Before you contact anyone else, prioritize the basics that protect both your health and your claim:
- Get medical care promptly (even if you feel “mostly okay”). Some injuries—concussions, soft-tissue damage, back/neck issues—can show up later.
- Document what you can while it’s fresh: take photos of the scene, your injuries, vehicle location, crosswalk markings/signage, and traffic signals.
- Write down your memory of the incident before it fades: direction of travel, how the light looked, sounds you heard, and what the driver did right before impact.
- Collect witness information (names, phone numbers, and where they were standing).
- Be careful with statements to insurance. In New Jersey, what you say can be used to challenge causation or fault.
If you’re wondering whether you should “wait and see,” it’s usually safer to treat the situation as real—because delays can make insurance disputes more likely.


