Personal Injury

What to do in the case of an accident?

By Ted Smith, Attorney · Originally published January 16, 2020. Updated July 16, 2026.

If you were hurt in a car accident, a trucking accident, or a slip and fall, what you do in the first hours and days matters. Report the accident even if you feel fine at first, since injuries from a wreck or a fall often do not show themselves until later and can get worse, not better, without treatment. Get medical care right away and tell your providers exactly how you were hurt. And do not sign anything from an insurance company or a store before you have talked to an attorney. Those three steps protect your health and your claim at the same time.

Report the Accident, Even If You Feel Fine

It is common to walk away from a car wreck or a fall without any immediate pain, which leads a lot of people to skip reporting it. Texas law requires an immediate report to police when a vehicle crash causes injury or death, or when a vehicle cannot be normally and safely driven. Even when those triggers do not apply, promptly reporting a crash can create a useful record. If you slipped and fell at a store or other business, ask to speak with the manager or owner and have them complete an incident report, then ask for a copy of it before you leave. Take photos of whatever caused the fall, a wet floor, a torn mat, a broken step, since conditions like that often get cleaned up or fixed within hours. If you were involved in an accident and did not report it right away, report it as soon as you can and provide the details of what happened and how you were hurt.

Get Medical Care and Say How You Were Hurt

Injuries from an accident rarely just go away on their own, and in many cases they get worse before they get better. Seek medical treatment right after the accident, then follow up with your regular doctor after you are discharged. When you see a physician, be specific about how the injury happened, whether it was a car accident, a fall, or something else, so your medical record accurately reflects the cause. That record becomes part of the evidence supporting your claim later.

Don’t Sign Anything Before Talking to a Lawyer

In more serious cases, insurance companies and corporate defendants sometimes move fast to get an injured person to sign a release in exchange for a quick, low payment. Texas law generally gives you two years after a claim accrues to file a personal injury lawsuit, subject to exceptions. That statutory deadline concerns filing suit, not settlement. Many people believe they can negotiate directly with an insurance company without an attorney, but insurance companies and large corporations are working to protect their own interests, not yours. Once you sign a release, it’s usually final, even if new symptoms or a second surgery show up months later.

Different Accidents, Similar Core Steps

Whether it is a car accident on I-14, a trucking wreck on the highway, or a fall at a Killeen-area grocery store, the same fundamentals apply: report it, get treated, write down what you remember while it’s fresh, and get copies of any report that was filed. The details that separate a car accident from a slip and fall matter for how a claim gets built. A trucking accident, for example, can involve a commercial carrier’s insurance, driver logs, and company safety records in addition to the driver’s own coverage, which is part of why those claims often take longer to sort out. The early instincts that protect you, though, are the same across all of them.

Bring the Right Records to Your First Consultation

When you sit down with an attorney, bring what you have: the police or incident report, photos from the scene, the other driver’s or property owner’s information, your medical records and bills so far, and any correspondence from an insurance company. You don’t need everything organized perfectly. Part of what an attorney’s office does is help you fill in the gaps, request records you don’t already have, and figure out what else the claim needs.

Get Legal Help

After any kind of accident, it helps to have an attorney assist you through the process. Since 1976, our office has helped Central Texas clients sort through police reports, medical records, and insurance company demands so they can focus on recovering.

FAQ

Do I need to report a minor accident with no visible injuries? Texas requires an immediate police report if the crash causes injury or death, or if a vehicle cannot be normally and safely driven. Even when those triggers do not apply, prompt reporting can create a record if problems show up later.

What if I already signed something the insurance company sent me? Talk to an attorney as soon as possible. What you can do next depends on exactly what you signed and when.

How long do I have to bring a claim in Texas? Texas law generally allows two years after a claim accrues to file a personal injury lawsuit, subject to exceptions. The statute does not set a settlement deadline, so confirm your filing deadline early.

Does the same advice apply to a slip and fall as a car accident? The core steps, report it, get treated, document everything, are similar. The evidence and legal theories differ, which is why it helps to talk to an attorney about your specific situation.

Sources

Call or text (254) 690-5688 for a free consultation, and let our personal injury team walk you through what comes next.