Checklist
The first 72 hours.
The short answer
- Health first, record second, insurers third. The order matters.
- Three clocks are already running: California’s 24 hour report, Washington’s four day report, and the hit and run rules in every state.
- Nothing you say to the other insurer helps you in the first week. Facts only, no statement.
The twelve steps
- At the scene
Get safe, then get help
Move out of traffic if you can. Call 911 for anyone hurt, including you. In Washington, if there is only property damage, the law asks drivers to move the vehicles off the road, and doing so does not affect fault.
- At the scene
Exchange what the law requires
Name, address, vehicle registration and, in Texas and Washington, insurance details. Photograph the other driver’s license, plate and insurance card instead of copying them down. Do not discuss fault with anyone but the police.
- At the scene
Photograph everything
Both vehicles from all sides, the whole scene from a distance, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, the weather, and your own injuries. Take more than feels necessary. Scenes are cleared within the hour.
- At the scene
Get the witnesses
Names and phone numbers of anyone who saw it, before they drive away. A witness who is not in the police report is a witness nobody will find later.
- Same day
See a doctor, today
Emergency room, urgent care or your own doctor. Describe every symptom, including the small ones. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap between the crash and the first visit is the first thing an insurer points to.
- Within 24 hours
Report it as your state requires
California: a written report must reach the CHP or city police within 24 hours of a crash with an injury, and a DMV form SR 1 within 10 days. Texas: call the police; the officer files the report. Washington: if no officer investigated, file a collision report within four days when anyone was hurt or damage reached $1,000.
- Within 24 hours
If the other driver fled, report that too
California’s uninsured motorist coverage for an unidentified driver requires a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days. Washington requires a report within 72 hours for a vehicle that never touched yours. Do not wait.
- Day 1 or 2
Tell your own insurer
Most policies require prompt notice. Give the basic facts: when, where, who. Your own policy may be the one that pays your medical bills and the one that stands in for an uninsured driver, so you want the claim open.
- Day 1 or 2
Say little to the other insurer
It will call. You may confirm the date, place and vehicles. You may decline a recorded statement, decline to describe your injuries, and decline a quick settlement. You have no duty to help the other side build its file.
- Day 2
Start a file
One folder, paper or on your phone: the police report number, photos, names, every bill, every receipt, and a short daily note on pain, sleep and what you could not do. Six months from now this file is the case.
- Day 2 or 3
Find your own coverage
Read your declarations page or ask your agent for it. Look for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, medical payments or personal injury protection, and rental coverage. In all three states the uninsured coverage is in the policy unless someone rejected it in writing.
- Day 3
Talk to a lawyer
If you are hurt, if fault is disputed, if a truck, rideshare or government vehicle was involved, or if the other driver was uninsured, this is the day. Preservation letters for video and data have to go out while the evidence exists.
The rules, with their sources
These are the rules of law this page relies on. Each one is a general statement with exceptions that are not shown, and each links to the statute, regulation or court decision it comes from.
| Topic | California | Texas | Washington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duties at the scene | Stop at once, give your name, address and vehicle registration, show your license if asked, and give reasonable help to anyone injured, including arranging for medical care. [1] | Stop, stay at the scene, exchange your name, address, vehicle registration and insurance information, show your license if asked, and give reasonable help to anyone who is hurt. [2] | Stop, give your name, address, insurance company, policy number and license plate, show your driver’s license, and give reasonable help to anyone injured. In a crash with only property damage, move the vehicles off the road as soon as you can. Moving them does not affect who is at fault. [3] |
| Reporting the crash | Two separate reports. A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must make sure a written report reaches the CHP or city police within 24 hours. And any crash with an injury, a death, or more than $1,000 in damage to one person’s property must be reported to the DMV within 10 days on form SR 1. [4] | Call the police right away if anyone is hurt or killed, or if a vehicle cannot be safely driven. Texas no longer has a state crash report for drivers to file. The investigating officer files the report (form CR-3) when there is an injury, a death, or apparent damage of $1,000 or more. [5] | If no officer investigates, a driver must file a collision report within four days when anyone is injured or killed, or when damage to any one person’s property is $1,000 or more. [6] |
| Hit and run and unidentified drivers | To use uninsured motorist coverage for a driver who was never identified, there must have been physical contact with that vehicle, the crash must be reported to the police within 24 hours, and a sworn statement must be filed with your insurer within 30 days after that. [7] | To use uninsured motorist coverage for a driver who was never identified, Texas requires actual physical contact between that driver’s vehicle and you or your property, such as your vehicle. [8] | When the other vehicle never touched yours (a phantom vehicle), your claim needs evidence beyond your own account, and the crash must be reported to law enforcement within 72 hours. [9] |
| Coverage for your own medical bills | California does not require drivers to carry coverage for their own medical bills. Medical payments coverage is optional. Where a policy has it, it can pay for immediate medical care no matter who was at fault. [10] | Personal injury protection (PIP) is part of every auto policy unless it was rejected in writing. The statute does not require an insurer to provide more than $2,500 per person, and PIP pays no matter who was at fault. [11] | Insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP) with every auto policy, and it can only be declined in writing. The minimum benefits are $10,000 for medical and hospital care, plus limited amounts for lost income, household services and funeral costs. [12] |
Sources
- Cal. Veh. Code §§ 20001 to 20003
- Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.021 to 550.023
- RCW 46.52.020
- Cal. Veh. Code §§ 16000, 20008
- Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.026, 550.062, 550.065(a)(1)(B); S.B. 312, 85th Leg., R.S. (2017), §§ 74(2), 81
- RCW 46.52.030; WAC 446-85-010
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(b)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3)
- RCW 48.22.030(8)
- California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance Information Guide
- Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1952.152, 1952.153, 1952.155
- RCW 48.22.085; RCW 48.22.095
The rules on this page were last checked against these sources on October 3, 2026. Laws change, so follow the link before you rely on a rule.
Attorney review in progress. Responsible attorney: Emery Brett Ledger. Page last updated October 26, 2026.