The first hour after a car accident or a house fire
Nobody thinks clearly in the first hour, which is why this exists. Save it to your phone or print it. It's the order that protects you, your claim and everyone else, with New York's deadlines built in.
In the first hour: make people safe and call 911 if anyone is hurt or a road is blocked; exchange names, insurance and plate numbers; photograph everything before it moves; say nothing about fault; get the police report number; and call me before you call anyone's claims line. Then the New York clocks: a DMV crash report (MV-104) within 10 days if anyone is hurt or damage to any one person's property exceeds $1,000; the no-fault application within 30 days if anyone is hurt; a police report within 24 hours for a hit-and-run. After a fire: don't go back in, call the insurer's 24-hour line the same day, keep every receipt, and photograph before anything is thrown out.
Car accident: the first hour
- Safety first. Hazards on. If anyone is hurt, or a car can't move, or a road is blocked, call 911. Don't move an injured person unless there's immediate danger.
- Move out of traffic if the cars are drivable and no one is hurt. New York expects you to clear the lane when it's safe.
- Exchange, don't discuss. Name, phone, insurance company and policy number, plate, make and model, for every driver. Photograph their ID card and plate rather than copying. Don't discuss who was at fault, don't apologize, don't agree to "handle it privately".
- Photograph everything before it moves. All four corners of every car, the damage close up, the whole scene from a distance, skid marks, signs and signals, weather, the other car's plate, any injuries. Video a slow walk around.
- Witnesses. Names and numbers. They leave in minutes.
- Police report number. If police came, ask for it before they leave. If they didn't, call the non-emergency line and ask how to file.
- Hit-and-run? Police report within 24 hours, no exceptions; your SUM claim depends on it.
- See a doctor if anything hurts, or might. Neck and back injuries surface later; the no-fault clock doesn't wait.
- Call me before any claims line. I'll tell you what applies and report it with you.
The New York clocks
| Deadline | When it applies | What |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | Hit-and-run | Police report, or as soon as reasonably possible, to preserve the SUM (uninsured motorist) claim |
| 10 days | Anyone hurt, or more than $1,000 damage to any one person's property | DMV crash report, form MV-104, whether or not police came and whoever was at fault |
| 30 days | Anyone hurt | Written no-fault application (NF-2) to the insurer of the car the injured person was in |
| Promptly | Any accident that could become a claim | Notice to your own insurer; in practice, the same day |
House fire: the first hour
- Everyone out, stay out. Call 911 from outside. Don't go back in for anything.
- Get the fire department's incident number and the name of the officer in charge before they leave.
- Call the insurer's 24-hour claims line the same day (the number is on your ID card and declarations page), or call me and we'll do it together. Ask about emergency board-up, water removal and additional living expense; all three are usually covered and start immediately.
- Photograph and video everything before anything is moved or thrown out. Every room, the outside, the contents. This is your inventory.
- Keep every receipt: hotel, meals, clothes, the locksmith, the board-up. Additional living expense reimburses reasonable costs above your normal spending.
- Don't sign with a contractor or a public adjuster at the curb. They will be there. Take the card, decide tomorrow.
- Secure the property once the fire department releases it; the policy requires you to protect it from further damage, and reasonable costs are covered.
- Start the inventory list that night while memory is fresh: room by room, what was there, roughly when bought and for how much. Photos on your phone from before the fire are gold.
What not to say, to anyone
- "It was my fault." You don't know yet, and it's the adjusters' job, not yours.
- "I'm fine." Say "I don't know yet" until a doctor has looked.
- Any recorded statement to the other driver's insurer before you've talked to yours, or to me.
- Guesses about speed, distance or time. "I'm not sure" is a complete answer.
This checklist reflects New York rules as of 2026 and general claims practice. Your policy's own notice requirements also apply. Print it from your browser; the page prints clean.
- File a motorist crash (accident) report, form MV-104 (NY DMV) — within 10 days if anyone is injured or damage to any one person's property exceeds $1,000
- No-fault insurance, Regulation 68 FAQs (NY DFS) — written notice of claim within 30 days
- Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists (SUM) coverage (NY DFS)
- Help for homeowners and renters (NY DFS)
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Do I have to call the police for a minor accident in New York?
If anyone is hurt or a vehicle can't be moved, yes, call 911. For a minor property-damage crash, police may not respond, but you still must exchange information with the other driver and, if damage to any one person's property is over $1,000, file the DMV's MV-104 crash report within 10 days. A police report number makes every later step easier, so call the non-emergency line if you can.
Should I call my insurer or the other driver's?
Yours first, or me first. Reporting to your own carrier preserves your rights and, if the other driver is at fault, your carrier pursues theirs. Talking to the other driver's adjuster before you've thought it through is how recorded statements get used against you.
What if the other driver has no insurance or leaves?
Report a hit-and-run to the police within 24 hours; that's a condition of the uninsured-motorist (SUM) claim on your own policy. An uninsured driver who stayed: get the plate and a police report; your SUM coverage pays for your injuries and your collision coverage for your car.
After a fire, when can I go back in?
Only when the fire department says so. Ask them for the incident report number. Then call the insurer's 24-hour claims line the same day, ask about emergency board-up and additional living expense, and photograph everything before anything is moved or thrown away.
Call me before the other insurer
If it just happened, call. I'll tell you what to say, what not to say, and which deadlines apply to you, and I'll report it with you so the facts are stated once and stated right.