If you can, treat the first hour like an evidence “window.” In Moreno Valley, surveillance and camera footage can be overwritten quickly—especially near commercial strips, retail parking areas, and busy roadway intersections.
Prioritize these actions:
- Call 911 and ask for a report number (even if the driver fled). A police report becomes a key anchor for later insurance and legal work in California.
- Document the crash scene immediately: location, direction of travel, time, weather/lighting, and any distinctive vehicle traits (colors, dents, taillight shape, missing parts).
- Capture what you can with photos: road markings, debris, vehicle damage, skid marks, and any visible injuries.
- Write down witness details before you lose them—names, phone numbers, and what they saw.
- Seek medical care promptly. In California, treatment timing and medical documentation often become central to causation questions.
If you’re not able to do this yourself, ask a friend/family member to help right away.


