The library
Read it before you need it.
Plain guides to what happens after a crash, grouped by lane. 52 long-form guides across eight lanes, twelve crash-type scenarios, and a fifty-term glossary. General information, never advice.
Legal
Attorneys
The deadline, the costs, the mistakes, the conversations.
Legal
What actually happens when you talk to a collision attorney
The first call, the review, and the fee that only exists if you win. LegalWhat a collision attorney costs, and who actually pays
The percentage that only exists if there is a recovery. LegalHow long an injury claim actually takes
Ranges as honest unknowns, and what moves the clock. LegalSettling with the insurer yourself vs hiring an attorney
When alone is rational, and what representation changes mechanically. LegalNine mistakes people make in the first week after a crash
Each one named, each mechanism explained. LegalThe adjuster is not your adjuster
Whose employee they are and what their job optimizes. LegalWhat happens when the other driver has no insurance
Your own policy is usually the backstop. LegalHow fault actually gets decided
The police report is not the finding. LegalThe recorded statement, what it is and what it is for
Which insurer is asking matters.
Towing
Towing and impound
The lot, the meter, the gate, the paperwork.
Towing
What happens to your car after it gets towed
The lot, the daily meter, and the release process. TowingWhat towing and storage actually cost, day by day
The hook, the miles, and the meter. TowingGetting a car out of impound, start to finish
The gate opens for the owner, the paperwork, and the paid bill. TowingTow to a storage lot vs tow to a repair shop
One move beats two. TowingThe impound mistakes that double the bill
Waiting is the expensive one.
Repair
Repair
The estimate decides what happens to the vehicle.
Repair
How a collision repair estimate actually works
The number that decides repair or total loss. RepairYou usually choose the shop. Here is what that means.
The choice is yours in most states. RepairOEM vs aftermarket parts after a collision
What the labels mean, what your policy says. RepairThe insurer’s preferred shop vs your own shop
Convenience against control. RepairWhy a windshield replacement now involves cameras
The glass carries sensors. Recalibration is part of the job. RepairHow long collision repair takes, stage by stage
Parts are the real clock.
Rental
Rental
Two caps are already written into your policy. Read them first.
Rental
How rental coverage actually works after a crash
Two caps are already written into your policy. RentalThe two caps written into your rental coverage
A dollar cap and a day cap, already chosen. RentalLoss of use, the money people never claim
When the other side owes you for the days without a car. RentalHow long you can keep the rental
Three clocks run at once. The shortest wins.
Medical
Medical care
Get seen because you are hurt, not for a claim.
Medical
The treatment gap, what it is and why insurers measure it
The number in your claim file that only ever grows until the first visit. MedicalWho pays the medical bills after a crash
Health insurance, PIP, MedPay, and the lien behind the curtain. MedicalWhat happens at the first medical visit after a crash
The visit ends the gap and starts the record. MedicalWhy medical records decide injury claims
The file testifies in dates before it testifies in words.
Valuation
Valuation and appraisals
The insurer’s first number is an opening position.
Valuation
How a total loss number actually gets decided
Comparables, condition, and the first offer as an opening position. ValuationDiminished value, the claim most people never make
Repaired perfectly and still worth less. ValuationAccepting the first offer vs getting an independent appraisal
What each path costs, produces, and assumes. ValuationHow to read a total loss offer, line by line
The comparables, the adjustments, and the lines worth checking. ValuationGap coverage and the upside down loan
When the check is smaller than the loan.
Replacement
Replacement
Settle the number first. Shop second.
Replacement
Replacing a totaled car without getting rushed
Settle the number first, shop second. ReplacementThe total loss to replacement timeline
Declaration to settlement to title to shopping. ReplacementTaking the settlement vs keeping the salvage
Owner retention, the branded title, and when keeping it is rational.
Timeline
The whole aftermath
Every clock in the aftermath, in order.
Timeline
The complete timeline of what happens after a crash
Every clock in the aftermath, expanded. TimelineThe first 48 hours after a crash, hour by hour
What cannot wait, what can, and what quietly starts counting. TimelineHow to get your crash report
Who files it, when it is ready, what it does not decide. TimelineSubrogation, the claim behind your claim
Your insurer pays, then pursues.
Scenario
By crash type
Twelve crash types, one playbook each.
Scenario
What to do after a rear-end collision
Chain-of-impact fault, whiplash record reading. ScenarioWhat to do after a side-impact collision
Intersection cases, signal-timing evidence. ScenarioWhat to do after a head-on collision
Catastrophic patterns, estate roles. ScenarioAfter a motorcycle crash, the aftermath lane by lane
Helmet documentation, bike repair, coverage layering. ScenarioAfter a commercial truck crash, the aftermath lane by lane
Multiple defendants, preservation of evidence. ScenarioAfter an Uber or Lyft crash, whose insurance covers what
Three coverage periods, driver vs passenger. ScenarioAfter a hit and run, what happens when the other driver leaves
First hours, UM backstop. ScenarioAfter a crash involving a pedestrian
Scene priorities, driver insurance. ScenarioAfter a crash involving a bicyclist
Right-hook, doored, bike as evidence. ScenarioAfter a crash in a rental car
Four coverage layers, loss of use against the renter. ScenarioAfter a crash with a teen driver
Family-policy insureds, graduated licensing. ScenarioAfter a multi-vehicle pileup
Chain-of-impact fault, long tail of carriers.
Glossary
The words. Plain definitions.
Fifty terms the aftermath keeps using. Each one defined in a minute or less.
ValuationActual cash value
RepairADAS calibration
LegalAdjuster
RepairAftermarket parts
ValuationAppraisal clause
LegalArbitration
LegalBad faith
RepairBetterment
LegalBodily injury claim
ReplacementBranded title
LegalComparative negligence
LegalContingency fee
LegalContributory negligence
ValuationDeclarations page
LegalDemand letter
LegalDemand package
LegalDeposition
ValuationDiminished value
RepairDirect repair program
LegalDiscovery
LegalExamination under oath
LegalFirst and third party claims
RepairFrame damage
ValuationGap insurance
MedicalIndependent medical examination
LegalLetter of protection
LegalLiability limits
RentalLoss of use
MedicalMaximum medical improvement
LegalMediation
MedicalMedPay coverage
LegalNo-fault state
RepairOEM parts
ReplacementOwner retention
MedicalPIP coverage
LegalPolicy limits
LegalProperty damage claim
ValuationPublic adjuster
LegalRelease of liability
RentalRental reimbursement coverage
LegalReservation of rights
ReplacementSalvage title
LegalStatute of limitations
TowingStorage fees
LegalSubrogation
RepairSupplement
LegalTort state
ValuationTotal loss threshold
TowingTow lien
LegalUM and UIM coverage