What to Do After a Car Accident in Pennsylvania: A Comprehensive Guide

If you are involved in a car accident in Pennsylvania, your immediate priorities are safety, appropriate medical attention, documenting what happened, and preserving information that may matter later. If you are able to do so safely, photograph the vehicles and crash scene, collect insurance and witness information, and keep records related to your injuries and losses.

Those early details can become important if responsibility for the crash is disputed or if questions arise later about insurance coverage, injuries or damages. This guide explains the practical steps to take after a Pennsylvania car accident and why they matter.

After a crash, your first priority is safety. If you or anyone else may be injured, seek appropriate medical attention.

Some injuries are obvious immediately, while others may become clearer as time passes. Keep records of medical visits, treatment, restrictions and symptoms related to the crash because those records can later help document how the accident affected you.

Pennsylvania law requires immediate notice to the nearest police department when a crash involves injury or death, or when damage leaves a vehicle unable to be driven in its customary manner without further damage or hazard and it requires towing.

If police do not investigate a crash that meets those reporting criteria, the driver must submit a written accident report to PennDOT within five days. Even when the crash circumstances seem straightforward, the resulting documentation can become important later when questions arise about fault, insurance coverage or what happened at the scene.

The crash report can become an important reference when reviewing how the accident was documented, identifying the drivers and insurance information involved, and investigating disputed facts.

If the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the crash, eligible parties can request a copy through the Pennsylvania State Police Crash Report system. If a local police department investigated the accident, request the report from that department.

Pennsylvania generally applies a two-year statute of limitations to personal injury claims based on negligence, including many car accident claims.

That does not mean every accident-related deadline is automatically two years. Different claims, parties or circumstances can create additional requirements, so it is better to have the applicable deadlines reviewed rather than waiting until the end of the general limitations period.

There is also a practical reason to act earlier: video footage can be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired, and witnesses can become harder to locate.

If you are able to do so safely, photographs taken soon after the crash can preserve details that may become important later. That can include:

• where the vehicles came to rest;
• damage to the vehicles;
• the surrounding roadway and intersection;
• skid marks, debris or other visible physical evidence; and
• anything else that may help show how the collision occurred.

Also preserve the names and contact information of witnesses when possible.

In some cases, nearby businesses, homes or intersections may have cameras that captured the crash or the moments around it. That footage may not remain available indefinitely, which is one reason disputed or serious crashes sometimes require additional investigation.

After a crash, do not assume the other driver’s insurance is the only policy that matters.

Your own automobile policy may contain coverage that affects what options are available. Review the declarations page and identify your tort selection, policy limits and any uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, medical benefits or wage-loss coverage that may apply.

Full tort and limited tort can affect the types of damages available in a Pennsylvania injury claim. Uninsured motorist coverage may become important when the responsible driver has no applicable insurance, while underinsured motorist coverage may matter when the other driver’s available coverage is not enough.

The actual policy documents need to be reviewed before making assumptions about what coverage is available.

Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If you are partly responsible for a crash, that does not automatically prevent you from recovering damages. Any recovery may be reduced in proportion to the percentage of negligence attributed to you. If your negligence is greater than the causal negligence of the defendant or defendants from whom you are seeking recovery, you may be barred from recovering damages.

As treatment continues, keep records that show how the crash is affecting you over time.

That can include:

• medical appointments and treatment;
• work restrictions or time missed from work;
• out-of-pocket accident-related expenses;
• changes in your ability to perform normal household or family responsibilities
• activities you can no longer do, or cannot do the same way you did before the crash.

Those details can help show the real impact of an injury rather than reducing the claim to a diagnosis or a stack of medical bills.

Report the accident to your own automobile insurer in accordance with the requirements of your policy. When describing the crash, provide accurate factual information and avoid guessing about details you do not know.

Remember that different insurance companies may be involved after a collision. Your own insurer may be addressing benefits or coverage under your policy, while another driver’s insurer may be investigating liability. Before giving a detailed recorded statement or discussing settlement, understand who you are speaking with and what they are asking you to provide.

Not every minor accident requires an attorney. Legal guidance may become more useful when:

• responsibility for the crash is disputed;
• the injuries are significant or treatment is ongoing;
• multiple insurance policies may apply;
• uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage could be involved;
• the insurance company is questioning the claim; or
• you are being asked to give a detailed recorded statement or discuss settlement before the full impact of the injuries is clear.

A lawyer can review the crash, the available evidence, the insurance policies and the effect of the injuries, then explain the options based on the facts of the particular situation.

Contact us today for a free consultation.