The first week after a traffic accident: report, medical records, then the insurer

After an injury or property-damage accident the real loss is often not at the scene; it is the failure to collect papers in the following days. Insurer correspondence, the report and medical records do not do the same job.

The accident report

Fault will later be a matter for experts. What is needed on day one is the place, time, signs and witnesses on paper. Photographs complete the report if the scene later changes; they do not replace it.

Medical records

Emergency epicrisis, tests and follow-up appointments underpin loss-of-earning and non-pecuniary claims. Pain that is “left for later” and never recorded is treated as absent. A gap between first examination and a late visit is easily recast as exaggeration.

Notice to the insurer

Compulsory motor liability and casco policies have separate notice periods. A filing with missing papers is often not a refusal but a loop of “awaiting documents”. Oral calls made before a claim number exists are weak evidence later.

A practical order

• Medical safety and first treatment
• Report, photographs, witness contacts
• Policy and claims notice
• Keeping appraisal and medical papers in one file

Fault shares and heads of loss are not the same in every accident. If the first week's papers are in order, the later assessment rests on the record, not on speculation.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal opinion or advice.