What to Do After a Car Accident in Colorado

If you've just been in a car accident in Colorado, here's the short version: make sure everyone's safe, call 911, get checked by a doctor even if you feel fine, photograph everything, exchange information with the other driver—and don't admit fault or sign anything before you understand what you're signing. The minutes right after a crash shape your insurance claim more than almost anything that happens later. This guide walks you through it, step by step, so you don't lose ground while you're shaken up.

Do these things first—at the scene

You're rattled, your adrenaline is spiking, and you may not be thinking clearly. That's normal. So work the list instead of trusting your memory:

1. Check for injuries—yourself first, then everyone else. If anyone is hurt or can't safely move, don't move them. Get to a safe spot off the roadway if your car is in traffic and it's safe to do so.
2. Call 911. Report injuries and the location. Having an officer respond creates an official, neutral record of what happened—one of the single most useful documents you'll have later. In Colorado, a crash involving injury or death must be reported, and so must property damage—law enforcement generally has to file a report unless one person's property damage is reasonably under $1,000 and no one was hurt (C.R.S. §42-4-1606). When in doubt, call it in.
3. Get medical attention. Tell the responding EMTs what hurts. Adrenaline masks injuries—whiplash, concussions, and soft-tissue damage often don't show up until the next day. Saying "I'm fine" at the scene can come back to bite you when symptoms appear and the insurer claims you weren't really hurt.
4. Document the scene. Photos and video, lots of them (more on what to capture below).
5. Exchange information with the other driver—and keep it to the basics.
6. Get witness contact info before anyone leaves. Witnesses scatter fast.

If you were hurt in the Denver metro area, our Denver car accident lawyers can help preserve evidence, deal with the insurance adjusters, and protect your claim before anyone tries to shape the record against you.

What to say—and what never to say

This is where good people accidentally hurt their own case. You're upset, maybe you feel bad, and the polite reflex is to apologize. Don't. A simple "I'm so sorry" or "I didn't even see you" can get written down and later used as if you admitted you caused the crash.

Stick to the facts and exchange only what you need:

• Driver's information: full name, address, phone number, and driver's license number.
• Insurance details: their insurance company and policy number.
• Vehicle information: make, model, color, and license plate.

Don't apologize, don't speculate about who's at fault, and don't agree to "handle it without insurance." Be polite, be factual, and save the rest for later. Whether you caused part of the crash is a legal question—let it be answered with evidence, not with something you blurted out while your hands were still shaking.

One more: be careful what you accept on the spot. If the other driver offers cash to keep it quiet, or hands you a paper to sign, slow down. You usually don't know the full extent of your injuries or your car's damage yet, and signing a release too early can sign your rights away. As a rule of thumb, don't sign anything you don't understand and don't agree to a quick cash settlement before you know what your injuries and repairs will actually cost.

What to photograph

Cars get towed and roads get cleared within hours. The evidence you capture now—while it's still there—can become the backbone of your claim. Shoot wide, then shoot close. Here's a quick reference:

Also grab names and phone numbers of any witnesses. A neutral third party who saw what happened can be worth more than any single photo. If a witness is willing to describe what they saw, our guide on how to write a witness statement covers how to get a useful one down on paper.

What about the police report?

Whenever possible, you want one. The report is the official, neutral account of the crash and often includes the officer's preliminary read on fault—which carries real weight with insurers. If officers didn't come out, or you couldn't wait, you can usually still file a report afterward, and a claim isn't necessarily dead without one. We walk through that scenario in making an insurance claim without a police report.

In the days after the crash

The scene is only the beginning. What you do over the next couple of weeks matters just as much:

• See a doctor—soon, and again as needed. Follow up on anything that hurts, and actually keep your appointments. Gaps in treatment are the first thing an insurer points to when they want to pay you less.
• Keep every record. Medical bills, repair estimates, prescription receipts, mileage to and from appointments, and a simple journal of how you feel each day. Your medical records are the official story of your injury and recovery—missing pieces weaken the whole claim.
• Report the crash to your own insurer—but be careful with the other side's. You generally have to notify your own insurance company. When the at-fault driver's insurer calls, you do not owe them a recorded statement, and you don't have to answer everything on the spot. Polite and brief beats helpful and unguarded.
• Watch what you post. Adjusters look at social media. A photo of you smiling at a barbecue can be twisted into "see, they're fine." Keep the crash and your injuries off your feed.
• Don't wait too long to get advice. In Colorado, you generally have three years from the date of a motor-vehicle crash to file an injury lawsuit (C.R.S. §13-80-101(1)(n))—but evidence and memories fade fast, so it's smart to act well before any deadline.

A note on uninsured drivers in Colorado

Colorado requires drivers to carry liability insurance—at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $15,000 for property damage (C.R.S. §42-7-103)—yet a meaningful share of drivers on the road carry none, and many who are insured carry only those minimums. (The Colorado Department of Transportation reported 628 traffic fatalities in 2023, a reminder of how serious these crashes can be.) If the person who hit you is uninsured or doesn't carry enough coverage, you may still have options through your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This is exactly the kind of situation where talking to a lawyer early pays off, because the path to getting paid is different than a standard claim.

The bottom line

You can't undo the crash, but you can protect yourself from the second hit—the one where the insurance company tries to pay you as little as possible. Get safe, get checked out, document everything, watch your words, and don't sign or settle before you understand what you're agreeing to. Do those things and you've already done most of the work of protecting your claim.

If you were hurt in a crash in Colorado, talk to us before you talk to the other side's adjuster. Conduit Law offers a free consultation, and you pay no fee unless we win. Call (720) 432-7032 or reach out through our Denver car accident lawyers page—we'll tell you straight whether you have a case.