What to do after a car accident in Portsmouth

Check on people first at the scene

1. Check yourself and passengers for injury.
2. Call 911 when anyone may be hurt, traffic is unsafe, a driver leaves, or emergency assistance is needed.
3. Follow dispatcher and officer instructions.
4. Do not stand in moving traffic to take photographs.
5. Do not move a seriously injured person unless immediate danger requires it.

For Portsmouth police contact and current department information, use the official Portsmouth Police Department page(opens in a new tab).

Exchange information without arguing about fault

Collect names and contact details. Save driver-license, plate, vehicle, and insurance details when appropriate. Note the responding agency and the report number if one is given.

Do not argue about fault or guess how bad an injury is at the roadside. A calm exchange of facts is enough.

Photographs worth taking

When it is safe, photograph:

• Overall vehicle positions.
• Each vehicle and visible damage.
• Plates.
• Traffic signals, signs, lane markings, and road conditions.
• Debris or skid evidence visible from a safe place.
• Relevant surroundings that establish location.

Do not step into traffic, get in the way of responders, or take invasive photos of injured people.

The first evening after the crash

If you were checked at a hospital, read the discharge instructions. Go back for any listed warning signs. Call 911 for worse confusion, repeated vomiting, seizure, or severe chest pain. Also call for trouble breathing, new weakness, heavy bleeding, or loss of consciousness.

Use CDC concussion danger signs(opens in a new tab) and SOMC(opens in a new tab) for official information. Do not wait for insurance approval before calling 911.

Keep everything in one folder the next day

Keep:

• Crash report number.
• Driver and insurer information.
• Photographs.
• Repair/tow details.
• Medical discharge papers and bills.
• Claim number and adjuster contact.
• A brief symptom timeline.
• Missed-work or transportation notes.

Keep original documents when you can. Do not send sensitive records through a plain website form.

How to find the crash report

Ohio law-enforcement crash reports can be searched through the Ohio Department of Public Safety crash retrieval tool(opens in a new tab). Reports may not appear immediately.

If the report is not available, contact the responding agency or use the City of Portsmouth public-records process(opens in a new tab) when appropriate. Read the step-by-step crash report guide.

Talking with the insurance company

Report the crash under your policy. Ask for the claim number, adjuster contact, and instructions for vehicle inspection or repair. Do not guess when you do not know an answer.

Review insurance and MedPay after an Ohio crash and the Ohio Department of Insurance consumer portal(opens in a new tab).

Keeping track of how you feel

Write the date, the symptom, and what it affects. "Neck became stiff the next morning; looking right while driving is hard" is more useful than a diagnosis copied from the internet.

For non-emergency musculoskeletal questions, read car accident care in Portsmouth. For danger signs, use emergency or medical care.

If the question on your mind is whether any of this is worth an appointment, call (740) 876-8394 and describe what changed. You don't need the crash report or a diagnosis to ask.

Frequently asked questions

If a word on a report, form, or phone call is unfamiliar, the accident care glossary explains it in plain English.