What to Do After a Car Accident in Denver

What Should You Do in the First 10 Minutes?

Stop as close to the scene as safety allows. Turn on your hazard lights and check yourself, your passengers, and others for injuries. Call 911 if anyone may be hurt. Do not attempt to move someone with a possible head, neck, or back injury unless an immediate danger makes it necessary.

If the vehicles can move and are creating a hazard, follow the dispatcher’s or responding officer’s directions. Before moving them, take a few quick photographs of their positions if you can do so without entering traffic or placing yourself at risk. Do not prioritize photographs over safety.

Stay calm and limit the conversation to practical facts. Ask whether anyone needs help, exchange information, and cooperate with police. Avoid arguing about fault or guessing about speed, distance, signal timing, or injuries. A statement made during a stressful moment can be incomplete or mistaken.

When Should You Call 911 After a Denver Crash?

Call 911 if anyone is hurt or may be hurt. You should also call for a blocked road, a dangerous location, suspected alcohol or drug use, a hit-and-run, unsafe behavior, or major vehicle damage. Tell the dispatcher if the crash involves a pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, bus, large truck, or government vehicle.

Denver normally requires drivers to stop and report a crash. During an Accident Alert, a dispatcher decides whether an officer will respond. If no officer is sent, exchange names, driver’s license details, registration, and proof of insurance. Then report the crash as soon as possible. Current steps are on the Denver Police traffic-crash page.

If a driver leaves, record the vehicle’s color, make, model, plate number, direction of travel, and any damage you noticed. Do not chase the vehicle. Tell the dispatcher that the crash was a hit-and-run and ask witnesses to remain until officers arrive if they are willing.

What Information Should You Collect at the Scene?

Start with the people and vehicles involved. Photograph or write down each driver’s name, address, phone number, driver’s license, vehicle registration, insurer, policy number, plate number, and vehicle identification number when accessible. Confirm that the insurance card applies to the vehicle and note the names of passengers.

Then document the physical scene. Useful photographs and video may include:

• Vehicle positions and damage from several angles
• License plates and identifying numbers on commercial vehicles
• Traffic signals, stop signs, lane markings, crosswalks, and turn lanes
• Skid marks, debris, fluid, damaged barriers, and roadway defects
• Weather, lighting, visibility, snow, ice, or standing water
• Visible injuries and damaged personal property
• The wider intersection or roadway from each driver’s direction of travel

Ask witnesses for their names and contact information. A witness who has no connection to either driver may help resolve a later disagreement. Note the responding agency, officer’s name and badge number, case number, ambulance provider, tow company, and the location where each vehicle is taken.

How Do You Preserve Video After a Denver Car Accident?

Save dashcam footage before the device records over it. Make a second copy on another device or secure storage account. Photograph cameras you can see near the crash and write down the exact intersection or address, direction of travel, and narrow time window.

Possible sources include Denver Police HALO and traffic cameras, CDOT cameras, and RTD buses or property. Also check nearby businesses, apartments, homes, parking lots, delivery vehicles, rideshare vehicles, and work fleets. Each owner may use a different request process. More than one source may have useful video.

Denver Police says unpreserved HALO and recording traffic-camera footage may be overwritten within 15 to 30 days. That is a retention warning, not a guaranteed 15-day window or a legal filing deadline. Identify the likely owner and ask for preservation immediately. Our step-by-step guide explains how to request and preserve Denver traffic-camera footage.

What If Denver Police Do Not Come to the Scene?

You can still document and report the crash. First, identify which of these four paths applies:

• Officer-created Denver crash report: If a Denver officer investigates, request the crash report from the Denver Police Records Unit after the report is closed. Denver says a standard crash report usually becomes available five to seven days after closure. An active investigation may take longer.
• Driver-filed online report: If no officer came to the scene, you may be able to file a Colorado crash report online. The state keeps it for record purposes, but no law-enforcement agency investigates the submission.
• Counter report during an Accident Alert: Call 911 and wait for the dispatcher to decide whether an officer will respond. If no officer is sent, exchange the required information. Denver directs drivers to report the crash as soon as possible through a local police station or 911. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions and save the counter-report number.
• Investigation Report through Civil Liability: Use this path for a fatal or serious-injury crash. It also covers a juvenile driver or passenger, a city vehicle, an active investigation, or a sealed case. Civil Liability is the Denver Police unit that handles these sensitive or complex records.

Denver Police does not provide copies of reports that drivers originally filed online. Obtain those through the Colorado crash-record system. For a standard officer-created Denver report or an Investigation Report, follow the options on the Denver Police Records page. To ask for a Denver case number, call the Records Section at 720-913-6029 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Save the report number, confirmation email, receipt, and a copy of everything you submit. A report shows that the crash was reported, but it may not settle every question about fault.

When Should You Seek Medical Care?

Call 911 or go to an emergency room for a serious injury or symptoms that get worse. After a head impact, warning signs include a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, slurred speech, unusual behavior, unequal pupils, confusion, weakness, numbness, loss of consciousness, or trouble waking. The CDC lists current concussion symptoms and danger signs.

Some symptoms develop or become more noticeable after the initial shock fades. Seek prompt medical evaluation if you develop pain, stiffness, headache, dizziness, confusion, vision changes, numbness, weakness, abdominal pain, breathing problems, or another concerning change. Follow the clinician’s instructions and return for care if symptoms worsen.

Keep a simple record of symptoms, appointments, diagnoses, medications, work restrictions, and how the injury affects ordinary activities. Do not exaggerate or minimize what you feel. Accurate, consistent information helps medical professionals make decisions and creates a clearer record of your recovery.

How Should You Report the Crash to Insurance?

Review your policy and provide timely, factual notice to your insurer. Give the date, time, location, vehicles involved, police case number if available, and a short description of what occurred. Save the claim number and the adjuster’s contact information.

Do not guess about facts you do not know. It is reasonable to say that you are still gathering information or receiving medical care. Be careful with requests for a recorded statement, release, quick settlement, or broad medical authorization. A medical authorization is a form that lets an insurer request health records. Read its scope carefully. Your obligations may differ depending on whether your own insurer or another driver’s insurer is asking.

Before signing a release, confirm what claims, injuries, property losses, and future expenses it covers. A signed settlement may end the claim even if later medical problems or costs appear.

What Should You Do About Towing, Repairs, Rentals, or a Total Loss?

Find out where the vehicle was taken and whether storage charges are increasing each day. Remove personal belongings when the facility allows it, but photograph the vehicle and its contents first. Do not authorize disposal before important physical evidence has been documented.

Keep towing invoices, storage bills, repair estimates, rental agreements, rideshare receipts, and communications about loss of use. If the insurer declares the vehicle a total loss, request the valuation report and review the listed mileage, trim, options, condition, and comparable vehicles. Gather loan or lease information so you understand the payoff amount and whether gap coverage may apply.

What Records Should You Keep After the Crash?

Create one paper or digital claim folder. Keep copies of:

• Police, counter, and online crash reports
• Scene photographs, dashcam files, surveillance requests, and preservation confirmations
• Medical records, bills, prescriptions, and treatment instructions
• Towing, storage, repair, rental, and transportation expenses
• Work restrictions, missed-time records, and employer wage information
• Insurance letters, emails, estimates, payment records, and claim notes
• A dated symptom, appointment, and recovery log

Back up important photographs and video. Keep original files when possible because screenshots or edited copies may remove useful dates and file details. As soon as you can, write a private account of the crash while the sequence is fresh. Note the route, lane, signal, weather, conversations, symptoms, and what happened before and after impact.

Write down the date, time, name, and summary of important phone calls with insurers, medical offices, tow yards, and record holders. Avoid posting crash details, photographs, injuries, or recovery updates publicly on social media. Public posts can be incomplete, lose context, or create avoidable disputes.

What Changes in Special Types of Denver Crashes?

Hit-and-run or uninsured driver

Call police, preserve identifying details, ask witnesses for help, and notify your insurer promptly. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply depending on the policy and facts.

Rideshare collision

Save screenshots showing the trip, driver, vehicle, route, receipt, and time. The available coverage may depend on the driver’s app status and whether a passenger trip was active.

Commercial truck crash

Road video is only one source of proof. Truck records may include black-box data, driver logs, safety checks, cargo details, dispatch records, and fleet video. These records may not be kept forever. Read more about proof and fault on our Denver truck accident page.

Government or city vehicle

Record the agency name, vehicle number, employee information, and department. A public entity is a government agency, office, or other government body. Claims involving one can have special notice rules and shorter deadlines.

Pedestrian, bicycle, or motorcycle crash

Photograph crosswalks, bike lanes, signals, lighting, sight lines, helmets, clothing, and damaged equipment. Preserve the bicycle, helmet, or motorcycle until it has been documented. These crashes can cause serious injuries even when the vehicle shows little damage. Our Denver motorcycle accident guide explains additional evidence and insurance issues that may matter after a rider is hurt.

What Colorado Deadlines Could Apply?

Colorado generally gives a person three years to bring a bodily-injury or property-damage claim that arises from the use or operation of a motor vehicle. A 2025 Colorado Court of Appeals opinion applies that three-year rule under section 13-80-101(1)(n)(I).

A claim involving the City and County of Denver or another Colorado government body may require written notice within 182 days after the injury is discovered. Denver provides current instructions on its Notice of Claim page. Wrongful-death claims, claims involving minors, insurance disputes, and other circumstances can follow different rules.

These are general rules, not a filing-deadline calculation for a particular case. An exception can shorten, extend, or change the time available. Evidence may also disappear long before a lawsuit deadline. Video can be overwritten, vehicles repaired, and witness memories fade. Early preservation still matters.

When Should You Speak With a Denver Car Accident Lawyer?

A legal review may help when someone is hurt, fault is disputed, or several vehicles are involved. It may also matter when the crash involves a large work truck, government vehicle, or hit-and-run driver. Other warning signs include limited insurance, pressure to settle fast, or a request for wide access to medical records.

Strong Law Accident & Injury Attorneys offers free case reviews. Call 720-738-4913 or contact Strong Law. You do not pay an upfront attorney fee for a contingency-fee injury case. The firm is paid only if it recovers compensation for you, subject to the written fee agreement. For broader guidance on injury claims, visit our Denver personal injury page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to call police after a Denver car accident?

Denver says drivers must stop and report a crash except when an Accident Alert changes the response process. Call 911 for injuries, roadway hazards, suspected impairment, hit-and-run crashes, or other urgent circumstances. During an Accident Alert, follow the dispatcher’s instructions.

What if Denver police do not respond?

Exchange driver’s license, registration, insurance, and contact information; document the scene; get witness information; and file the appropriate report as soon as possible. Save the online confirmation and all supporting records.

How do I get a Denver crash report?

Request an officer-created report through Denver Police Records. A report originally filed online must be obtained through Colorado’s crash-record system, not Denver Police. Denver reports usually become available after the matter is closed.

How soon can Denver traffic-camera footage be erased?

Denver Police says unpreserved HALO and recording traffic-camera footage may be overwritten within 15 to 30 days. Other agencies and private owners may use different schedules, so send a specific preservation request promptly.

Should I speak with the other driver’s insurance company?

You may need to provide basic information, but do not guess about fault, injuries, speed, or other uncertain facts. Understand who is requesting a recorded statement or authorization and what the document covers before agreeing or signing.

How long do I have to file a Colorado car-accident lawsuit?

Colorado generally applies a three-year filing deadline to bodily-injury and property-damage claims arising from use of a motor vehicle. Government, wrongful-death, minor, insurance, and other claims may follow different rules, so do not rely on the general deadline without reviewing the specific facts.