Recovering from a Car Accident in Quebec: The Complete Guide
If you were injured in a car accident in Quebec, you're carrying two things at once: an injury that needs to heal, and a system that doesn't work like anywhere else in Canada. Learning a new process while you're in pain isn't fair. We wanted to make this one simple and human.
This guide walks you through the entire journey: the first few hours, how the SAAQ works, your medical care, the deadlines that quietly decide a claim, and how to keep everything in order, in simple words, at your own pace. This is not legal or medical advice. It's the map we would have liked to receive from day one.
How does the SAAQ work after an accident?
Quebec applies a no-fault public plan, administered by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). In other words, if you are injured in a road accident in Quebec, you are compensated by the SAAQ, regardless of who caused the accident.
Three things often come as a surprise:
- You don't have to sue anyone. In Quebec, recourse to the courts against the responsible driver does not exist for bodily injury. Your recourse is a claim to the SAAQ.
- You don't need a driver's license to be compensated.
- Damage to your vehicle is a separate matter. Those go through your car insurer, not the SAAQ.
The income replacement indemnity corresponds to 90% of the net income you can no longer earn, and it is not taxable. This is supplemented by the reimbursement of medical and rehabilitation care, as well as other indemnities depending on your situation.
Since everything goes through the SAAQ, what you receive depends on what is documented. The SAAQ has its own process and its own vocabulary, and that's exactly why a clear and dated file, kept by you, counts so much.
What to do in the first hours and days?
Adrenaline hides a lot of things right after a collision. That's why one of the most important things to do is to see a doctor even if you feel okay, because concussions and whiplash often only appear a day or two later.
From the beginning:
- Ask your doctor for the initial medical report at the first consultation. You will need to attach it to your claim.
- Make your claim to the SAAQ. You can do it online.
- Start writing everything down while it's fresh: what happened, who you talked to, how you feel.
- Keep everything: your file number, photos, names, every letter and every form.
Resources: SAAQ, road accident · Make a claim · The first 72 hours after an accident, in English only
Your injuries and medical care
Recovery rarely follows a straight line, and the process requires you to remember everything perfectly. You can't; no one can. See your doctor, go to your appointments, and follow your treatment plan. Then, parallel to the medical system, keep your own dated journal: your day-to-day symptoms, your good days and your difficult days, your medications and their effects. Months later, a consistent record is often what makes your recovery clear to your claims agent.
What are the deadlines that decide your claim?
The Quebec system operates with deadlines, and missing one can quietly cost you compensation you were entitled to. You have three years to submit your claim to the SAAQ, but sooner is definitely better. If you disagree with a decision, you have 60 days to request a review.
We keep the complete and up-to-date list, in simple words, on a separate page.
What to expect from a medical evaluation?
At some point, the SAAQ may ask you to undergo a medical evaluation. For many people, this is the most stressful step in the process, and it's easy to feel misunderstood during a short appointment. You can prepare for it, and arriving with your own dated record of what you're actually experiencing helps you speak clearly about your recovery.
What helps on appointment day: your dated journal, list of medications, and the name of each professional consulted. Describe an ordinary day rather than a good day.
What to do if the SAAQ disputes or limits your compensation?
Disagreements happen, and a decision you don't agree with isn't the end of the road. You have 60 days to request a review, and beyond that, the Tribunal administratif du Québec is an independent recourse. A clear and consistent record of your treatments and symptoms supports you. This is also when some people seek advice, and Hurt Square does not replace legal advice.
Return to work
Returning to work after an injury is rarely an all-or-nothing situation. Many people return gradually, with limitations, and some lose income along the way. Recording your return, hours, limitations, and income losses protects both your recovery and your claim.
Return to Work Tracker, in English only · SAAQ Support Guide
Passenger or pedestrian injured in Quebec?
You don't need to have been driving to be injured by a vehicle, and under Quebec's public system, you don't need your own insurance policy to be compensated. Passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists injured in a road accident in Quebec are covered, and your recovery deserves the same care and documentation as anyone else's.
No license or insurance policy? You can still claim, and the procedure is the same. · SAAQ Support Guide
How to keep everything in one place
Everything above relies on records. The clearer your account of your health, your treatments, and every conversation with the SAAQ, the stronger your position, from the first appointment to the last form.
That's exactly why Hurt Square exists. The SAAQ Support Guide covers the local system: how the SAAQ works, your benefits, forms, deadlines, and rights, in simple words. It's an immediate download you can start filling out today.
Get the SAAQ Support Guide for 24,99 $ →Do you also read English? The National Recovery Guide adds a complete record usable anywhere in Canada. Get both for a total of 49 $, keeping in mind that the national guide is currently only available in English.
Your accident happened in another province? Start with the guides by province and territory.
You don't have to carry this alone
Being injured is hard enough without having to learn a whole new system on top of it. Take it one appointment, one form, one day at a time, and keep your own record as you go, so that when the time comes, your voice is the clear one.
Last verified: July 2026, with the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec. If you find any outdated or incorrect information on this page, please write to us at Recovery@hurtsquare.ca and we will correct it, noting what has changed.
Hurt Square is a documentation companion, not legal, medical, or insurance advice. For any decisions regarding your treatments or claim, speak to your doctor or a lawyer. The information in this guide is general and may change. Always verify deadlines and benefits with the SAAQ.