What to do after a road accident
You have just been in a crash and need to know what to do, and in what order.
Get to safety first, and call 999 (the Malaysian emergency number for police and ambulance) if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked.
Get medical attention the same day, even if you feel fine. Lodge the police report, generally within 24 hours.
Then, over the following days, notify your insurer and gather your records. Think about a claim once those are done. The full sequence is below.
At the scene: get to safety and call 999
- Get everyone to safety. Call 999 if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked.
- Exchange particulars with the other driver: name, phone number, identity card and vehicle registration.
- Photograph the vehicles, the road, and anything else that helps explain what happened.
- Get contact details from anyone who saw it, before they leave.
What to capture at the accident scene has the detail, and the first 24 hours after a crash gives the hour-by-hour order.
Medical attention the same day
See a doctor the same day even if you feel fine, and attend any follow-up appointments rather than treating the first visit as the end of it. Keep every receipt, certificate and referral letter, since these all matter later when a medical report for a claim is put together.
The police report, generally within 24 hours
Report the accident to the police, generally within 24 hours where reasonably possible, and keep the reference number you are given. See reporting your accident to the police for exactly how.
In the days after: insurer and records
Notify your insurer within the window your policy expects, described in reporting the accident to insurers.
Gathering your evidence properly
Save any dashcam or phone footage before it is overwritten, using saving your dashcam and photo evidence, and follow up with any witnesses or nearby CCTV while people still remember and footage still exists.
Mistakes worth avoiding along the way
A few habits undo otherwise good early steps: admitting fault out of politeness, discussing the accident in detail on social media, signing something you have not read, or letting weeks pass before seeing a doctor again. Each of these has its own page if you want the full reasoning, starting with mistakes to avoid at the scene.
Once the early steps are done
With your report, medical care and evidence in place, you can consider a claim. Making a road accident claim explains who can claim and what affects it, and the claim process walks through the steps.
When the insurer presses you or disputes fault, an independent lawyer can take the claim on for you. Send the accident date, where it happened, whether anyone was injured (yes/no) and the police report status.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
Is this the same as knowing what to do in the first 24 hours?
They overlap but answer different questions. The first 24 hours page walks through the actual order of the first day, hour by hour, while this page is the fuller checklist covering everything from the scene through to deciding on a claim.
Do I need to do all of this even for a minor accident?
Scale it to what happened. A minor bump still deserves a police report and a few photos, but a serious injury needs everything here, including medical follow-up and evidence you might otherwise skip.
What if I already skipped some of these steps?
Pick up from where you are. Missing a step early on rarely ends a claim outright, though it can make the remaining steps more important to get right.
When should I actually think about a lawyer?
Once you have a sense of your injuries and the other party's insurance position, a short conversation can clarify whether you need one, covered in do you need a lawyer for your claim.
What is easy to forget after the first day?
Following up on medical treatment after the first visit. If you see a doctor once and feel better, a claim may later lack the follow-up records that show the full picture of the injury.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.