Injured on Deerfoot or Stoney Trail? What to Do in the First 72 Hours

Deerfoot Trail carries well over a hundred thousand vehicles on a typical weekday, and the Stoney Trail ring road moves traffic at highway speed around the entire city. When collisions happen on these roads, they happen fast and hard, and what you do in the first 72 hours shapes your claim for the next two years.

Hour one: safety, police, and the scene

Move to safety if you can and call 911 for any injury. On Deerfoot and Stoney, secondary collisions are a real risk, so stay out of live lanes and behind barriers where possible. If you are physically able, photograph vehicle positions, damage, debris fields, licence plates, and the roadway itself, ice, slush, or gravel on the road matters later. Get names and phone numbers for witnesses before they drive off; on a commuter route, they are gone in minutes and nearly impossible to find afterward.

Day one: get examined, even if you feel okay

Adrenaline is a genuine painkiller, and whiplash, concussion, and soft-tissue injuries often surface a day or two after a high-speed crash. See a doctor the same day if possible, at an urgent care, your family physician, or an emergency department, and describe every symptom, however minor it seems. That same-day medical record is the anchor your entire claim hangs on. A gap between the crash and your first medical visit is one of the first things an adjuster will use against you.

Days two and three: the insurer calls

Expect a call from the other driver's insurer, often friendly, often quick, and often asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and you should not before getting legal advice. Report the collision to your own insurer promptly (your policy requires it), but keep the account factual and brief: what happened, where, when. Do not speculate about fault, your own injuries, or speed.

Preserve the fast-disappearing evidence

Two kinds of evidence on Calgary's big roads vanish quickly: camera footage and vehicle data. Nearby businesses, transit cameras, and other drivers' dash cams overwrite on cycles measured in days. Modern vehicles also record speed and braking data that can be lost when a car is written off and scrapped. A lawyer can send preservation demands immediately, which is one of the strongest arguments for calling early rather than waiting to see how you heal.

The two-year clock is already running

Alberta's Limitations Act generally gives you 2 years from the collision to file a claim, and Calgary lawsuits are filed at the Calgary Courts Centre. Two years sounds like a long time; with treatment, negotiation, and evidence-gathering, it is not. A free case review costs you nothing and tells you exactly where you stand, and with Alberta Accident Law, you pay nothing unless we win.