Knowing what to do after a car accident in California comes down to a short sequence: make the scene safe, call 911 if anyone is hurt, exchange information, photograph everything, see a doctor within a day, tell your insurer, and file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days when the law requires one.
This guide puts those steps in the order they happen, from the first hour to the tenth day, with the details that apply in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, and explains when it makes sense to call a car accident lawyer.
Key takeaways Link to this section
The short version, before the detail.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Do I have to stop? | Yes. California requires every driver involved in a crash to stop, and leaving the scene can be a crime even when the damage is small. |
| Do I have to call the police? | Call 911 if anyone is hurt. When someone is injured, a written report to the CHP or the city police is due within 24 hours. |
| Do I have to tell the DMV? | Yes, on an SR-1 within 10 days, if anyone was injured or killed or property damage to any one person is over $1,000. |
| Should I see a doctor if I feel fine? | Yes, within a day or two. Some injuries take time to show, and an early record links them to the crash. |
| Should I call my insurer if it was not my fault? | Yes. Most policies require prompt notice of any accident, and reporting one is not admitting fault. |
This article is by Accident Lawyer of California, P.C., the personal injury practice of Aryan Aliakbarzadeh, Esq. in Northridge, California, admitted to the State Bar of California in October 2012. It describes how these cases work in California; it is not advice about yours.
What should you do at the scene in the first hour? Link to this section
The first hour decides what evidence will exist later. Once you are out of danger, work through these steps in order.
- Stop and make it safe. Turn on your hazard lights. If nobody is hurt and the cars can be driven, move them out of traffic.
- Check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt. A driver in a crash that injures someone must stop and give reasonable help, including arranging medical care when it is plainly needed or asked for, under Vehicle Code §20001 and §20003.
- Exchange information. When anyone is hurt, the drivers must give each other their names and addresses, the vehicle registration number and the owner’s name and address. Get the driver’s license number, the insurance company and the policy number as well, and photograph the documents if the other driver agrees.
- Photograph everything before the cars move, if it is safe. Both vehicles from every side, the license plates, the lanes, skid marks, debris, traffic signals and signs, the weather and the light, and any visible injury.
- Find the witnesses. Ask anyone who saw the crash for a name and a phone number. Witnesses rarely wait for the police.
- Stick to the facts. You can be kind without discussing fault. California keeps an expression of sympathy out of evidence as an admission, but a statement of fault made alongside it can be used (Evidence Code §1160).
- Write down the officer’s name and the report number if the police come to the scene.
Who takes the accident report in Los Angeles and the Valley? Link to this section
It depends on where the crash happened. The California Highway Patrol handles the freeways and state highways, which in the Valley means the 101, the 405, the 118, the 5 and the 170, and the unincorporated parts of the county.
On surface streets inside the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department takes the report. That covers most of the Valley, including Northridge, Van Nuys, Reseda, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Canoga Park. Cities with their own police departments, such as Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando, handle their own streets. If you are not sure, the 911 dispatcher will send the right agency.
If no officer comes, the duty to report does not go away. When anyone is injured, the driver must make a written report within 24 hours to the CHP or, inside a city, to either the CHP or the city police (Vehicle Code §20008).
What should you do in the first 24 hours? Link to this section
See a doctor, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline hides pain, and neck injuries, back injuries and concussions often show up hours or days after a crash. Tell the doctor it was a car accident and mention every symptom, however small. That record is what connects the injury to the crash later.
Tell your own insurer. Report the basic facts, which your policy almost certainly requires you to do promptly, and write down the claim number and the adjuster’s name.
Write down what you remember while it is fresh, and date the note.
Save the evidence. Back up your photos and download any dashcam footage today, because many cameras record over themselves within hours.
Expect a call from the other driver’s insurer. You do not have to give that company a recorded statement, and it is usually better not to until you know how badly you are hurt. The reasons, and what to say when the adjuster calls, are in can I refuse a recorded statement to insurance in California.
What should you do between hours 24 and 48? Link to this section
The second day is when stiffness, headaches and bruising often appear. If new symptoms show up, go back to the doctor and follow the treatment plan you are given. Gaps in treatment are one of the first things an insurer points to when it argues an injury was minor.
Start a simple file and keep everything in it: the claim numbers, the report number, the photos, towing and rental receipts, medical bills and the dates and hours of any missed work. Add a short daily note of pain and of what you could not do.
Keep the car as it is until it has been photographed and inspected, and be careful on social media, which insurers read.
Do not sign anything the other driver’s insurer sends without understanding it, particularly a release, a settlement check or a medical authorization that opens your entire history. A fast offer in the first days is rarely the right one, for the reasons in should you accept the insurer’s first settlement offer.
What should you do in the first 10 days? Link to this section
File the SR-1 if the law requires it. Under Vehicle Code §16000, a driver must report the crash to the DMV within 10 days if anyone was injured, however slightly, or killed, or if property damage to any one person is over $1,000. You, your insurance agent, broker or lawyer can file it, online or on paper, through the DMV’s SR-1 page. The DMV must suspend the license of a driver who fails to make a required report (Vehicle Code §16004).
The SR-1, the police report and the insurance claim are three different things, and one does not replace another.
| Report | Who receives it | Deadline | When it is required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police report | CHP or the city police | Within 24 hours | Anyone injured or killed |
| SR-1 | The DMV | Within 10 days | Anyone injured or killed, or property damage over $1,000 to any one person |
| Insurance claim | Your insurer, and the other driver’s | Promptly, under the terms of your policy | Any accident your policy covers |
Request the collision report from the CHP or the LAPD once it is available. It records the officer’s account and the statements taken at the scene.
Keep up with treatment and keep every appointment.
Know the outer deadlines. A lawsuit for a personal injury must generally be filed within two years of the crash (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved, or a dangerous road condition played a part, a written claim to that public entity is due within six months (Government Code §911.2). That second deadline is the one that catches people out.
What should you do if the crash was not your fault? Link to this section
Do everything above, and protect the claim you will make against the other driver’s insurance. When someone else caused the crash, their liability coverage should pay for your car, your medical bills, your lost income and your pain and suffering. The adjuster handling that claim works for the other driver’s insurer, not for you.
Still report the crash to your own insurer. Reporting is not admitting fault, and your own coverage may pay for repairs or medical bills sooner, with your insurer recovering the money from the other company afterwards.
Do not treat fault as settled because the other driver apologized or admitted it at the scene. Drivers often tell their insurer a different story later, and what decides the claim is the evidence: photos, witnesses and the report. That situation is covered in do you need a lawyer if the other driver already admitted fault.
Even if you were partly to blame, you can still recover. California applies comparative fault, so your compensation is reduced by your share of the blame rather than lost altogether.
What should you do after a minor car accident? Link to this section
The same basics apply, because whether a crash was minor is often decided later.
Still stop and exchange information. Leaving the scene of a crash that damaged property is a crime even when the damage is small, and if you hit a parked car you must find the owner or leave a note with your name and address in a place it will be seen (Vehicle Code §20002).
Still photograph both cars, including any part that looks undamaged, and still see a doctor if anything hurts, now or over the next few days. Low speed crashes can still injure the neck and back.
Still check whether an SR-1 is needed. Any injury, however minor, makes it required, and repair estimates often come in higher than the damage looks, so get one before you decide the $1,000 threshold does not apply.
A private arrangement with the other driver may still leave you obliged to report the accident under your policy, and it offers no protection if an injury surfaces a week later.
What to do after a car accident in California: the checklist Link to this section
Keep this in the glove box or on your phone.
- Hazard lights on, cars moved out of traffic if it is safe
- 911 called if anyone is hurt
- Names, addresses, license, registration, owner and insurance exchanged
- Photos of both cars, plates, the road, signals and injuries
- Witness names and phone numbers
- Officer’s name and report number
- Doctor seen within 24 hours, every symptom mentioned
- Your insurer told, claim number written down
- Dashcam footage and photos backed up
- No recorded statement to the other insurer, nothing signed
- Symptoms, missed work and receipts kept in one file
- SR-1 filed with the DMV within 10 days if required
What to do next Link to this section
If you were hurt in a crash in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley, talk to a lawyer before the other insurer’s questions become harder. Aryan Aliakbarzadeh, Esq. will tell you where you stand and what to do with the adjuster, and there is nothing to sign on the call. Call or text 818-718-2522, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or use the contact page.
Frequently asked questions Link to this section
What should I do after a minor car accident in California? Link to this section
Stop, exchange information, photograph both cars and the scene, and see a doctor if anything hurts. Tell your insurer, and file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days if anyone was injured or property damage to any one person is over $1,000. A minor crash still carries the same legal duties as a serious one.
How long after a car accident can you still report it in California? Link to this section
It depends on the report. An injury crash must be reported in writing to the CHP or the city police within 24 hours, and the SR-1 is due at the DMV within 10 days. Your insurer expects prompt notice under your policy. The deadline to file an injury lawsuit is generally two years, or six months for a claim against a public entity.
Should I contact my insurance if I’m not at fault? Link to this section
Yes. Most policies require you to report any accident promptly, whoever caused it, and failing to do so can put your own coverage at risk. Reporting is not admitting fault. Your insurer may also pay for repairs or medical bills under your own coverage and then recover that money from the other driver’s insurer.
What if it was a hit and run? Link to this section
Call 911, and note everything you can about the other car: the plate, make, color and direction of travel. Look for witnesses and cameras nearby. Report it to the police within 24 hours. To claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage, the law generally requires physical contact with the other vehicle, that 24 hour police report, and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days (Insurance Code §11580.2).
Do I have to report a car accident to the DMV in California? Link to this section
Yes, if anyone was injured or killed, or if property damage to any one person is over $1,000. The report is the SR-1, it is due within 10 days, and it is required in addition to any police report or insurance claim.