Crashes are disorienting. What you do in the first two days can protect your health, keep you on the right side of the law, and preserve evidence you may need later. Here’s a plain-English checklist based on California law.
At the scene: your legal duties
- Stop. California law requires every driver involved in a crash to stop at the scene. Leaving after a crash that injures someone is a crime under Vehicle Code § 20001 (a felony in serious cases). Leaving after damaging property is a crime under § 20002.
- Help anyone who’s hurt. If someone is injured, you must give reasonable help, including arranging transport for medical treatment if it’s needed or requested (Veh. Code § 20003). Call 911.
- Exchange information. Under §§ 20002, 20003, and 16025, give and get names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, vehicle registration, and insurance information. If you hit a parked car or other property and can’t find the owner, leave a written note and notify police (§ 20002(a)(2)).
- Get to safety. Move to a safe spot if you can do so safely, turn on hazard lights, and stay off freeway lanes.
Reports you may have to make
Police report (24 hours). If anyone was injured or killed, the driver must make a written report to the CHP, or to the city police department, within 24 hours (Veh. Code § 20008). In the City of Los Angeles, that’s usually LAPD on surface streets and the CHP on freeways. If officers came and took a report at the scene, ask for the report number and confirm whether anything more is needed from you.
DMV SR-1 (10 days). Under Vehicle Code § 16000, each driver must file an SR-1 form with the DMV within 10 days if:
- anyone was injured, even slightly, or killed, or
- property damage to any one person was more than $1,000.
This applies whether or not you were at fault. It can also apply to crashes off the road, like in a parking lot or driveway, unless the only damage was to your own property and no one was hurt. The SR-1 is separate from any police report or insurance claim. If you don’t file it, your license can be suspended. The form is at dmv.ca.gov/accidentreport.
Insurance basics
- For policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 (SB 1107), California’s minimum liability coverage is $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injury, and $15,000 for property damage. Those minimums rise again, to $50,000/$100,000/$25,000, for policies issued or renewed starting in 2035. Many serious injuries cost far more than minimum limits.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own policy may pay if the other driver has no insurance or too little, or in many hit-and-runs. Check your declarations page.
- Medical payments (MedPay) coverage, if you have it, may help with medical bills regardless of fault.
- Notify your own insurer promptly. Most policies require it. Stick to the facts.
- Be careful with the other driver’s insurer. You generally don’t have to give them a recorded statement. Don’t guess about speed, distances, or your injuries.
- Uninsured drivers face a penalty. Under Proposition 213 (Civ. Code § 3333.4), an uninsured vehicle owner, or a driver who can’t show proof of insurance, generally can’t recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. There’s a narrow exception for an uninsured owner hit by a driver who is convicted of DUI for that crash.
Medical care
- Get checked out quickly, even if you feel “fine.” Adrenaline can hide injuries such as concussions, whiplash, and internal injuries.
- Tell providers every symptom, including headaches, numbness, and trouble sleeping.
- Follow through on referrals and keep copies of records and bills. Gaps in treatment are often used to argue an injury wasn’t serious.
Evidence: what to capture now
- Photos and video of all vehicles, plates, the intersection, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, signs, weather, and your injuries. Keep taking injury photos over the following days.
- Witness names and phone numbers. Witnesses disappear fast.
- Video sources. Note nearby businesses, homes with doorbell cameras, and buses. Footage is often deleted within days or weeks, so ask quickly.
- Your own notes. Write down what happened while it’s fresh: time, direction of travel, what each driver said.
- Keep the evidence. Don’t repair or junk your car until it’s been photographed and inspected. Save the dashcam card.
- Stay off social media about the crash or your injuries.
Changes coming in 2027
- Free electronic crash reports. AB 2761 (2026) amends Vehicle Code § 20012 so that an electronic copy of a crash investigation report must be provided free to people with a proper interest, such as the drivers and injured people. Printed copies can still carry a fee. AB 2761 takes effect January 1, 2027.
- Rideshare crashes. SB 623 (2026) applies to covered rideshare accidents on or after January 1, 2027. It limits how much can be recovered for certain lien-based medical treatment and makes lien sales and related financial arrangements discoverable.
Red flags
- An insurance adjuster pushes for a quick recorded statement or a fast settlement.
- You’re asked to sign a medical authorization giving access to your entire history.
- The other driver wants to “keep insurance out of it.”
- Your pain gets worse over the first few days.
What you can do next
Keep everything in one folder:
- claim numbers
- photos
- the SR-1 copy
- the police report number
- medical records
- receipts for out-of-pocket costs and lost wages
Know your deadlines:
- 2 years for most injury lawsuits (Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1)
- as little as 6 months for a claim against a government entity, such as a city bus or a dangerous road (Gov. Code § 911.2)
See our post on injury deadlines.
Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.
This article is general information about California law, not legal advice. Reading it doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different, so talk to a licensed California attorney about yours.
