What you do in the first hours and days after a crash decides a surprising amount of what your case is worth a year later. Here is the checklist Kyle gives people, in the order it matters.
At the scene
Call 911 and report the crash. Accept medical evaluation even if you feel fine, because adrenaline is a powerful painkiller and the worst injuries often announce themselves late. Photograph everything: vehicles and their positions, license plates, the roadway, debris, your visible injuries. Get the other driver's license, insurance, and plate, and the names and numbers of witnesses before they drive away.
Say nothing about fault, to anyone. Shock makes people apologize for things that were not their fault, and apologies get quoted.
The first 72 hours
See a doctor and describe every symptom, even the small ones, because the record created this week is the spine of your claim. Get the police report number. Notify your own insurer of the crash, briefly and factually. Do not speak to the other driver's insurance company at all, and do not give any recorded statement.
Stay off social media. Posts, photos, and check-ins become exhibits.
The first weeks
Follow the treatment plan without gaps, because every missed appointment becomes an argument that you were not really hurt. Keep a simple file: bills, records, receipts, mileage to appointments, and a few lines a week about pain and what you could not do. Photograph your injuries as they heal.
If a quick settlement offer arrives, understand what it is: an attempt to close your claim before the full extent of your injuries is known. Once you sign, it is over, forever, regardless of what gets diagnosed later.
When to call a lawyer
Earlier than you think, and ideally before any insurer conversation. The consultation is free, so the only thing waiting buys you is risk: camera footage overwrites in days, vehicles get repaired or scrapped, and witnesses go cold.
Kyle takes the calls himself, tells you honestly whether you need a lawyer, and takes over every insurer contact the moment you hire him.