Guide · After a CA accident
What to do after a car accident in California
The steps that matter most happen in the first hour: documentation, statements, and what you say to the other driver and to their carrier. Here's the sequence we walk our Westminster clients through.
First 5 minutes
Stop, safety, 911 if needed
- Stop your vehicle. Leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony under California Vehicle Code §20001. Even property-damage hit-and-run is a misdemeanor under §20002.
- Check for injuries.Yours and everyone else's. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, even mildly. Whiplash and concussion symptoms can be delayed.
- Move vehicles to the shoulder if safe.California encourages moving vehicles out of traffic for safety once it's clear no one is seriously hurt. Document positions with photos first.
- Turn on hazard lights. Cones or warning triangles if you have them.
Documentation
What to photograph, what to write down
Phone photos in this order, before you talk to the other driver:
- Both vehicles from all four sides, before they move.
- Damage close-ups, including any debris pattern on the ground showing impact angle.
- License plates of all vehicles involved.
- The other driver's license and insurance card.
- The scene wide-angle, showing road, traffic controls, weather.
- Any visible injuries.
- Witnesses' faces if they'll consent, and contact info.
Write down: date, time, exact location (cross streets), road conditions, weather, direction each vehicle was traveling. Don't rely on memory or just police report.
Exchange information
What to share and what NOT to say
Share: your full name, phone, address, license number, insurance carrier name and policy number, vehicle registration. Take the same from the other driver.
Don't say:“I'm sorry,” “I didn't see you,” or anything that could be interpreted as admitting fault. Even when you think you're at fault, the legal determination of fault depends on facts you may not fully know yet. Apologies become evidence. State just what you observed: “I was traveling westbound on Bolsa.”
Don't agree to private settlement. Even if the other driver offers cash to skip insurance, decline politely. Hidden damage and delayed-onset injuries surface later. Once you accept private payment, your insurance options narrow.
When to call police
California reporting requirements
Call police (911 or non-emergency line) at the scene if:
- Anyone is injured, even slightly.
- The other driver flees or refuses to provide information.
- You suspect the other driver is impaired (DUI).
- Damage appears to exceed $1,000 total.
- You're uncertain whether the other driver has insurance.
Per California Vehicle Code §16000, you must report any accident with injury or property damage exceeding $1,000 to DMV within 10 days using form SR-1. This is separate from any police report. We help clients with SR-1 filing.
First 24 hours
Reporting to your carrier and getting medical attention
- See a doctor. Even if you feel fine. Soft-tissue injuries can take 48 to 72 hours to manifest. A same-day or next-day medical record is the strongest evidence linking injury to the accident.
- Call your insurance carrier. Most California policies require prompt notice. We sit on this call with our clients to make sure the statement is accurate without volunteering interpretations that hurt the case.
- Don't give a recorded statement to the OTHER driver's carrier yet.The other carrier's adjuster will call within 24 to 48 hours wanting a recorded statement. You're not obligated to give one and it's often a mistake. Let us coordinate.
- Keep all medical receipts, mileage to appointments, lost-work documentation. These build the claim.
What we do at QualitySpace
Walking you through the claim
When our clients have an accident, we:
- Sit on the claim-filing call with you in Vietnamese or English.
- Help draft the SR-1 if required.
- Coordinate with the adjuster on your behalf, especially when the carrier asks for information that might prejudice the claim.
- Track the timeline and escalate if the carrier delays beyond reasonable response windows (typically 15 to 40 days for initial coverage decisions under California Code of Regulations Title 10).
- Refer you to a personal injury attorney if the case involves meaningful injuries we're not equipped to navigate.
Common mistakes
What hurts cases most often
- Apologizing at the scene (becomes evidence).
- Delaying the doctor visit by more than 48 hours (weakens injury-to-accident link).
- Giving recorded statements to the other carrier without coordination.
- Posting on social media about the accident (other carrier's investigators read these).
- Settling early before knowing the full medical picture.
- Letting the rental-coverage clock run without verifying the rental carrier's terms.