What to do after a car accident

1. Check for injuries

Call 911 if anyone is hurt, then move somewhere safe if the cars are drivable. Everything else on this list can wait. This cannot. If you are not certain whether someone is hurt, treat it as though they are — adrenaline hides a great deal in the first few minutes.

2. Call the police

Ask for a report even if the damage looks minor. A police report is an independent record of what happened, and without one a claim comes down to your word against theirs. Get the report number before the officer leaves — tracking it down afterward is far harder than it sounds.

3. Exchange information

Name, phone number, driver's license, license plate, insurance company, and policy number. Photograph their license and insurance card rather than copying the details by hand, so nothing gets written down wrong. Trade information, not opinions — what happened is not settled at the curb.

4. Photograph everything

Both vehicles from all four corners. Plates, driver's licenses, insurance cards. The wider scene — the road, traffic signals, lane markings, skid marks, debris. And any visible injury. Do this before the cars are moved, because once traffic clears the scene is gone and cannot be recreated.

5. Get witnesses

Names and numbers, before anyone drives away. Someone who stopped and saw it happen carries more weight than any argument made later, because they have nothing to gain either way. A first name and a phone number is enough. Witnesses scatter within minutes and are close to impossible to find afterward.

6. If you're hurt, seek medical attention

Document your injuries. Some pain shows up days later — people walk away from a crash feeling fine and wake up two days on unable to turn their head. A gap between the collision and the first medical record is the first thing an insurer will point at, so being seen early protects the claim as much as it protects you.

Before you talk to any insurance company

Don't admit fault. Don't guess at what happened. Don't sign anything. Don't give a recorded statement. Don't accept the first offer. Don't post about the crash on social media. The adjuster will call within days and will sound genuinely helpful, and you are under no obligation to give a recorded statement — what you say in one can be used to reduce or deny your claim. Talk to me before you talk to them. The call is free, and I will tell you plainly whether you need a lawyer at all.

What happens in the days after

The other driver's insurance company will call, usually within a few days, and they will be friendly about it. Keep everything: bills, prescriptions, appointment cards, and a short note each week of what hurt and what you could not do. Above all, do not let a gap open in your treatment. If you stop going to the doctor for three weeks because you are busy or starting to feel better, the insurer will argue that you recovered, and that argument is very hard to answer after the fact.

How long you have to file

In California you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. But if a government entity is involved — a city bus, a county vehicle, a dangerous condition on a public road — you may have as little as six months to file an administrative claim first. Miss that deadline and the claim is over regardless of how strong it was. If there is any chance a public agency is involved, do not wait to find out.

What it costs to call me

Nothing. The consultation is free, and I work on contingency: no attorney's fee unless I recover money for you. Case costs such as filing fees, medical records, and experts are separate, and they are explained in writing before you sign anything. If I do not think you need a lawyer, I will tell you so, and that conversation still costs you nothing.

If it was more than a fender bender

Different collisions raise different questions. These go deeper on the ones I handle most:

This checklist is general information about California personal injury claims. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship — that is formed only by a signed written agreement. Every case turns on its own facts. Esli Law Firm APC, 206 West 4th Street, Suite 300, Santa Ana, CA 92701.