What Should I Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Los Angeles, CA? | Essential Steps

By Payam Soliemanzadeh, Founder and President

Key takeaways

• Vehicle Code §16025 requires exchanging name, address, license, and insurance information with other drivers at the scene.
• Personal injury claims in Los Angeles County must be filed within two years under CCP §335.1.
• Collisions on the Interstate 10 or Interstate 405 often require both CHP reports and your own documentation.
• If injured, Los Angeles General Medical Center at 2051 Marengo Street provides Level I trauma care.

Los Angeles intersections and freeways—Interstate 5, Interstate 10, U.S. 101, Interstate 110, and Interstate 405—see thousands of collisions every year. Whether on the Santa Monica Freeway during rush hour or at a congested Wilshire Boulevard stoplight, the moments after impact determine the strength of your claim. Your decisions at the scene shape both your medical recovery and your legal options.

California is an at-fault state, which means you recover damages from the responsible driver's insurer. Pure comparative negligence applies: even if you were partly at fault, you may still recover, reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Acting quickly and correctly preserves evidence, satisfies reporting requirements, and protects your right to compensation under California law.

Check for injuries and call 911

Your first priority is safety. Check yourself, your passengers, and occupants of other vehicles for injury. If anyone complains of pain, shows visible wounds, or appears disoriented, call 911 immediately. Los Angeles General Medical Center, a Level I trauma center at 2051 Marengo Street, handles the most severe injuries, but paramedics will transport you to the nearest appropriate facility. Emergency responders also create an official incident record that insurers and courts rely on later.

Decline to move vehicles unless they block traffic and everyone is unharmed. California law permits repositioning cars to restore flow, but photographs documenting original positions come first. If the collision occurred on a freeway—Golden State, Harbor, or San Diego—CHP will respond and may issue a traffic collision report. Request the report number before officers leave; you will need it to obtain the full narrative later from the California Highway Patrol.

Exchange information and document the scene

Vehicle Code §16025 requires every driver involved to provide name, current residence address, driver's license number, vehicle registration, and insurance information to the other party. Ask to photograph the other driver's license, registration card, and insurance declaration page with your phone. California raised minimum liability coverage to 30/60/15 on January 1, 2025, under SB 1107, but many drivers still carry only that minimum or remain uninsured entirely. Record the policy number and carrier name clearly.

Photograph all vehicle damage from multiple angles, the final resting positions, skid marks, traffic signals, street signs, and debris. Capture the intersection or freeway mile marker—Olympic Boulevard at Figueroa Street, for example, or the northbound Interstate 110 transition to U.S. 101. If witnesses stopped, ask for their names and phone numbers; independent accounts often prove causation when fault is disputed. Write down weather, lighting, and road conditions while the details remain fresh. These records become critical if the other driver later changes their story or if their insurer denies liability.

Comply with California reporting requirements

California imposes multiple reporting obligations. Vehicle Code §20008 requires a written report to the police or CHP within 24 hours if the collision caused injury or death. Vehicle Code §16000 requires every driver involved in a collision causing over $1,000 in damage or any injury to file form SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days, regardless of fault. Failure to file the SR-1 triggers an automatic license suspension until you comply and prove financial responsibility under Vehicle Code §16056.

Notify your own insurer promptly, even if you believe the other driver was entirely at fault. Your policy likely requires immediate notice, and delay can void coverage. If the collision involved a Los Angeles city bus, a Metro vehicle, or a Caltrans maintenance truck on a state freeway, Government Code §911.2 requires filing a government claim within six months—far shorter than the two-year personal injury deadline in CCP §335.1 that applies to private defendants. Missing that six-month window typically bars your claim forever, so identifying the vehicle owner correctly matters immediately.

Local details

Los Angeles County car accident cases are filed in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, part of the Central District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. The courthouse hears personal injury cases arising anywhere in the city, from Interstate 5 collisions in the northern neighborhoods to crashes on the Harbor Freeway downtown. Process takes time; discovery, depositions, and settlement negotiations often extend over many months before trial.

Los Angeles General Medical Center, the designated Level I trauma center at 2051 Marengo Street, provides the most advanced emergency care for brain injuries, spinal trauma, and multi-system injuries. Emergency-room records from this facility and others document injury severity and causation, which insurers scrutinize closely. High-traffic corridors—Wilshire Boulevard, Figueroa Street, Olympic Boulevard, and all five freeways—generate frequent rear-end, sideswipe, and intersection collisions. CHP jurisdiction covers state freeways; LAPD handles city streets. Knowing which agency responded helps you obtain the correct report. California's pure comparative negligence rule means that even if you were partially at fault merging onto the San Diego Freeway, you may still recover damages reduced by your percentage of fault.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Los Angeles?

You have two years from the collision date to file a personal injury lawsuit under CCP §335.1. Property damage claims carry a three-year deadline under CCP §338. If a government entity—Metro, the city, the county, or Caltrans—is responsible, Government Code §911.2 requires a formal claim within six months. Missing that six-month deadline almost always forecloses your claim, even if the two-year statute has not yet expired.

What if the other driver has no insurance or fled the scene?

California requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which you may waive only in writing. If you carry UM/UIM coverage, your own policy may compensate you for injuries caused by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver. File a police report immediately and provide every detail you remember—license plate, vehicle description, direction of travel—to aid investigation and support your UM claim.

Do I need a lawyer for a minor car accident in Los Angeles?

Minor property damage with no injury may not require an attorney. But if you felt pain afterward, visited a doctor, or face disputed fault—common on congested freeways like the Santa Monica or Hollywood—consulting a Los Angeles car accident attorney protects your rights. Initial consultations are typically free, and California personal injury attorneys work on contingency, collecting fees only if you recover.

Can I still recover damages if I was partially at fault?

Yes. California applies pure comparative negligence: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but not eliminated. If you were 30 percent at fault for a crash on the Golden State Freeway and your damages total $100,000, you may recover $70,000. Insurers often exaggerate your fault to reduce payouts, so preserving evidence and witness statements at the scene becomes critical to disputing those claims later.

Related reading

• Car Accident Practice Area
• Los Angeles Car Accident Page
• What Should I Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Pasadena, CA?
• What Should I Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Culver City, CA? - Essential Steps
• What Should I Do Immediately After a Car Accident in La Mirada, CA? | Legal Guide

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