What to Do After an Accident — UK Step-by-Step Guides
What you do in the hours and days after an accident matters more than people realise. Decisions made while shocked, in pain, or just disoriented can affect a personal injury claim for the next two years. The guides linked from this hub are practical, step-by-step checklists for the most common UK accident scenarios — what to do at the scene, in the first 24 hours, and in the days that follow before you commit to anything with an insurer or claims company.
In this guide
- Step-by-Step Guides by Accident Type
- The Common Principles — All Accidents
- When to Speak to a Solicitor
- Common Questions
- Related Guides
- Our Partner's Fees Explained
- Check If You Could Claim Compensation For Your Injury
Print one, save it, or send the link to family members who might need it. Most people will not. The ones who do will want it close to hand.
Step-by-Step Guides by Accident Type
Road and Transport
- What to Do After a Car Accident — the most comprehensive of the road accident guides
- What to Do After a Cycling Accident — cyclist-specific factors
- What to Do After a Whiplash Injury — the 2021 tariff issues
Workplace and Industry
- What to Do After a Workplace Injury — accident book, RIDDOR, and evidence preservation
- What to Do After a Fall from Height — construction and other height work
Slips, Trips, and Falls
- What to Do After Slipping in a Supermarket — incident reports, CCTV preservation
- What to Do After Tripping on a Pavement — measuring the defect, reporting to the council
Medical and Healthcare
- What to Do After Suspected Medical Negligence — PALS, complaint procedures, medical records
Violence and Crime
- What to Do After Being Assaulted — police, CICA, medical evidence
- What to Do After a Dog Bite or Attack — owner identification, witness evidence, dog control law
Holiday and Travel
- What to Do After an Accident on Holiday — package operator notification, resort evidence
- What to Do After Food Poisoning — stool samples, hotel evidence, multiple cases
- What to Do If Injured Abroad — non-package situations
Children
- What to Do After a School Accident — for parents of children injured at school
The Common Principles — All Accidents
Across all accident types, the same core principles apply. Whatever happened to you, these basics protect your position:
1. Get Medical Attention
Even if you feel “okay” or “just shaken”, get medical attention within 24 hours. Adrenaline and shock mask significant injuries; soft-tissue damage often presents 24 to 48 hours later. A clinical record of your symptoms shortly after the accident is essential evidence for any later claim. Options:
- A&E for any concerning symptoms (head injury, chest pain, severe pain)
- NHS 111 for advice if unsure
- GP or walk-in centre for minor injuries within 24-48 hours
Without a contemporaneous medical record, insurers may argue that injuries appearing later are not accident-related.
2. Document the Scene
Use your phone. Take more photographs than you think you need. Modern phones auto-tag photos with date, time, and location — significant evidence weight. Photograph:
- The cause of the accident itself
- The wider scene from several angles
- Any visible injuries on you
- Damage to your vehicle, equipment, or possessions
- Any safety warnings (or their absence)
- The other party’s vehicle / equipment if relevant
A 30-second video walkthrough captures things still photos miss.
3. Get Witness Details
Names alone are not useful — get phone numbers or emails. Strangers move on, change jobs, and disappear from areas. If a witness is willing, a quick voice memo of their account in their own words is gold-standard evidence.
4. Make Sure the Accident Is Recorded
Depending on accident type:
- Road accident — call 999 or 101, get a police reference
- Workplace accident — accident book entry, employer’s incident report
- Shop or business — manager’s incident report, ask for a reference
- Medical — see your GP so symptoms are in your medical record
- Public space — report to the relevant council or property owner
- Crime — police report and crime reference number (for CICA later)
5. Do Not Admit Fault
Even where you think you may have contributed to the accident, do not admit fault at the scene. Adrenaline, incomplete information, and shock mean your snap judgment may be wrong. The legal apportionment of fault is a complex assessment based on full evidence. Apologising for the situation (“I’m so sorry this happened”) is different from admitting fault (“It was my fault”). Stick to the facts.
6. Keep a Written Account
Within 24 hours, write down what happened in your own words. Include the lead-up, the moment of incident, and the immediate aftermath. Memory degrades quickly — a contemporaneous note is far more reliable than recall in six months.
7. Keep a Symptom Diary
A simple day-by-day note of pain, sleep, mobility, and impact on daily life significantly strengthens claims involving ongoing symptoms. A few lines per day. Particularly important for soft-tissue and psychological injuries where no objective scan exists.
8. Keep All Receipts
Anything you spend because of the accident is potentially recoverable as special damages. Prescriptions, taxi fares, parking, physiotherapy, replacement clothing, childcare, mileage to medical appointments — keep a folder (digital or paper) and add receipts as you go. Reconstructing later is much harder than capturing in real time.
9. Be Cautious With Insurers — The other party’s insurer may contact you directly, sometimes within days. Be cautious — this is sometimes called “third-party capture”:
- They may offer immediate “settlement” before you have had medical assessment
- They may suggest you don’t need a solicitor (they have an interest in this)
- They may ask leading questions designed to elicit admissions
You have no obligation to give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer. Politely decline and tell them you will be taking advice. See our should I accept the first compensation offer? guide for the wider picture.
10. Do Not Sign Anything Without Advice
In the weeks after an accident, you may be presented with forms from insurers, settlement offers, consent forms for medical examinations arranged by the other side, or paperwork from claims management companies. Do not sign anything until you understand what it commits you to. A specialist personal injury solicitor will review documents for free as part of an initial consultation.
When to Speak to a Solicitor
You can speak to a specialist personal injury solicitor at any point — most offer free initial consultations with no obligation. The earlier the better for these reasons:
- They can secure evidence (CCTV, dashcam) that has short retention windows
- They can manage communications with the other side’s insurer
- They can arrange independent medical assessment to give a proper case valuation
- They can apply for interim payments where serious injury creates immediate financial need
- They can apply the Rehabilitation Code to get private treatment funded
For finding the right solicitor see our no win no fee solicitors guide. For understanding the cost see our how no win no fee works guide.
Common Questions
How soon after the accident do I need to act?
Medically — within 24 hours. Legally — at any point in the three-year time limit, though sooner is better. Evidence is fresher, witnesses are easier to find, and CCTV has not yet been overwritten. Most personal injury claims start within 3 to 6 months of the accident.
I have already missed some of the steps above. Does that defeat my claim?
No. The “best practice” steps maximise the strength of a claim but are not all essential. Many successful UK personal injury claims have been built without scene photographs, without witness details, or without contemporaneous notes — though they typically take longer and cost more to investigate. A specialist solicitor can usually find a route forward even where the early evidence is thin.
Should I tell my own insurer about the accident?
For road accidents, yes — this is a contractual requirement under most motor insurance policies even if you do not intend to claim on your own insurance. For other accidents, normally no — your insurance is not involved. Stick to the facts when reporting; do not speculate on fault.
What if the accident happened a long time ago?
The three-year time limit applies, running from the accident or your date of knowledge. For older accidents the case is harder to investigate but not impossible. For children, the clock does not start until their 18th birthday. For people who lack mental capacity, time may be paused indefinitely. See our time limits guide.
I am unsure if my accident is “worth” claiming for. Should I get advice?
Yes. Most specialist solicitors offer free initial consultations with no obligation. An honest assessment will tell you whether your case has merit, what the rough value might be, and whether the claim is worth pursuing on no win no fee. There is no downside to taking advice — and many claimants are surprised that what they thought was “too minor” is in fact compensable.
Related Guides
How the Personal Injury Claim Process Works
Evidence Needed for a Personal Injury Claim
How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Take?
Should I Accept the First Compensation Offer?
No Win No Fee Personal Injury Solicitors UK
Personal Injury Time Limits Explained
Check If You Could Claim Compensation For Your Injury
If you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Start a free claim check in minutes — no upfront cost. No win, no fee if your claim is accepted.
