What to do, and what to hold off on, in the three days after a crash or a fall. Tick things off as you go. Choose your state to add its reporting rules.
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Right away
Safety comes first. Everything else on this page can wait until people are safe.
In the first 24 hours
What you do today shapes both your recovery and the record of what happened.
In the next two days
This is when insurance companies start calling and the paperwork begins.
Things to hold off on
None of these help you, and each can be hard to undo.
What each state requires after a crash
The steps above are the same everywhere. These rules are not. They are the ones people miss most often in the first days.
| 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.Cal. Veh. Code §§ 20001 to 20003 | 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.Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.021 to 550.023 | 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.RCW 46.52.020 |
| 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.Cal. Veh. Code §§ 16000, 20008 | 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.Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.026, 550.062, 550.065(a)(1)(B); S.B. 312, 85th Leg., R.S. (2017), §§ 74(2), 81 | 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.RCW 46.52.030; WAC 446-85-010 |
| 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.California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance Information Guide | 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.Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1952.152, 1952.153, 1952.155 | 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.RCW 48.22.085; RCW 48.22.095 |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage | Every auto liability policy includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the insurer and a named insured removed or reduced it in a signed written agreement.Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(a) | An auto policy in Texas must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless a named insured rejected it in writing. If you never signed a rejection, you may have this coverage without knowing it.Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101 | A new auto policy must include underinsured motorist coverage, which in Washington also covers uninsured, hit and run and phantom vehicles, unless the named insured or spouse rejected it in writing.RCW 48.22.030 |
| 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.Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(b) | 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.Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3) | 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.RCW 48.22.030(8) |
| Claims against a government agency | A written claim must be presented to the city, county, state agency or other public entity within six months. If the entity sends a proper written rejection, a lawsuit generally has to be filed within six months of that notice. A request to file late must be made within a reasonable time, not to exceed one year after the claim arose. The statute leaves a few narrow kinds of time out of that year.Cal. Gov. Code §§ 911.2, 911.4, 945.6 | A city, county, school district or state agency must receive notice of the claim within six months of the incident. The notice describes the injury or damage, the time and place, and what happened. A city’s charter can set its own notice period, which may be shorter, so do not assume you have the full six months.Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 | Before suing a city, county or other local government, you must present a tort claim form to its designated agent and then wait 60 calendar days. Claims against the State go to the Office of Risk Management with the same 60 day wait. The form has to be presented within the normal limitation period, and that period is paused during the 60 days.RCW 4.96.020; RCW 4.92.100; RCW 4.92.110 |
Sources
Primary sources for the rules on this page. Checked on the dates shown.
- Cal. Veh. Code §§ 20001 to 20003 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Veh. Code §§ 16000, 20008 (checked October 3, 2026)
- California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance Information Guide (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(a) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(b) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Gov. Code §§ 911.2, 911.4, 945.6 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.021 to 550.023 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Transp. Code §§ 550.026, 550.062, 550.065(a)(1)(B); S.B. 312, 85th Leg., R.S. (2017), §§ 74(2), 81 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1952.152, 1952.153, 1952.155 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 46.52.020 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 46.52.030; WAC 446-85-010 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.085; RCW 48.22.095 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.030 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.030(8) (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 4.96.020; RCW 4.92.100; RCW 4.92.110 (checked October 3, 2026)
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