What to Do After a Car Accident in Fort Worth

At the scene

1. Check for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 911 right away.
2. Move to safety if the cars can be driven, and turn on your hazard lights.
3. Call the police if anyone is injured, the damage is serious, or the other driver won’t share their insurance. In Texas, an officer who investigates a crash where someone is hurt or the damage looks like $1,000 or more must file a crash report, and that report helps your claim.
4. Swap information: the other driver’s name, phone number, address, license plate and insurance company. Get names and numbers of any witnesses too.
5. Take photos of both cars, the plates, the road, and anything that shows what happened. Write down the time, place, weather and road conditions.

The same day

1. Tell your insurance company as soon as you can, even if the other driver was at fault. Most policies have deadlines for reporting a claim.
2. If the other driver was at fault, also open a claim with their insurance company. When their insurance pays, you don’t pay a deductible.
3. Hit and run? Report it to the police. Uninsured motorist coverage won’t pay for a hit-and-run that wasn’t reported.
4. Keep everything in one place: claim numbers, the police report number, photos, medical bills and receipts.

Getting your car fixed

You choose the repair shop. In Texas, your insurance company can give you a list of shops it prefers, but it can’t make you use one of them.

1. Get a written estimate. Send us your photos, VIN and claim number for an insurance estimate, or a free photo estimate if you might pay yourself.
2. Ask about a rental. If the other driver’s insurance is paying, it should cover a rental car for a reasonable repair time. Your own insurance pays for a rental only if you have rental coverage.
3. Ask for a scan. Modern cars can have hidden sensor and safety-system damage after a crash. A diagnostic scan before and after the repair finds it.
4. Track your repair online with your phone number and ticket number on our Track Repair page.

Texas claim timelines

Under Texas law, your own insurance company generally must acknowledge your claim within 15 days, accept or deny it within 15 business days after it has everything it needs (or explain why it needs up to 45 days), and pay within 5 business days after agreeing to pay.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check your own policy and talk to your insurance company about your claim.

• Texas Department of Insurance: Auto Insurance Guide
• TxDOT: Crash reports and records