I Just Got Hit: What to Do After Being Struck by a Car

If you just got hit by a car while walking, biking, or riding a scooter, move to safety, call 911, and stay at the scene. Get a medical evaluation the same day even if you feel fine. Collect the driver’s name, insurance, and plate. Do not discuss fault, and talk to a lawyer before the other driver’s insurer. 

What to Do at the Scene If You Just Got Hit by a Car

Stay at the scene, call 911, and say nothing about fault. These six steps, in order, protect your health and your claim from the first minute:

1. Move to safety without leaving the scene: Get out of traffic and onto a sidewalk or shoulder if you can move safely. Do not leave the area, even if the driver pressures you to handle it privately. Leaving can cost you the evidence and witnesses your claim depends on.
2. Call 911 and request both police and medical help: Ask for an officer and an ambulance, even if the crash seems minor. The police report becomes a key piece of evidence, and a 911 call creates an official record of when and where it happened.
3. Accept a medical evaluation at the scene even if you feel fine: Accept a medical evaluation at the scene even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks pain, and injuries like concussions or internal bleeding often show no symptoms at first. Getting checked ties your injuries to the crash, which is why prompt medical care matters after an accident.
4. Collect the driver’s information: Get their name, insurance carrier, policy number, and license plate before they leave. If they refuse or flee, the plate number alone helps police track them down later.
5. Get names and contact information from witnesses: Anyone who saw the crash can confirm your version if the driver disputes fault. A quick phone number or photo of their ID is enough, since people scatter fast once the scene clears.
6. Take photos of everything: Capture the scene, your injuries, the vehicle, its position, skid marks, and the surrounding area. Photos taken in the moment carry more weight than descriptions written down later.

These steps apply whether you were walking, biking, riding a scooter, or on a skateboard. The driver’s duty to watch for you does not change with how you were getting around.

Your auto insurance may also help. If you carry PIP or uninsured motorist coverage, it can apply even though you were not in a car, and the steps to take after a pedestrian accident in Texas follow this same order.

What to Do in the Days After Being Hit by a Car

What you do in the days after being hit by a car matters just as much as what you do at the scene. The first two weeks shape your medical record and your claim, so handle these in order:

• See a doctor even if you skipped the ER: symptoms from concussions, soft-tissue damage, and internal injuries often appear days later, and a prompt visit links them to the crash before an insurer can argue otherwise.
• Keep copies of every medical record and bill: save discharge papers, prescriptions, imaging, and receipts, since these documents prove the cost and severity of your injuries.
• Report the accident to your own insurer within 24 to 48 hours: most policies require prompt notice, and your PIP or uninsured motorist coverage may pay regardless of fault, so stick to the facts and avoid guessing.
• Request the police report and check it for errors: officers sometimes record the wrong details about position, direction, or fault, and catching a mistake early is far easier than fixing it after an adjuster relies on it.
• Track every expense and missed work hour: log medical costs, transportation, and lost wages as they happen, because a running record is harder to dispute than numbers reconstructed months later.
• Stay off social media about the accident: a photo or comment can be pulled out of context to argue your injuries are minor, so assume the other insurer is watching.

If the driver fled, you are dealing with a hit-and-run, and your uninsured motorist coverage often becomes your main source of recovery. Report it to police and your insurer right away. For the critical early window, what to do in the first 72 hours after a pedestrian accident sets the foundation for everything that follows.

What NOT to Do After Being Hit by a Car

These mistakes can reduce or eliminate your ability to recover compensation after being hit by a car in Texas. Avoid all six:

• Apologizing or saying sorry at the scene: a reflexive “I’m sorry” can be treated as an admission of fault, even when the driver caused the crash.
• Leaving before police arrive: without an official report, you lose the strongest record of what happened and who was responsible.
• Skipping medical care because you feel fine: untreated injuries give the insurer room to claim you were never really hurt or that something else caused the pain.
• Giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer: adjusters use scripted questions to pull answers that shift blame onto you.
• Accepting a settlement offer before treatment is complete: once you settle, you cannot reopen the claim, even if your injuries turn out to be worse than they first looked.
• Posting about the accident or your injuries on social media: a single photo or comment can be twisted to argue your injuries are minor.

Each of these hands the other side a reason to pay you less. When you are unsure what to say or sign, say nothing and get advice first.

Who Is Liable When a Pedestrian, Cyclist, or Rider Gets Hit

Drivers owe a duty of care to everyone outside a vehicle, and they are frequently at fault when they fail to yield, speed, run a red light, or drive distracted. When a driver breaches that duty and hits you, the law holds them responsible for the harm they cause.

Texas uses a modified comparative fault rule, so your own actions can affect what you recover. If you are found partially at fault, your compensation drops by your percentage of fault. If you are more than 51% at fault, you cannot recover anything at all.

Liability works slightly differently for cyclists and scooter riders. Insurers often raise lane position, signaling, or whether you wore a helmet to argue you share blame. None of these automatically defeats your claim, but they can become bargaining points an adjuster uses to lower your payout.

Proving who is liable takes evidence and a clear read of Texas law. Texas personal injury lawyers and San Antonio personal injury attorneys can determine fault, counter the insurer’s arguments, and protect your claim.

What Compensation Can You Recover After Being Hit by a Car in Texas

If a driver’s negligence caused your injuries, Texas law allows you to pursue compensation for the following losses:

• Medical expenses: emergency care, surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, and medication, including future treatment your injuries will require.
• Lost wages: the income you missed during recovery, plus reduced earning capacity if your injuries limit the work you can do going forward.
• Pain and suffering: the physical pain and emotional toll of the crash, from chronic discomfort to anxiety and loss of enjoyment in daily life.
• Property damage: the cost to repair or replace what was damaged, such as your bike, scooter, phone, helmet, or clothing.
• Wrongful death damages: if a loved one did not survive, surviving family can recover funeral costs, lost financial support, and loss of companionship.

The injuries behind these claims range widely, and reviewing the common pedestrian accident injuries shows how severity drives value. Pedestrian and cyclist settlements vary widely based on how serious the injuries are and how fault is divided, so no two cases carry the same number.

Putting an accurate value on all of this is where experienced car accident lawyers earn their keep. The right personal injury lawyers account for future costs the insurer would rather you overlook.

Get a Free Case Review From a Texas Personal Injury Lawyer

If a driver hits you, you can talk to us before you talk to their insurer, at no cost and no risk. We work on a no fee unless we win basis, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. Contact us for a free consultation, and we’ll review what happened, explain your options, and tell you honestly what your claim is worth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do immediately after being hit by a car while walking?

Move to safety, call 911, and stay at the scene. Accept medical care even if you feel fine, collect the driver’s name, insurance, and plate number, get witness contacts, and photograph everything. Do not discuss fault.

Can I file a claim if I was hit by a car while riding a bike or scooter?

Yes. Drivers owe the same duty of care to cyclists and scooter riders as to pedestrians. You can pursue the same compensation, though insurers may raise lane position or helmet use to argue you share fault.

What happens if the driver who hit me doesn’t have insurance?

Your own uninsured motorist coverage often steps in to pay, even though you were not in a car. The same applies to hit-and-run cases where the driver is never found. Report it to police and your insurer right away.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Texas after being hit by a car?

Two years from the date of the accident, in most cases. Miss that deadline and you lose the right to recover. Some exceptions apply, so confirm your timeline with a lawyer early.

Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company after being hit?

No, not before getting advice. Their adjuster works to pay you less, and a recorded statement can be used to shift fault onto you. Let a lawyer handle that conversation.

What if I was partially at fault for the accident?

You can still recover, as long as your share of fault is 50% or less. Your compensation drops by your percentage of fault. Cross that line to 51% and you recover nothing under Texas law. 

What does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer after being hit by a car?

Nothing upfront. Most personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning they only get paid if you win, taking a percentage of the recovery. The first consultation is free.

¿Hablan español y pueden ayudarme si me atropellaron en Texas?

Sí. Hablamos español y atendemos a personas atropelladas en San Antonio y en todo Texas. Revisamos lo que pasó, te explicamos tus opciones y nos encargamos de hablar con la aseguradora. La consulta es gratis y no cobramos a menos que ganemos tu caso.