# Guides URL: https://mywreckcheck.com/learn 14 plain-language car accident claim guides from My Wreck Check, written from primary sources, each linked to a tool that runs your own numbers. Guides Every guide is written from primary sources, links to a tool that runs your own numbers, and is checked by a credentialed reviewer before it goes into search. ## Car, truck & motorcycle crashes [Topic page and tools](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident) * [![An unopened plain white envelope and a closed notebook side by side on a desk in low evening light.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-do-i-need-a-lawyer.png)Start hereDo you actually need a lawyer after a crash?Often the honest answer is no. Here is where a firm earns its percentage, where it does not, and how to work out which situation you are in.4 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/do-you-actually-need-a-lawyer-after-a-crash) * [![A closed manila folder, a set of car keys and a ballpoint pen on a plain wooden kitchen table in flat grey window light.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-car-accident-claim.png)Start hereHow a car accident claim works, from first call to releaseA car accident claim is a request for payment from an insurer, yours or the other driver's. Which one to use, what happens next and where it can go wrong.7 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/car-accident-claim) * [![A folded hospital discharge sheet and a rolled foam neck support resting on a plain kitchen table in flat grey daylight.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-back-neck-injury-settlement.png)Start hereWhat a back and neck injury claim is really worthBack and neck injuries are the most common serious harm in a crash and the hardest to value. Here is how the number is actually built, and what moves it.5 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/what-a-back-and-neck-injury-claim-is-worth) * [![A quiet suburban intersection photographed from the pavement on a grey morning, a single set of skid marks curving across an empty lane.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-not-your-fault.png)Start hereWhat to do after a crash that was not your faultBeing clearly not at fault does not make the claim simple. Here is what to do in the first days, and the mistakes that quietly cost people money.4 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/what-to-do-after-a-crash-that-was-not-your-fault) * [![An empty grey sedan parked in an ordinary concrete driveway, its rear bumper showing a small dent, in soft overcast daylight.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-average-settlement-for-non-injury-car-accident.png)GuideAverage settlement for non injury car accident: what paysWe found no official average settlement for non injury car accident claims. What a damage-only claim pays for instead, and the state rules behind it.8 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/average-settlement-for-non-injury-car-accident) * [![A closed dark spiral notebook, a blue ceramic mug of tea and a set of keys on a wooden kitchen table beside a window looking out on a wet street.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-can-i-claim-for-anxiety-after-a-car-accident.png)GuideCan I claim for anxiety after a car accident? How it worksCan I claim for anxiety after a car accident? It is non-economic loss, but states like New York, Florida and Michigan set an injury threshold first.6 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/can-i-claim-for-anxiety-after-a-car-accident) * [![A plain white envelope and a ballpoint pen resting on a closed paper folder on a light wooden desk beside a window.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-car-accident-settlement.png)GuideCar accident settlement: what it covers and who gets paidA car accident settlement trades one payment for a signed release. What the number is built from, who is paid out of it, and when part of it is taxed.6 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/car-accident-settlement) * [![A small hourglass with sand partly run through and a set of car keys on a closed folder at the edge of a quiet road at dusk, a parked car in the distance.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-how-long-after-car-accident-can-you-claim-injury.png)GuideHow long after car accident can you claim injury?How long after car accident can you claim injury? Three clocks apply: insurer notice, the lawsuit deadline and government notice. Real state rules, cited.8 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/how-long-after-car-accident-can-you-claim-injury) * [![A blank page held by a metal binder clip beside a plain calculator and a pencil on a worn wooden desk at a window, a parked car on an empty road outside.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-how-much-do-lawyers-take-from-car-accident-settlement.png)GuideHow much do lawyers take from car accident settlement?How much do lawyers take from car accident settlement money? The fee math, how costs change it, where the law caps the percentage, and what to ask first.6 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/how-much-do-lawyers-take-from-car-accident-settlement) * [![A phone lying face down beside a closed notebook and a pen on the passenger seat of a parked car in overcast daylight.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-how-to-report-a-car-accident.png)GuideHow to report a car accident: police, state and insurerHow to report a car accident in the US: when to call the police, when your state wants its own crash report, and when to tell your insurer.8 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/how-to-report-a-car-accident) * [![An empty four-way intersection on a dry grey morning, faint tyre marks on the asphalt and a few small pieces of clear plastic near the centre line, no vehicles in frame.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-how-to-tell-who-is-at-fault-in-a-car-accident.png)GuideHow to tell who is at fault in a car accidentHow to tell who is at fault in a car accident: who decides, what evidence counts, and how shared fault changes recovery in Texas and Florida.8 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/how-to-tell-who-is-at-fault-in-a-car-accident) * [![The empty rear passenger seat of a parked car, a seat belt resting across it, lit by soft daylight through the side window.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-i-was-a-passenger-in-a-car-accident-who-do-i-sue.png)GuideI was a passenger in a car accident, who do I sue?I was a passenger in a car accident, who do I sue? Usually you claim on insurance first. Which policy pays, in what order, and when a lawsuit comes in.7 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/i-was-a-passenger-in-a-car-accident-who-do-i-sue) * [![A smartphone with a dark screen and a folded blank paper card lying on the passenger seat of a parked car at dusk, a quiet street visible through the window.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-uber-accident-settlement.png)GuideUber accident settlement: whose insurance pays and whenAn Uber accident settlement starts with one question: what was the driver's app doing at the moment of the crash? How rideshare coverage shifts, state by state.8 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/uber-accident-settlement) * [![A plain unsigned sheet of paper and a capped ballpoint pen set to one side on a wooden kitchen table, beside a closed folder, in soft grey window light.](https://mywreckcheck.com/images/gen/guide-what-happens-when-you-reject-an-insurance-settlement-offer.png)GuideWhat happens when you reject an insurance settlement offerWhat happens when you reject an insurance settlement offer: saying no doesn't end the claim on its own, but a signed release or a missed deadline can.7 min read](https://mywreckcheck.com/motor-vehicle-accident/what-happens-when-you-reject-an-insurance-settlement-offer)