One moment you're driving through Harrisburg or York, and the next you sit in a damaged car, heart racing, trying to figure out what just happened. Traffic backs up, people stare, and you're deciding whether to move your vehicle, call someone, or just go home. In those first minutes after a PA car accident, it's easy to make decisions that feel natural but create big problems later—especially when you're worried about how badly you're hurt, how you'll get to work tomorrow, what this will do to your insurance rates, and whether you really need to involve police or lawyers while fielding questions from the other driver and insurance adjusters.
At Handler, Henning & Rosenberg LLC, we've spent more than 100 years helping people across Central Pennsylvania through this exact moment after a car accident. We've seen how small choices at the scene, in the emergency room, and on the phone with insurance change the outcome of a claim. This guide walks through clear, Pennsylvania-focused steps you can take after a crash to protect both your health and your right to fair compensation.
Stay Safe & Call for Help at the Scene
Your first priority after any car accident in PA is safety. If you can move without worsening your injuries, check on passengers and assess your surroundings. Turn on your hazard lights immediately. If your vehicle blocks traffic on I-83, Route 30, or smaller roads in places like Hanover or Carlisle, and your car still runs, gently move it to the shoulder or a nearby parking lot. If it won't move, stay buckled with your hazards on until help arrives.
Call 911 as soon as you can. In Pennsylvania, that call brings medical responders to evaluate you and anyone else who may have injuries—even if they're not obvious yet—and brings police to document what happened and create an official report that insurers will rely on later. Leaving the scene without reporting a crash, especially when injuries or significant property damage exist, creates legal problems and makes it much harder to prove what really happened.
When you speak with the other driver, limit the conversation to basics. Exchange names, contact information, license plate numbers, and insurance details. Don't argue about fault, don't apologize, and don't guess about details you're not sure about. Insurers twist the phrase "I'm sorry" into an admission of fault. Stick to facts, avoid opinions, and wait to discuss fault until you've spoken with an attorney. Don't post about the crash on social media—adjusters monitor your accounts and take casual comments out of context. Don't tell anyone you're "fine" if you're actually hurt or unsure.
Document the Crash Scene Like Your Case Depends on It
Once you've called 911, capture as much information from the scene as you safely can. Long after crews clear the debris from a Lancaster intersection or a rural road in Schuylkill County, photos and notes tell the story of how the collision happened.
Use your phone to take wide and close-up photos from several angles: positions of all vehicles before they move, skid marks, glass or debris on the road, traffic lights or stop signs, damage to guardrails or nearby property, weather and road conditions (wet pavement, snow, sun glare), and any visible injuries like bruising or cuts.
Collect contact information for everyone involved: all drivers, passengers, and especially independent witnesses who weren't in your vehicle. Get names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Write down license plate numbers and insurance details. If police respond, ask for the officer's name, badge number, and how to obtain a copy of the police report.
Keep damaged items that are easily stored: broken car parts, damaged child car seats, torn clothing, or smashed eyeglasses. These show how severe the impact was. A single clear photo or a witness we can contact quickly makes it much harder for an insurer to deny responsibility or claim the crash was "minor."
Get Prompt Medical Care, Even If You Feel 'Mostly Okay'
After the shock of a crash, many people want to go home and see how they feel in the morning. Adrenaline masks pain, and your mind may focus on your car or job more than your body. However, injuries like whiplash, back and neck damage, and concussions often worsen over the first 24 to 72 hours. We regularly see clients in Harrisburg, York, and other Central Pennsylvania communities who thought they were fine, only to wake up the next day barely able to move.
Get evaluated by a medical professional soon after a PA car accident. Go to the emergency room from the scene, visit an urgent care clinic later that day, or see your primary care doctor as soon as possible. Tell them clearly that you were in a motor vehicle accident, describe every symptom, and mention any areas of your body that struck part of the car. These records often become the main proof that your injuries came from this crash, not something else.
Follow through on recommended treatment. If a doctor in Lancaster orders X-rays, physical therapy, or a follow-up with a specialist, keep those appointments. Gaps in treatment give insurance companies ammunition to argue that your injuries aren't serious, that you healed quickly, or that you didn't really need care. Don't skip immediate medical care or wait weeks to see a doctor—that delay becomes a powerful tool for insurers to devalue your claim.
Keep a simple pain and limitation journal. Each day, jot down where you hurt, what activities are difficult, and any changes in sleep or mood. Note when pain keeps you from lifting your child, walking your dog, or concentrating at work. Weeks later, this record gives a clearer picture of how the accident changed your life than memory alone.
Notify Your Insurance, But Be Careful What You Say
Most auto insurance policies require you to report an accident within a few days. Once you're safe and have seen a doctor, contact your own insurer with basic facts: the date, time, location, and the other driver's information. Stick to what you know for sure. If you're not sure about something, say "I don't know yet" rather than guess.
You may quickly hear from the other driver's insurance company. The adjuster might sound friendly and ask for a recorded statement. Those statements are used months later to challenge your version of events, minimize your injuries, or suggest you were partly to blame. It's rarely in your best interest to give a detailed recorded statement to the other driver's insurer without legal advice. You have the right to decline or say you'll speak after you've consulted an attorney.
Be especially cautious about how you describe your injuries. Many people automatically say "I'm fine" or "It's not that bad" out of habit. If an adjuster records those phrases, they argue later that you weren't really hurt, even if symptoms worsened. Once we're involved, adjusters talk to us instead of pressuring you, and we ensure information is shared accurately.
Insurance companies compare what you told police at the scene, what you told doctors, and what you told adjusters. If differences exist—even innocent ones—they use those to delay or dispute your claim. Having an experienced legal team manage that flow of information reduces those risks.
Understand How Pennsylvania Insurance Affects Your Next Steps
Pennsylvania has its own approach to auto insurance. In many situations, your own policy provides first-party benefits that cover certain medical bills and expenses, regardless of who caused the collision. When you seek treatment in places like Harrisburg Hospital or a clinic in York, medical providers may bill your own auto insurer first for accident-related care, up to your coverage limits. This typically happens even if the other driver clearly caused the crash. Once those benefits run out, your health insurance and other coverage may come into play.
Your right to pursue additional compensation from the at-fault driver often depends on your injuries and the type of coverage you selected. Even when your own insurer pays some bills, you may still have a claim against the other driver for pain and suffering, future medical needs, and other losses if your injuries are serious enough.
Coverage may exist under the at-fault driver's policy, your own policy, and sometimes policies covering other vehicles in your household, especially for underinsured or uninsured motorist claims. Locating and coordinating these coverages can significantly affect the total recovery in a case.
Track Costs, Missed Work & Daily Impact From Day One
Keep every bill, receipt, and statement related to the accident: emergency room charges, ambulance fees, physical therapy invoices, prescription costs, co-pays, and even mileage or parking expenses for medical appointments. Put them in a folder or scan them into a digital file.
Missed work is another major piece. If your injuries keep you from working in a warehouse in Carlisle, an office in Lancaster, or on a construction site in Schuylkill County, get written confirmation from your employer of the days you missed and the wages or hours lost. If you must cut back hours, change duties, or pass up overtime, keep notes about those changes.
Don't overlook how injuries change your daily life. List the help you have to hire or the favors family and friends do for you—childcare, yard work, basic household chores. Note when you can't participate in hobbies, church activities, or community events the way you used to. We use this information to show not only economic losses but also the broader impact on your quality of life.
Know When It's Time to Call a Pennsylvania Car Accident Attorney
Not every fender bender needs legal representation, but clear situations exist where handling a claim alone is risky. If you have serious injuries—fractures, head trauma, or anything that keeps you from working or caring for your family—talk with an attorney. The same applies if fault is disputed, multiple vehicles are involved, or the crash included a commercial vehicle or drunk driver. These cases quickly become complex, and insurers fight to limit what they pay.
A Pennsylvania car accident attorney can investigate the crash, obtain and review the police report, track down witnesses, request surveillance or traffic camera footage, and preserve vehicle data like event recorders before it's lost. Our team gathers medical records, consults with treating providers, and when appropriate seeks opinions from medical professionals to document the full extent of your injuries. We handle all communications with insurance companies—both yours and the at-fault driver's—so you can focus on healing instead of fielding calls from adjusters.
Over the last century, Handler, Henning & Rosenberg LLC has recovered tens of millions of dollars for injured people in Central Pennsylvania. In most car accident cases, attorneys work on a contingency fee basis—legal fees are only collected if there's a recovery. We explain how this works in a free consultation. Because problems are easier to prevent than fix, it often makes sense to contact us before signing any release, accepting a settlement check, or agreeing to a recorded statement. Don't negotiate with insurers on your own for months, then come to us after receiving a low offer or signing forms you didn't understand. By that time, critical evidence might be gone or deadlines approaching.
We have offices in Harrisburg, Hanover, Carlisle, York, Lancaster, and Schuylkill County, so you can meet with us close to home. Our familiarity with local roads, courts, and insurance practices in Central Pennsylvania helps us act quickly and effectively on your behalf.
Talk With a Central Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer About Your Next Steps
After a car accident in Pennsylvania, you only get one chance to handle things right. By focusing on safety, getting medical care, documenting the scene, being careful with insurers, and keeping good records, you're already protecting yourself. Still, insurance companies often look for reasons to pay as little as possible. You don't have to face that alone.
Talking with an attorney who has helped Central Pennsylvania families through car accidents for more than 100 years can give you clarity and peace of mind. At Handler, Henning & Rosenberg LLC, we can review what has happened, explain how Pennsylvania insurance and injury laws apply to your situation, and outline your options for moving forward. The consultation is free, and you decide what to do next. If you've been in a car accident anywhere in Central Pennsylvania, reach out today to learn how we can help you rebuild and move forward.