What to do after a car accident in California
A step-by-step guide: safety, documentation, insurance, and choosing the right body shop.
A car accident is stressful even when nobody is hurt. The decisions you make in the first hour can affect your safety, your insurance claim, and how quickly your vehicle gets back on the road. Here is the exact playbook we walk our customers through every day at Focus On Cars in Compton.
1. Make sure everyone is safe
Turn on your hazard lights, check yourself and your passengers for injuries, and if it is safe to do so, move the vehicle out of traffic. If anyone is hurt or the vehicles are blocking the road, call 911 immediately. California law requires you to stop at the scene of any collision involving injury, death, or property damage.
2. Call the police and file a report
Even for a minor fender bender, a police report creates an unbiased record of what happened. Insurance companies rely on these reports heavily when assigning fault. Ask the responding officer for the report number before they leave the scene.
3. Document everything
Use your phone to take wide shots of both vehicles, close-ups of every dent and scratch, photos of the license plates, and pictures of the surrounding road, traffic signs, and skid marks. Exchange names, phone numbers, driver's license numbers, insurance carriers, and policy numbers with the other driver. Get contact information from any witnesses.
4. Notify your insurance company
Call your insurer the same day if possible. Stick to the facts when you describe the accident - do not speculate about fault or injuries. Your adjuster will open a claim and assign you a claim number you will need at the body shop.
5. Choose your own body shop
This is where most drivers in California give up rights they did not know they had. You are not required to use the shop your insurance recommends. California Insurance Code §758.5 gives you the legal right to choose any licensed repair facility. A good independent shop like Focus On Cars works directly with your insurance, fights for OEM parts, and stands behind the repair with a written warranty.
6. Get a free estimate
Bring the vehicle in for a free written estimate before authorizing any repairs. We document every damaged panel, photograph hidden structural damage, and submit a supplement to your insurance if the adjuster missed anything. You drive away with a clear timeline and no surprises.
If you have been in an accident anywhere in Compton, Long Beach, or Los Angeles County, call us at (310) 629-9044 or stop by the shop. We will handle the insurance company so you do not have to.