What to Do in the First Hour

Nobody thinks clearly right after a crash. That is normal, and it is the reason to read the sequence now rather than trying to construct it on the shoulder of a road. Everything below is ordinary California traffic and insurance practice.

Stop, then check people before cars

You must stop. Check yourself and your passengers for injuries first, then the other vehicle. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately. The California Driver Handbook is direct about this order: if someone is injured, call 911 right away, and if nobody is hurt, move your vehicle out of traffic first and then call.

Get out of the lane if you safely can

A second collision into a stopped car is a real risk on California freeways. If the vehicles are drivable and nobody is injured, move to the shoulder or a nearby parking lot. Turn on hazard lights. Stay out of traffic lanes while you sort things out.

Exchange the required information

This is a legal duty, not a courtesy, and it has its own statute and its own short guide. Vehicle Code section 16025 sets out what each driver must exchange at the scene. Do it before anyone leaves.

Photograph more than you think you need

Both vehicles from several angles including wide shots that show the position of the cars. The other car's license plate. The other driver's license and insurance card. Street signs, signals, skid marks, debris, and the general layout of the intersection. Photos cost nothing and memory is unreliable within hours, let alone weeks.

If there are witnesses, ask for a name and a phone number. Most people will give it if asked in the first two minutes and are gone by the fifth.

What to say and what to leave alone

Be polite and factual. Confirm everyone is all right. Exchange what the law requires. What you should not do is announce fault at the roadside, because you do not yet know the full picture, and a determination of fault is made afterward on the basis of evidence rather than on the basis of who apologized first. Answer an officer's questions honestly; do not speculate for anyone.

Call your insurance company the same day

Report it promptly even if the damage looks minor and even if you believe the other driver was at fault. Policies contain notice obligations, and a late report is a problem you create for yourself. Give the facts you have, including the photos and the other driver's details.

Then the two deadlines

If anyone was injured or killed, or property damage to any one person exceeds $1,000, Vehicle Code section 16000 requires a report to the DMV within ten days. Separately, if the other driver left the scene and you may need to claim on uninsured motorist coverage, Insurance Code section 11580.2 requires the accident to be reported to the police within 24 hours in that situation. Both clocks start immediately.

The next 48 hours

Some injuries do not announce themselves at the scene. Neck, back and head symptoms commonly appear the following day, when adrenaline has worn off. If anything hurts or feels wrong, see a doctor and say it started with a collision, so the connection is in the record from the beginning.

Keep every receipt and every piece of paper from those two days: the tow, the rental, the urgent care visit, the estimate. Put them in one envelope. Reconstructing this later from memory and card statements is the part of a claim people find genuinely miserable.

If you are unsure what your policy covers, the time to find out is before any of this.