conceal information. The goal is simply to provide accurate facts without speculation.
You should also avoid posting photographs, comments, medical updates, or statements about fault on social media while a claim is pending. Public posts may later be reviewed in connection with an injury claim.
4. Preserve the Evidence That Can Disappear Fastest
Some of the most useful accident evidence may exist for only a short period.
What Evidence Disappears Fastest After a Car Accident?
Vehicle positions and roadway evidence: Vehicles are moved, debris is cleared, skid marks fade, and road conditions change.
Surveillance and traffic-camera footage: Nearby businesses, homes, dash cameras, and other systems may record the crash, but some systems automatically overwrite old footage.
Witness memories and contact information: Independent witnesses may leave the scene quickly, and their memories can become less precise over time.
Vehicle damage: Cars may be repaired, totaled, sold, or otherwise altered before the damage is thoroughly documented.
Visible injuries: Bruising, swelling, cuts, and other physical signs can change significantly during recovery.
At the scene, take both wide and close photographs of:
- Every vehicle
- Impact points
- License plates
- Broken vehicle parts and debris
- Skid or tire marks
- Lane markings
- Traffic lights and signs
- Road and weather conditions
- Nearby businesses or cameras
- Visible injuries
Wide photographs provide context about where the vehicles ended up, while close photographs preserve details about specific damage.
Collect the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of witnesses. Also note nearby homes and businesses that may have surveillance cameras.
Afterward, keep repair estimates, medical bills, prescription receipts, wage records, insurance correspondence, and other accident-related documents together. A daily record of symptoms, missed work, sleep problems, and activity limitations may also help document how an injury affects everyday life.
5. Seek Medical Care Within 14 Days and Understand the $10,000 PIP Limit
Medical care is important both for your health and for protecting access to Florida Personal Injury Protection benefits.
Under Fla. Stat. § 627.736, Florida PIP coverage provides up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits, subject to the statute’s requirements and applicable policy terms.
The law generally requires an injured person to receive initial services and care within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident to qualify for covered PIP medical benefits.
PIP generally pays 80% of reasonable expenses for medically necessary covered treatment, subject to statutory limits and requirements.
The amount of medical benefits available can also depend on the medical findings. Under § 627.736, an emergency medical condition can affect whether up to $10,000 in benefits is available; absent the required determination of an emergency medical condition, medical benefits may be limited to $2,500.
Depending on the circumstances and statutory requirements, qualifying initial care may be provided by certain authorized medical providers and facilities.
Tell your medical provider how the collision happened and describe every symptom you are experiencing. Follow the treatment plan and attend scheduled appointments. Unexplained gaps in care may make recovery more difficult and can also become an issue during an insurance claim.
Do not wait until the 14th day simply because Florida law provides a 14-day window. If you are experiencing pain, dizziness, confusion, weakness, numbness, breathing problems, or other concerning symptoms, seek appropriate medical attention promptly.
6. Notify Your Insurance Company and Organize Your Claim Records
Notify your own auto insurer promptly, even when you believe another driver caused the accident.
Be prepared to provide basic information such as:
- Date and location of the accident
- Vehicles and drivers involved
- Police agency and crash report number
- Known injuries or symptoms
- Basic description of what happened
Before providing a recorded statement or signing a medical authorization, understand what the insurer is requesting and why.
Keep a dedicated accident file containing:
- Crash report information
- Scene photographs and videos
- Witness information
- Medical records and bills
- Prescription and medical-equipment receipts
- Repair estimates
- Towing and storage bills
- Wage and employment records
- Insurance letters and emails
- Notes from telephone conversations
Keeping this information organized makes it easier to document losses and respond accurately as the claim develops.
7. Protect Your Claim and Know Florida’s Two-Year Filing Deadline
Do not assume that an insurance claim automatically protects your right to file a lawsuit.
Under Fla. Stat. § 95.11, an action founded on negligence generally must be filed within two years.
For negligence causes of action arising from accidents occurring on or after March 24, 2023, Florida’s two-year limitations period generally applies. The change was enacted through Chapter 2023-15, Laws of Florida, and applies prospectively to causes of action accruing after March 24, 2023.
The precise deadline can depend on the facts and type of claim. Claims involving government entities, wrongful death, PIP disputes, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and other legal theories can involve different requirements or deadlines.
Waiting can create practical problems even when the statutory deadline is still months away. Vehicles may be repaired, witnesses may become difficult to locate, and video recordings may disappear.
Early investigation can help preserve evidence, identify available insurance coverage, document damages, and address insurer requests before important information is lost.
When Should You Contact a Florida Car Accident Attorney?
Legal advice may be particularly useful when:
- Your injuries require significant or ongoing medical treatment
- Fault is disputed
- Several vehicles were involved
- The other driver was uninsured or underinsured
- An insurer delays or denies payment
- You have substantial lost income
- You may need future medical care
- Important video or other evidence needs to be preserved
- A government vehicle or entity may be involved
- You are approaching a legal deadline
An attorney can evaluate potential sources of coverage, including PIP, bodily injury liability, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, while also assessing medical expenses, lost income, future care needs, and other potential damages.
Talk to Kemp Law After a Florida Car Accident
Kemp Law has served clients in Florida and Georgia since 2008 and has handled more than 20,000 cases. Our results include a $1.15 million motor vehicle settlement, although past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in another case.
From our Trinity office, we represent injured clients throughout Tampa Bay and across Florida.
If you have questions about what to do after a car accident in Florida, Kemp Law offers a free consultation. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis, which means clients owe no attorney’s fee unless compensation is recovered.
Getting legal guidance early can help preserve evidence, identify applicable deadlines, address insurance issues, and help you make informed decisions about your claim.
