The seconds after a car crash are chaotic. Adrenaline is flooding your system. You may not feel injured — but that changes nothing about what you need to do in the next few minutes. The decisions made at the scene can affect your health, your insurance claim, and your legal case for months to come.

Ambulance decisions: Unless you are unconscious, have obvious broken bones, or cannot move safely, you have a choice. Taking the ambulance guarantees documentation of your immediate condition — which is valuable in a legal case. Refusing it is not necessarily wrong, but you must get checked out within 24–48 hours. Florida law requires PIP (personal injury protection) coverage to be triggered within 14 days — do not wait.

Call the police — always. Florida law only requires calling police when there is injury, death, or property damage over $500. In practice, every crash qualifies. A police report creates an independent record of the crash. Without it, your word against theirs is all you have. Even if the other driver is cooperative, call. People change their story later.

Document the scene before anyone moves anything. Use your phone. Photograph every vehicle from every angle. Capture skid marks, debris, road conditions, traffic controls, and any visible injuries. Get the names and numbers of all witnesses. Exchange insurance and license information. Do not apologize — even casually. “I’m sorry” can be used as an admission in Florida courts.

Key Takeaways

• Call 911 and wait for police — always, every crash
• Seek emergency evaluation within 24 hours to preserve your PIP rights
• Photograph everything: vehicles, scene, skid marks, injuries
• Get witness names and contact information on the spot
• Never apologize or admit fault at the scene, even informally
• Note the at-fault driver’s name, insurance carrier, and policy number