Snable Says: What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a Car Accident
If you're reading this because it just happened to you — take a breath. You're going to be okay, and this will help you know what comes next.
A car accident scrambles your thinking. One minute you're driving to pick up your kid or heading home from work, and the next you're standing on the shoulder of Highway 280 near the Summit, or backed up on I-459, trying to remember your own phone number. That's normal. Nobody handles this smoothly the first time, because nobody gets practice.
Birmingham's own roads make this a daily reality for a lot of families here. 280 alone sees a steady stream of rear-end and lane-change collisions during rush hour between Highway 31 and Highway 119, where traffic bunches up fast. I-65 through downtown and the I-20/59 interchange aren't much better. If this happened to you on one of those stretches, you're far from alone — and everything below applies just the same.
Here's what actually matters in the first 24 hours.
Get checked out, even if you feel "fine"
Adrenaline is a good liar. It can mask pain from whiplash, a concussion, or soft tissue damage for hours or even a day or two. If paramedics are on scene, let them look at you. If you skip the ER, see your doctor within the next day anyway — whether that's UAB Hospital, St. Vincent's, or Brookwood Baptist, all of which see this kind of injury constantly and know how to document it properly. This isn't about being dramatic — it's about catching something early, and it's also about having a medical record that shows your injury happened when it happened, which matters more than you'd think later on.
Call the police, and let them write the report
Even for a fender bender that feels minor, a police report creates an official, neutral account of what happened. Memories fade and stories shift — a report doesn't. If an officer doesn't respond to the scene, you can usually file one at a local precinct within a day or two.
Document everything you can, right there on the spot
Your phone is your best tool here:
Photos of both vehicles, from several angles, including close-ups of the damage
Photos of the road, any skid marks, traffic signs, and weather conditions
The other driver's name, phone number, insurance info, and license plate
Names and numbers of anyone who saw it happen
You don't need to be a detective about it. Just capture what's in front of you before it's cleaned up or forgotten.
Be careful what you say — to anyone
At the scene, and afterward, it's natural to want to smooth things over: "I'm fine, don't worry about it," or "I probably should've been paying closer attention." Please don't. You don't yet know the extent of your injuries or who was actually at fault, and those small, polite comments have a way of getting used against you later. Stick to facts. Save the rest for your doctor and, if you need one, your lawyer.
Know that Alabama plays by different rules than most states
Here's something a lot of people don't find out until it's too late: Alabama is one of only a handful of states left with what's called "contributory negligence." In plain terms, if the insurance company can show you were even slightly at fault — even 5%, even 1% — Alabama law can allow them to deny your claim entirely. Most states let you recover something even if you share some of the blame. Alabama doesn't work that way.
This is exactly why the "small, polite comment" mistake above matters so much more here than it would in Georgia or Tennessee. It's also why an experienced Alabama lawyer is worth having in your corner if the other side starts pointing fingers — a fault dispute here isn't just about how much you recover, it can be about whether you recover anything at all.
Expect a call from an insurance adjuster — and know you're allowed to wait
Often within a day, the other driver's insurance company will call asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one right away, and it's okay to say you're not ready to discuss it yet. Adjusters are professional and usually kind, but their job is to resolve the claim for as little as possible. That's simply the nature of the work — it doesn't mean anyone is out to get you, but it does mean you don't have to rush into anything.
When it's worth talking to a lawyer
Not every accident needs one. But if you've been hurt badly enough to miss work, you're facing real medical bills, or you're just not sure what your case is worth, it's worth a conversation before you sign anything or accept a settlement. Most personal injury lawyers, including us, offer a free first conversation — so there's no cost to simply understanding your options.
This post is part of Snable Says, a weekly series from Snable Attorneys at Law answering the questions people in Birmingham actually have after an accident or injury. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know.
