A crash is stressful enough without guessing what to do next. Here are the steps that matter, in order, plus what to do with the car afterward.
After a crash
Nobody plans for a crash, and in the minutes afterward it is easy to forget something important. This guide covers the steps in the right order: people first, then the scene, then the paperwork, and finally the question nobody wants to deal with but everyone has to: what happens to the car. We are not lawyers; check with the Florida DHSMV or an attorney if your situation involves injuries or disputed fault.
First minutes
Check yourself and your passengers for injuries before anything else. Adrenaline masks pain, so take a moment. If anyone might be hurt, do not move them unless the car is in immediate danger, like fire or oncoming traffic.
If the cars are drivable, move them out of traffic to the shoulder or a nearby parking lot. Turn on your hazard lights. On South Florida highways like I-95, I-75, or the Turnpike, getting clear of moving traffic is the single most important thing you can do. Set out flares or triangles if you have them, and stay aware of traffic around you while you are outside the vehicle.
Call for help
Call 911 whenever there are injuries, the cars cannot be moved, or the other driver is uncooperative. In Florida, crashes involving injury, death, or significant property damage should be reported to law enforcement. A police report creates an official record of the crash, and that record matters for insurance claims.
When officers arrive, stick to the facts. Do not admit fault or argue about it at the scene; that gets sorted out later with the evidence. Get the report number and the responding agency so you can pull the report when you need it.
At the scene
Exchange names, phone numbers, insurance company and policy numbers, driver's license numbers, and license plate numbers with every driver involved. If there are witnesses, get their names and numbers too; witnesses disappear fast and their accounts can decide a disputed claim.
Then document the scene before anything is moved, if it is safe to do so. Photograph all vehicles from multiple angles, the damage close up, the road, skid marks, traffic signs, and the surrounding area. Note the time, weather, and road conditions. This takes five minutes and can be worth thousands if fault is disputed or injuries show up later.
After the scene
Call your insurer as soon as you reasonably can, ideally the same day. Florida is a no-fault state for injuries, which means your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays your initial medical bills regardless of who caused the crash. Prompt notice keeps your claim moving and avoids disputes about delays.
The insurer will send an adjuster to inspect the vehicle and decide whether it is repairable or a total loss. A car is typically totaled when the repair cost approaches or exceeds its actual cash value. If the car is financed or leased, the insurer pays the lienholder first, and any leftover goes to you. Get the settlement offer in writing and make sure you understand the valuation before you accept it.
The car question
This is where many people get stuck. If the insurance company totals the car, they usually take it and you are done. But plenty of crashes land in the gray zone: the car is drivable but ugly, the repair estimate is high relative to the car's value, or you kept the salvage and now have a wrecked car sitting in your driveway.
Run the numbers honestly. If repairs cost more than the car will be worth afterward, fixing it is throwing good money after bad, especially once you factor in the diminished value a crash history puts on the title. A car with frame damage, deployed airbags, or flood exposure from a crash into a canal (it happens in South Florida) is rarely worth rebuilding.
If the car was towed to a lot after the crash, watch the clock. Tow yards charge daily storage fees that eat your car's remaining value fast. Our impound lot guide explains your rights and options under Florida law.
Other driver's insurance
If the other driver was at fault, their bodily injury and property damage liability coverage should pay for your repairs or your car's value, plus your medical bills beyond what your PIP covers. In practice, getting that money takes persistence. The other insurer will investigate fault, and if their driver tells a different story, your photos, the police report, and witness statements become the evidence that decides it.
Document your damages carefully. Keep every medical bill, repair estimate, tow receipt, and rental car receipt. If you missed work, keep records of lost wages. Insurance adjusters settle based on documentation, not on how strongly you feel about it, so the paper trail is everything.
Watch out for quick settlement offers in the first days after a crash. Insurers sometimes offer fast cash hoping you will sign away your rights before the full extent of injuries or vehicle damage is known. Soft-tissue injuries can take days to appear. It is reasonable to wait until you understand the full picture, and to talk to an attorney if injuries are involved. We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice.
One more scenario: the other driver has no insurance or too little. Florida has one of the highest uninsured driver rates in the country, which is why uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy matters so much. If you carry it, your own insurer steps in. If you do not, you may be pursuing the driver personally, which is often a dead end, and another reason the decision about your wrecked car should not wait on a shaky insurance outcome.
We buy wrecked cars
If your car is totaled, badly damaged, or just not worth fixing, we will buy it. Instant Money Junk Cars buys wrecked cars every day across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach. Front-end damage, rear-end damage, side impacts, deployed airbags, cars that will not start after the crash: we have seen it all, and we pay cash for it.
We can pick the car up from your driveway, and in many cases we can coordinate pickup directly from the tow yard or impound lot before storage fees eat the rest of its value. No title because it was lost in the chaos? No title? We can usually still buy it, call us to check. If there is still an active loan on the car, normal active liens are not purchased, but liens from 2022 or earlier (4+ years) may qualify: call to check, we never promise an offer until we review it.
You have already dealt with the worst part of the crash. Let us handle the car part. We pay cash on the spot, load it up, and take care of the paperwork, usually within about an hour of your call. Get a cash offer 954-787-5717.
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