If you are injured and able to act, a handful of decisions in the first minutes and hours have consequences that follow the claim for years. Here is what matters, in roughly the order it matters.
Call Police and Obtain the Collision Report Number
A police report creates a contemporaneous, third-party record of the crash. Facts locked into an official report made at the scene are far harder for an adjuster to reframe later. If officers decline to respond — common for crashes that appear to be property-damage-only — note that they declined and why.
Seek Prompt Medical Evaluation
Adrenaline suppresses pain. Fractures, concussions, and soft tissue injuries can feel minor in the first hours and become severely symptomatic within 24 to 48 hours. A documented same-day or next-day evaluation establishes the causal link between the crash and the injury. A two-week gap before the first visit hands the insurer an argument it will use for the life of the claim.
Photograph Vehicles, Road Conditions, and Injuries
Vehicle positions. Skid marks, or the absence of them. Road conditions — and in Seattle, that often means wet pavement, leaves, or streetcar tracks that belong in the record. Your bicycle. Your visible injuries. Traffic signals and signs. Take broad shots to establish geography and close shots to establish damage and detail. The scene reorganizes itself within minutes of a crash, and the photos taken before that happens are often the most valuable evidence in the file.
Collect Witness and Driver Information
Names and phone numbers, at minimum. Witnesses become harder to locate with every week that passes, and their accounts can decide a disputed-liability case. A bystander who saw the whole thing is worth more than almost anything else you can collect at the scene.
Avoid Recorded Insurance Statements at the Scene
The at-fault driver's insurance company may call quickly, and the adjuster will sound helpful. They are not a neutral party, and you are generally under no obligation to provide a recorded statement to an opposing insurer. Politely decline. Anything said in that call gets gathered for one purpose, and it is not yours.
Preserve the Bicycle, Helmet, Clothing, and Ride Data
Do not repair the bike, replace the helmet, or throw away damaged clothing before everything has been documented. It is all evidence — of impact forces, of the crash mechanics, and of the property loss itself.
General legal information only. Specific facts, policy language, parties, and deadlines can change the analysis.