After an Accident

What Information Should You Collect After an Accident?

Published 2026-08-03 • Updated 2026-08-28 • Reviewed by 365 DataSolutions Content Review

This article is general information only. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Some information becomes very difficult to reconstruct once everyone has left the scene. Collecting it early keeps your own record complete.

Driver and owner details

• Full name and phone number of each driver
• Whether the driver is the vehicle owner, and the owner's name if not
• Whether the driver was working at the time, and the employer name if so

Insurance details

• Insurance company name for each vehicle
• Name on the policy
• Any claim number later assigned by an insurer

You do not need to share your own policy number or claim number with this website. We do not collect it.

Vehicle details

• License plate and state
• Make, model, year, and color
• Visible damage and its location on the vehicle

Scene details

• Street names, direction of travel, and nearest cross street
• Traffic control present: signal, stop sign, yield, or none
• Lighting, weather, and road surface conditions
• Position of vehicles before they were moved

Witnesses

A neutral witness who saw the impact can matter a great deal later. A name and phone number is usually enough.