October 13, 2025 | Car Accidents
If you are hurt in a car accident in Florida, what you do after being injured can affect your ability to get compensation. To protect yourself, remember these eight steps.
1. Move to a Safe Location and Stay Put
Florida law requires you to stay at the accident scene after any accident involving an injury. You should move your car to a safe location, but otherwise stay put. Even if the other driver flees the scene, you must follow the law.
2. Get Medical Attention
Call 911 and ask for medical assistance. Getting prompt care can prevent a minor injury from turning more serious. It will also create a medical record, which you will need as evidence during your car accident claim.
3. Get Police Report Information from Responding Police Officers
When law enforcement officers arrive, they will gather facts about the accident. These facts will be added to a police report. While the police report may not be available at the accident scene, you should get the contact information of the responding officers and ask them when and where the report will be available.
4. Exchange Information with Other Parties Involved in the Accident
Most drivers realize that they are required to provide their contact and insurance information to the driver of the other vehicle in an accident. You’ll need that information when filing your insurance claim. What you might not realize, though, is that you should also collect contact information for any passengers involved. That could be relevant to your claim.
5. Gather Contact Information of All Witnesses
Often, after an accident, people who weren’t involved will pull over to help. You should ask these people whether they witnessed the crash. If they did, collect their contact information and share it with your lawyer. Their statements could prove valuable, especially if they witnessed distracted driving or other reckless behavior that you can use to prove fault.
6. Collect Evidence at the Accident Scene
If possible, use your phone to photograph every part of the accident scene, including:
- All injuries you suffered
- Damage to all vehicles
- The position of all vehicles in relation to the road
- Any visible skid marks or tire tracks
- Anything else you think might be relevant to determining what caused the accident
While your car accident lawyer will investigate the accident, any delay could result in evidence disappearing. Additionally, with only a two-year statute of limitations in most situations, you want to get started building your case as quickly as possible. The more evidence you can gather at the scene, the better.
7. Notify Your Car Insurance Company
Report the car accident to your car insurance company as soon as possible. Florida has a no-fault car accident system. This means your insurer will pay at least some portion of your losses.
Looping in your insurance provider is important. However, be careful what you say when reporting the accident. It’s best not to give a recorded statement until after you have spoken to a lawyer.
8. Contact a Florida Car Accident Lawyer
The car insurance claim system is frustratingly complicated. Without assistance, you might get significantly less compensation than the law allows. By consulting with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible, you’ll have an advocate who will fight for full compensation.
Contact Our Port St. Lucie Car Accident Lawyers
You have the right to receive fair compensation after you are hurt in a car accident. However, if you don’t take action quickly, you could end up getting much less compensation than you need. Call our Port St. Lucie car accident lawyers at Graves Thomas Injury Law Group for a free consultation to get started.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, please contact our experienced car accident lawyers at Graves Thomas Injury Law Group to schedule a free consultation today. We have three convenient locations in Florida, including Vero Beach, St. Petersburg, and Port St. Lucie.
Graves Thomas Injury Law Group – Vero Beach
2651 20th St
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 758-5735
Graves Thomas Injury Law Group – St. Petersburg
200 Central Ave Suite 304
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(772) 569-8155
Graves Thomas Injury Law Group – Port St. Lucie
10805 SW Tradition Square Unit 024A
Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
(772) 617-8814
