In the first hours after a crash, your choices can make or break a later claim. If you’re able, prioritize:
- Get medical care immediately (even if you think it’s “not that bad”). California insurers often look for consistency between the crash and symptoms.
- Call the police and request a report. In hit-and-run cases, the report number and officer notes become a key anchor for later documentation.
- Write down what you remember while it’s fresh: vehicle description, direction of travel, approximate speed, license plate fragments, and anything distinctive (logo, color, dents, headlights, exhaust sound).
- Photograph the scene if safe: roadway conditions, traffic signals, debris, paint transfer, and your injuries.
Avoid giving recorded statements to insurance before you’ve spoken with an attorney. Adjusters may ask questions that sound harmless but can be used to argue the crash didn’t cause your injuries or that the other driver cannot be tied to the damage.


