What to Do After a Car Accident in Bucks County

If you have just been in a car accident in Bucks County, take a breath. You are probably in some mix of shock, adrenaline, and worry. Here is what you actually need to do, and what you need to avoid. I spent years helping insurance companies defend these claims, so I know exactly where people stumble.

At the Scene: The Critical First Steps

Your job at the accident scene has two parts: safety first, documentation second.

Call 911 if anyone is injured or if the accident is blocking traffic. Even if it seems minor, get police there. That police report is the official record. If there are no injuries and the cars can move safely, you can exchange information and file a non-injury report with local police later, but calling at the scene is cleaner and faster.

Document everything with photos or video. Get photos of:

• All vehicle damage from multiple angles
• The overall accident scene and road layout
• Traffic signals, stop signs, and road markings
• Skid marks or tire marks on pavement
• Weather and road conditions
• License plates of all vehicles involved
• Any visible injuries (if you are comfortable doing so)

Exchange information with the other driver: Name, phone number, address, insurance company, policy number, driver's license number, vehicle make/model/year, and license plate. Get the same from any witnesses. Ask witnesses for their contact information before they leave.

Do not admit fault or apologize for anything. This includes saying "I did not see you" or "I think I was going too fast." Insurance adjusters and opposing counsel will use your own words against you. Stick to facts: who was where, which direction you were going, when the collision happened. That is it.

Do not tell anyone you are fine or that you have no injuries. Even if you feel okay right now, adrenaline is masking what may be real injury. Say nothing about your condition. Injuries can develop over hours or days, and the insurance company will throw any statement about being fine right back at you.

The First 48 Hours After Your Accident

Seek medical attention. This is the most important thing you can do, and it is also the thing most accident victims skip because they feel okay. Do not. See a doctor or go to an emergency room even if you just have minor pain or soreness. Whiplash, internal injuries, and concussions do not always show up right away. The second reason this matters is defense strategy: I have defended dozens of cases where no early medical treatment meant jurors and adjusters assumed the injuries were not serious. Gaps in your medical treatment are red flags to the other side.

In Bucks County, the main hospital ERs are St. Mary Medical Center (Langhorne) and Lower Bucks Hospital (Bristol). If you are seriously injured, call 911 and let EMS decide. If you are stable, your primary care doctor is fine too.

See your primary care doctor within a few days. Even if the ER clears you, follow up with your own physician. Document what you felt at the accident and what you are feeling now.

Save everything. Keep all medical records, receipts, photos, text messages, insurance documents, the police report number, and any correspondence. Organize it by date. You will need this later.

Dealing With Insurance Companies

Report the accident to YOUR insurer promptly. You have a contractual obligation to do this. Call within 24 hours if possible. Be factual. Tell them what happened, where, when, and that you have sought medical attention. That is the conversation.

Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company without consulting an attorney first. They will ask, and they will sound friendly and professional. That is their job. They are not your friend. They are working to minimize or deny your claim. You can tell them basic facts (your name, address, policy number, date and location of the accident). You are not required to give a detailed recorded statement about how the accident happened or anything about your injuries. If they push back, say: "I will have my attorney contact you with any additional information." Then call a lawyer.

Do not accept the first settlement offer. The insurance company will contact you with a number. It will probably feel generous. It is not. If you are injured and in medical treatment, you do not yet know the full extent of your damages. Once you sign a release, you cannot go back. Wait until you have finished treatment and have a clear picture of your medical bills, lost wages, and ongoing symptoms.

Do not sign medical authorizations giving them unlimited access to your records. If they want your medical records, let your attorney handle that. A blanket authorization lets them pull everything from your primary care doctor, specialists, mental health records, the whole file. That is not necessary and it is not in your interest.

Full Tort vs. Limited Tort: The Decision That Determines Your Case

This is the most important thing on your auto insurance policy that you probably never read.

Pennsylvania allows drivers to choose between two coverage types:

• Full tort: You can sue the at-fault driver for any amount of damages, including pain and suffering (non-economic damages).
• Limited tort: You can recover medical bills and lost wages, but you cannot recover pain and suffering damages unless you meet the definition of "serious injury" or one of the statutory exceptions applies (such as the at-fault driver being convicted of DUI, having not maintained financial responsibility, or driving a vehicle registered in another state).

Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1702, "serious injury" means a personal injury resulting in:

• Death
• Serious impairment of body function
• Permanent serious disfigurement

That is the entire statutory definition. Courts decide case-by-case whether a specific injury qualifies. A soft tissue injury, even a severe one, does not automatically meet the threshold. This is litigated constantly.

If you have limited tort coverage and do not meet this definition, your recovery is generally capped at medical bills and lost wages. That matters enormously. If you have full tort, you are not limited. Check your insurance declaration page right now. If you are injured and you have limited tort, you may still have a valid claim, but the value is significantly lower. This is a conversation to have with an attorney.

There is an important catch most people do not know about. Even with limited tort, the law restores your full right to pursue pain and suffering damages in several situations, regardless of how serious your injury is. Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705(d), you recover as if you had full tort when the at-fault driver was convicted of (or accepted ARD for) DUI in the accident, was driving a vehicle registered in another state, had not maintained financial responsibility, or intended to cause the injury. One limit on this exception: it restores your claim against that driver, but it does not let you recover pain and suffering from your own uninsured motorist coverage. 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1705(d)(1)(iv), 1731(d)(2). You also keep full tort rights when you were injured as an occupant of a vehicle other than a private passenger vehicle (for example, a commercial truck or bus), and in claims against a business that designed, manufactured, repaired, serviced, or maintained a defective vehicle, other than a vehicle operated by that same business, when that business's own act or omission caused or failed to correct the defect. 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705(d)(2), (d)(3). So if you were hurt by a drunk or out-of-state driver, do not assume you have no pain and suffering claim just because you have limited tort.

Bucks County Specific Information

If you are in Bucks County, the accident will likely be investigated by one of several police agencies depending on where it happened:

• Local municipal police (Bristol, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown, Warminster, etc.)
• Pennsylvania State Police (Troop M handles much of Bucks)
• Township police (Northampton, Middletown, Falls, etc.)

You can obtain a copy of the police report through the responding department. For crashes investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police, reports can be requested through the PSP online crash report portal. It takes a couple of weeks for a report to become available.

Local hospitals with emergency departments include St. Mary Medical Center and Lower Bucks Hospital, both equipped to handle auto accident injuries.

If the case goes to civil litigation, you will be in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown.

What Not to Do

• Do not post about the accident on social media. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
• Do not discuss the accident in detail with anyone except your attorney, doctor, and insurer.
• Do not accept cash settlements from the other driver in exchange for not reporting it to police or insurance.
• Do not skip medical treatment to save money or because you feel okay. Do it anyway.
• Do not sign anything the insurance company sends without reading it carefully or having it reviewed.
• Do not assume the insurance company is acting in your best interest. They are not.

Legal and factual content on this page was last verified: Sept. 2026. If you are reading this significantly after that date, confirm key provisions with current statute text or contact our office.