What should I do immediately after a car accident in Austin?

The 8 Steps to Take After a Car Accident in Austin

Call 911, seek medical attention the same day, document the scene thoroughly, and contact Wayne Wright before giving any statement to an insurance adjuster. What you do in the first 48–72 hours directly determines what evidence is available — and what the insurance company will try to use against you. Austin’s traffic camera network, business surveillance systems, and EMS records all have strict retention windows that close fast.

Step 1: Call 911 and Secure an Official Crash Report

Texas Transportation Code §550.026 requires reporting any accident involving injury or death. For property-damage-only crashes, the reporting threshold is $1,000 in damage under §550.029 — a threshold nearly every collision meets. Call 911 regardless.

Austin Police Department (APD) responds to crashes within city limits. For crashes on unincorporated Travis County roads, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office may respond instead. Request the incident number at the scene. The full APD crash report is typically available 3–5 business days later through the APD online portal or Records Division.

Critical detail: If APD does not respond because the crash is classified as minor, you must file a CR-2 form (the “Blue Form”) yourself through the Texas Department of Public Safety within 10 days. Failure to file a CR-2 when required can complicate your insurance claim. Wayne Wright handles this for clients from day one.

Step 2: Seek Medical Attention the Same Day — Not Tomorrow

Adrenaline and cortisol suppress pain signals for hours after a serious crash. Cervical spine injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and significant soft tissue damage frequently do not manifest until 24–72 hours after impact. Feeling fine at the scene means nothing medically.

If you wait to seek treatment, the opposing insurance adjuster will argue your injuries were not caused by the accident — that the gap in treatment proves the crash wasn’t serious. This “gap in treatment” argument is one of the most common ways adjusters reduce claim values in Travis County cases.

Go to Dell Seton Medical Center, St. David’s Medical Center, or any Austin urgent care facility the same day. If emergency services transported you, every record from that transport is part of your claim. Do not cancel or reschedule follow-up appointments — missed visits become gaps the adjuster will use against you.

Step 3: Document the Scene Before Anything Is Moved

Before any vehicles are moved or debris is cleared, photograph everything: all vehicles from multiple angles, license plates, skid marks, tire gouges, final resting positions, traffic signals, road conditions, weather, street signs, and the broader intersection. Photograph your injuries at the scene — and again over the following days as bruising and swelling develop.

Austin has specific evidence sources that disappear fast:

• TxDOT traffic cameras on I-35, US-183, MoPac (Loop 1), Loop 360, and SH-130 retain footage for approximately 30 days before overwriting. TxDOT does not automatically preserve footage for private parties — a legal demand or subpoena must be served before the window closes.
• Austin Transportation Department cameras at major city intersections operate on similar 30-day retention windows. Austin’s Vision Zero program has dramatically expanded the camera network citywide.
• Business and private surveillance cameras (gas stations, restaurants, retail lots, apartment complexes) typically overwrite every 48–72 hours. Wayne Wright sends preservation letters to nearby businesses within 24 hours of retention.
• Witness information is the most perishable evidence. Bystanders leave crash scenes quickly and are rarely captured in police reports. Get names and phone numbers before anyone leaves.

Step 4: Exchange Information Without Admitting Fault

Collect the other driver’s full name, driver’s license number, insurance carrier name, policy number, and vehicle registration. Texas law requires drivers to provide this information.

Do not say “I’m sorry,” “I didn’t see you,” “I was going too fast,” or anything about what you were doing before the crash. Texas follows modified comparative fault under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §33.001. Any statement you make at the scene is admissible — and insurance adjusters are specifically trained to use informal admissions to assign fault percentages that reduce or eliminate your recovery.

A 20% fault assignment on a $100,000 claim costs you $20,000. A 51% assignment eliminates your recovery entirely.

Step 5: Notify Your Own Insurer — But Know What You Are Required to Say

Texas auto insurance policies require prompt accident notification to your own carrier. This is a policy obligation you must meet. However, there is a critical distinction most drivers do not know: notifying your insurer of the accident is required. Providing a detailed recorded statement before consulting an attorney is not.

Two coverages on your own policy are immediately relevant:

• Medical Payments (Med Pay): If you purchased Med Pay, your own insurer pays your medical expenses regardless of fault — no waiting on liability determination. This covers immediate hospital bills while the at-fault claim is being resolved.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM): Texas requires insurers to offer UM/UIM coverage, but you can reject it in writing. If you have it and the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured — extremely common in Austin — your own policy becomes your primary recovery source.

Step 6: Do Not Give a Recorded Statement to the At-Fault Driver’s Insurer

The opposing insurance adjuster will call within hours of the crash — often before you have left the hospital or even processed what happened. The call will be friendly. They will tell you a “quick recorded statement” will help them process your claim faster. Do not give it.

Major carriers operating in the Austin market include Progressive, USAA, State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, and Geico. All use adjusters trained in claim reduction techniques. A recorded statement is not a conversation — it is a deposition taken without your attorney present. Anything you say in that recording is available to the defense for the entire duration of your case, including at trial.

You have no legal obligation to provide a recorded statement to an opposing insurance company. Period.

Step 7: Build Your Documentation File Immediately

The foundation of your damages recovery is documentation. Start building it from day one:

• Every medical bill, co-pay receipt, and pharmacy record
• Mileage logs for every medical appointment
• Written records of missed work and lost wages, including employer confirmation
• Dated photographs of your injuries as they evolve over days and weeks — bruising and swelling often peak 48–72 hours after impact and then gradually resolve
• A daily pain and limitation journal: how your injuries affect your ability to work, sleep, exercise, and perform daily activities. This is powerful evidence at mediation and trial.
• Every written communication from any insurance company — print emails, save voicemails, document all calls with date, time, and content

Request copies of your medical records from every provider. Under Texas law (Tex. Health & Safety Code §241.154), hospitals must provide records within a reasonable time. You need these records — do not rely on your attorneys to have obtained everything.

Step 8: Contact Wayne Wright Before the 72-Hour Evidence Window Closes

The most important step on this list. Call 512-543-4397 before giving any recorded statement to any insurance company.

From the moment Wayne Wright is retained, the firm moves immediately on evidence preservation: TxDOT and city camera subpoenas, business surveillance preservation demands, spoliation letters to the opposing carrier, EMS and first responder record requests, and witness interviews. This work happens in the first 24–48 hours — long before any lawsuit is filed and long before the insurance company has completed its own investigation.

Austin’s rapid growth has made Travis County one of the most active personal injury jurisdictions in Texas. Wayne Wright’s Austin attorneys know how Travis County juries evaluate damages, how local carriers defend claims, and what evidence moves the needle in this market. The consultation is free. There is no fee unless we win your case.