John Roach, Esq. | December 22, 2025 | Car Accidents
Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident
What to Do After a Car Accident in San Francisco
A car accident in San Francisco can happen in seconds — a rear-end collision on Market Street, a T-bone at a foggy intersection, a rideshare driver blowing a stop sign on a one-way street. In those first moments, most people are overwhelmed, in pain, and unsure what to do next. What you do in the hours and days after a crash can make the difference between a full recovery — financially and physically — and walking away with far less than you deserve.
I’m John J. Roach, a San Francisco personal injury attorney with over 17 years of trial experience representing car accident victims throughout the Bay Area. This is the guide I give every client at the start of their case.
Step 1: Prioritize Safety and Call 911
The first priority after any collision is your safety and the safety of others. If your vehicle is drivable and it’s safe to do so, move it out of traffic. Turn on your hazard lights. If you or anyone else is injured, call 911 immediately — do not wait to see if symptoms develop.
This is important: do not move anyone who may have suffered a spinal injury or who is showing signs of significant head trauma, unless there is an immediate danger like fire. Stabilize them and wait for paramedics.
Call the police even if the crash appears minor. An official SFPD report creates a documented record of the scene, the parties involved, witness statements, and any citations issued. That report becomes one of the most important pieces of evidence in your claim.
Step 2: Document the Scene Thoroughly
Once you are safe, start documenting. Use your phone to photograph everything: vehicle damage from multiple angles, skid marks, the position of vehicles, traffic signs, road conditions, and your visible injuries. If the other driver makes any admission — an apology, an explanation — note it immediately or record it if you can.
Exchange insurance and contact information with the other driver, but let the responding officer facilitate this when possible. Approach any bystanders who witnessed the collision and ask for their name and phone number — witness testimony is often critical in disputed liability cases.
Also note environmental conditions: the time of day, weather, visibility, and traffic flow. A foggy morning on a steep hill tells a very different story than a clear afternoon on a flat street. These details matter when reconstructing what happened.
If you are dazed, confused, or in significant pain, ask a passenger or bystander to help document the scene. Confusion after a head impact can be an early sign of a traumatic brain injury — do not dismiss it.
Step 3: Get Medical Attention Immediately — Even If You Feel Fine
This is the step most people get wrong. Adrenaline masks pain. Conditions like concussions, internal bleeding, herniated discs, and traumatic brain injuries can take hours or even days to produce obvious symptoms. If you wait to see a doctor, the insurance company will use that delay to argue your injuries weren’t serious — or weren’t caused by the accident at all.
Go to an emergency room or urgent care the same day. Tell your provider exactly how you feel — describe every symptom, including headaches, dizziness, neck stiffness, back pain, numbness, or difficulty concentrating. These details in your initial medical record directly link your injuries to the collision.
For neck injuries, early MRI imaging can reveal herniated discs or soft tissue damage that won’t show on X-rays. For head injuries, CT scans can identify bleeding or contusions that require immediate intervention. Follow every treatment recommendation your physician gives you and keep every appointment — gaps in treatment are one of the most common ways insurance companies reduce claim value.
Step 4: Do Not Speak to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company
Within days of a collision — sometimes within hours — an adjuster from the at-fault driver’s insurance company will call you. They will sound helpful. They may offer a quick settlement. Do not give a recorded statement. Do not accept any offer. Do not sign anything.
Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts. A recorded statement made before you know the full extent of your injuries can be used against you at every stage of the claim. Early settlement offers are almost always a fraction of what the case is actually worth — made precisely because the insurer wants to close the file before you hire an attorney and understand your rights.
Politely decline and refer them to your attorney. Once you hire me, all communication with the insurance company goes through my office. You never have to speak to them again.
Step 5: Be Careful on Social Media
After a serious car accident, go quiet on social media. Insurance companies and defense attorneys routinely review the profiles of injury claimants looking for anything that contradicts the claimed severity of injuries. A photo of you at a family gathering, a post saying you’re “doing okay,” or a check-in at a restaurant can all be used to argue that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim.
Set your profiles to private immediately. Don’t discuss the accident, your injuries, or your recovery online. Decline friend requests from people you don’t know. Keep a private journal for documenting your symptoms and their daily impact — that information goes to me, not the internet.
Step 6: Obtain and Preserve the Police Report
The SFPD report from your accident is a critical document. It contains the responding officer’s observations, any citations issued, witness contact information, and an accident diagram. In cases involving serious injuries, the report often includes notes about driver behavior — speeding, intoxication, distracted driving — that form the backbone of a liability argument.
If police did not respond to the scene, you can file a report online through the SFPD website within 10 days of the accident. I obtain and analyze police reports as part of my standard investigation in every case.
Step 7: Preserve Your Vehicle and All Evidence
Do not repair your vehicle until it has been inspected and documented. Vehicle damage is physical evidence — the location, extent, and pattern of impact damage tells a story about the force of the collision and the direction of impact. Repairing the vehicle before it’s examined can eliminate critical evidence.
Keep every document related to the accident: medical records and bills, prescription receipts, physical therapy records, missed work documentation, and any communications from insurance companies. A detailed journal documenting your pain levels, limitations, and emotional state each day is powerful evidence of non-economic damages — pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and emotional distress.
The Long-Term Picture: What Serious Injuries Really Cost
Many car accident victims settle too quickly because they don’t yet understand the full scope of what their injuries will cost them. A traumatic brain injury may require years of neuropsychological treatment. A herniated disc may lead to surgery, physical therapy, and permanent limitations on your ability to work. Soft tissue injuries that seem minor at first can develop into chronic pain conditions.
I do not recommend settling any serious injury case before you have reached maximum medical improvement — the point at which your treating physicians can accurately project your future medical needs. Settling before that point locks in a number that may not cover the care you will need for years or decades to come.
Why Having an Experienced Attorney From Day One Matters
Insurance companies have teams of adjusters, defense attorneys, and investigators working immediately after a serious accident. You deserve the same level of preparation on your side.
When you hire me, I move fast: I send preservation letters to businesses with surveillance cameras, issue evidence holds to prevent destruction of vehicle data, obtain police reports, and begin building the liability and damages case from the first week. I handle all communication with insurers so you can focus entirely on your recovery.
I have recovered over $25 million for injured clients throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area — including a $6,000,000 settlement for a pedestrian with a traumatic brain injury and multiple multi-million-dollar results in serious car accident cases. I work on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing unless I recover money for you.
If you or a family member was seriously injured in a car accident in San Francisco, call me at (415) 851-4557 for a free consultation. I am bilingual in English and Spanish and available evenings and weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions: Car Accidents in San Francisco
Call 911, move to safety if possible, and do not admit fault. Document the scene with photos and video, exchange insurance information, and collect witness contact details. Seek medical attention the same day even if you feel fine — adrenaline masks injuries that may not appear for hours. Contact a San Francisco car accident attorney before speaking with any insurance company.
No. Do not give a recorded statement, accept any settlement offer, or sign anything from the at-fault driver’s insurer without first consulting an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts, and anything you say can be used to reduce the value of your claim. Once you hire an attorney, all communication with the insurance company goes through them.
In most cases, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in California. If a government entity — such as the City of San Francisco, BART, or Muni — is involved, you must file a government tort claim within six months. Missing these deadlines permanently eliminates your right to compensation, so contact an attorney as soon as possible.
You can still recover compensation. California follows a pure comparative negligence rule — your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from recovering. For example, if you were 20% at fault and your total damages are $100,000, you can still recover $80,000. Insurance companies aggressively try to assign you as much fault as possible to reduce their payout. An experienced attorney pushes back with evidence.
California has significant rates of uninsured and underinsured drivers. If the at-fault driver lacks sufficient coverage, I pursue your own Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage to close the gap. Under California’s Proposition 103, filing a UM/UIM claim cannot be used to raise your own insurance rates. I have recovered $750,000 in a UIM arbitration where the insurer’s initial offer was $300,000.
Every case is different. Value depends on the severity and permanence of your injuries, past and future medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and the strength of the liability evidence. I do not recommend settling before you have reached maximum medical improvement — settling too early locks in a number that may not account for future surgeries, therapy, or long-term care needs.
You are not required to hire an attorney, but studies consistently show that represented claimants recover significantly more than unrepresented ones — even after legal fees. Insurance companies have teams of adjusters and defense attorneys working against you from day one. Having experienced counsel levels the playing field. I work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless I recover money for you.