The first 72 hours decide cases. Here is exactly what to do.
Most injury cases are won or lost before a lawsuit is ever filed, in the hours when evidence still exists and nobody has coached anybody. Save this page. Print it. Do these seven things in order, and do not talk to any insurance adjuster until number seven is done.
Seven Things, In Order.
Get medical care, immediately.
Even if you feel okay. Adrenaline masks injury, and the most serious ones, brain and spine, often announce themselves late. Go the same day.
Why: a documented ER or urgent-care visit anchors the medical record the carrier will scrutinize later. A gap in treatment becomes their favorite exhibit.
Call the police and get the report number.
If officers respond, ask for the CR-3 crash report number before anyone leaves. If they do not respond, file a Texas CR-2 driver's crash report yourself the same day.
Why: a formal report is hard for a carrier to dispute. Your memory, standing alone, is easy.
Photograph everything, on the scene.
Vehicle damage, the road, skid marks, signals, weather, your visible injuries. Wide shots and close-ups, time-stamped from your phone. If you cannot, hand your phone to anyone who can.
Why: the scene is repaved, the cars are towed, the bruises fade. Photographs are the only witnesses that never move away.
Get a name and number for every witness.
Independent witnesses are gold in injury cases. Collect them yourself, at the scene, before they drive off.
Why: by the time the police report arrives, half of them are unreachable. The other half only ever talk to whoever calls first.
Do not give a recorded statement.
The other driver's insurance company will call within forty-eight hours, friendly and fast. They are not on your side. Decline politely, and say a lawyer will be in touch.
Why: adjusters call early specifically to capture a statement before you have counsel. We have watched that recording become defense exhibit one too many times.
Save every receipt and every record.
Medical bills, prescriptions, mileage to appointments, lost-wage documentation, repair estimates. A shoebox is fine. A folder on your phone is better.
Why: damages are proven on paper, not from memory. Every dollar you cannot document is a dollar the carrier keeps.
Call a board-certified injury lawyer. It is free.
Before you sign a release, before you accept a check, before you give any statement. The consultation costs nothing, and the first days are when preservation letters matter most.
Why: mistakes made early cost everything, and none of them can be unmade later. This is the one step that protects all the others.
The adjuster who calls tomorrow is not calling to help you.
They will be kind. They will sound concerned. They will ask you to "just tell us what happened" on a recorded line, and offer to "get this settled quickly" for a number that will not cover your second MRI. Every sentence of that call is designed to reduce what the carrier pays. You are allowed to say: "My lawyer will contact you." Then call one. Ours answers around the clock, in English and in Spanish, and the call costs nothing.
How Much Time Does Your Case Have Left?
Texas gives you two years from the date of injury to file most personal injury claims. Enter your date and see the deadline, and what evidence has already started to disappear.
Statute of Limitations Clock
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003Nothing you enter here is sent anywhere. The math runs on your device.
- ~30 daysBusiness surveillance video is typically overwritten. It must be requested in writing before then.
- WeeksA commercial truck's ECM data can be lost the day the tractor is repaired or sold. Preservation letters stop that.
- ~60 daysSkid marks and roadway evidence are repaved, re-striped, and rained away.
- 180 daysClaims against a Texas governmental unit generally require formal written notice within six months, and some city charters allow less.
- MonthsWitness memory degrades and witnesses move. Statements taken early are worth double.
This clock is general information, not legal advice about your case. Exceptions exist in both directions: claims for minors are tolled, the discovery rule can extend some deadlines, and claims against governmental units require much earlier notice. If your date looks close, or past, call anyway. The analysis is part of the free consultation.
Step Seven Is One Phone Call, and It Is Free.
A licensed attorney calls you back the same business day. Preservation letters can go out the day you sign, before the evidence above starts disappearing.
Free Case Review Or call (214) 555-0184. Twenty-four hours. Hablamos Español.Bauder & Associates, PLLC · (214) 555-0184 · 24/7 · 1700 Pacific Avenue, Suite 2400, Dallas, TX 75201 · Attorney advertising. Robert L. Bauder responsible for content.