What to Do After a Car Accident in Utah
A step-by-step checklist for the scene, the next few days, and your insurance. Print it and keep it in your glove box.
The short answer
Check everyone for injuries and call 911 for an ambulance if anyone is seriously hurt. Move out of traffic if you can, call the police to report the crash, exchange names, addresses, plates and insurance, and take photos. Then open a claim with your own insurer: Utah PIP pays at least $3,000 of medical care no matter who caused the crash. Get checked soon even if you feel fine, because whiplash pain often peaks a day or two later.
At the scene
- Check everyone for injuries. If anyone is seriously hurt (unconscious, bleeding heavily, or unable to move), call 911 and ask for an ambulance.
- Get out of traffic if you can. If no one is hurt and your car can be driven, move it out of the travel lanes to the shoulder or the nearest side street, and turn on your hazard lights. Utah law allows this, and moving your car does not affect who is found at fault.
- Call the police to report the crash and get the report number. Utah law requires a report if anyone is hurt or the damage looks like $2,500 or more, which is most crashes beyond a light scrape. Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the cars are blocking traffic; otherwise use the local police non-emergency line.
- Exchange information: name, address, vehicle registration (plate number), and insurance company with the agent’s or insurer’s phone number. Show your driver license if asked.
- Take photos of every vehicle and plate, the scene and road, and any cuts, bruises or swelling on you.
- Get witnesses’ names and phone numbers. Tell the officer about anything that hurts, even if it seems minor.
In the first few days
- Call your own auto insurance company to open a claim and get a claim number. In Utah, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays at least $3,000 toward your medical care no matter who caused the crash. How Utah PIP works.
- Get checked, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline hides pain, and whiplash pain often peaks one to three days after a crash. Most people can come straight to us, often the same day.
- Keep one folder with the police report number, claim numbers, photos, receipts, medical bills, and a short daily note of how you feel.
We check every crash patient for signs of a more serious injury at the first visit. If we find one, we send you straight to the ER or the right specialist.
Why pain can show up later: a typical whiplash timeline
Everyone heals differently. This is the common pattern after a rear-end or side-impact crash, and what to do at each stage.
At the crash
Hours 0–24
Adrenaline can hide pain. Many people feel fine, or just shaken.
Take photos, report the crash, and plan to get checked.
Days 1–3
Often the worst
Stiffness and soreness build as injured muscles and ligaments swell. Neck pain often peaks here, sometimes with a headache at the base of the skull.
Pain that starts the next morning is common. It is still worth an exam.
Days 4–14
Watch for changes
For many people pain starts to ease. Some notice new symptoms: tingling into an arm, dizziness, trouble sleeping or concentrating.
New or spreading symptoms are a reason to get examined.
Weeks 2–12
Recovery for most
Most whiplash improves over the first few weeks to about three months. Staying active and knowing what is injured both help.
We re-test you about every 4 weeks so progress is measured.
After 3 months
Not always gone
About half of people with whiplash still report some neck pain a year later. Severe pain at the start tends to mean a slower recovery.
If you are not improving, the plan changes or we refer you.
Source: Bone and Joint Decade Task Force review of whiplash recovery (Carroll et al., 2008).
What happens when you come to us after a crash
- We verify your PIP benefits before or at your first visit and bill your auto insurer directly. Most patients pay $0 out of pocket up to their PIP limit, and we tell you when you are getting close to it.
- A full history and orthopedic and neurological exam, with X-rays or motion X-ray only when the exam calls for them.
- Clear written records of your exam, imaging and every visit, so your doctors and insurer see the same facts.
- We re-test you about every 4 weeks. If you are not measurably better, we change the plan or refer you to the right specialist.
- We bill per visit, with no prepaid package.
More: car accident care in Utah County · how long whiplash lasts.
Common questions
Do I have to call the police after a car accident in Utah?
Usually, yes. Utah law requires the driver to notify police right away if anyone is hurt or killed, or if the property damage looks like $2,500 or more, which covers most crashes beyond a minor scrape. Calling the police gets you an officer and a report number; you only need an ambulance if someone is seriously hurt. If no one is hurt and the damage is clearly less than $2,500, a police report is not required, but you still have to exchange information with the other driver.
Should I move my car after an accident?
If only vehicles or property were damaged and your car can be driven, Utah law lets you move it out of the travel lanes to the shoulder or a nearby side street. Moving it does not affect who is found at fault. Stay there until you have exchanged information.
What should I do if I feel fine after a car accident?
Get checked anyway. Adrenaline can hide pain for hours, and whiplash pain often peaks one to three days later. An early exam also documents your injuries from the start.
Does insurance pay for chiropractic care after a car accident in Utah?
Yes. Your own PIP coverage pays at least $3,000 toward medical care, including chiropractic, no matter who caused the crash. We verify your benefits before or at your first visit and bill the auto insurer directly.
Do I need a lawyer to see a chiropractor after a crash?
No. You can come straight to us. If you do have an attorney, we can send your records to them with your written permission.
Sources
- Utah Code 41-6a-401: moving vehicles out of travel lanes, exchange of information, notifying police at $2,500 or more in property damage (effective 7/1/2026).
- Utah Code 41-6a-401.7: crashes with injury or death: notify police immediately and help an injured person get treatment (effective 7/1/2026).
- Utah Code 31A-22-307: Personal Injury Protection, minimum $3,000 in medical benefits.
Related
Hurt in a crash? Call us. Same-day visits are often available.
McClean Chiropractic Spine Care Specialists · 385 N 500 W, Provo, UT 84601 · Directions