Accident help
After a car accident in California, check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Move out of traffic if you can. Trade names, insurance, and plate numbers with the other driver. Take photos and ask for the report number. Which state's rules apply depends on where the crash happened. A free case check organizes what happened, a licensed attorney reviews it, and it does not decide anything.
Free. Not legal advice. Starting a case check does not mean we represent you.
Where this comes from
We checked these original sources on September 5, 2026. Each link opens the source so you can read it for yourself.
Original links
Request a Crash Report
CHP FAQ, collision section
Find an Office
Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (SR-1)
California Vehicle Code section 20012
Request a Traffic Report
Request Copy of Police Incident Report
Report Vehicle Accidents
General rules where the crash happened
Because the crash happened in California, California traffic and fault rules are the first ones to check. Other state law may also matter depending on where people live, vehicles are registered, policies were issued, employers operate, and companies are based. A lawyer must decide which law controls the particular case.
A secondary state-by-state chart classifies California as an at-fault jurisdiction. Fault generally affects legal responsibility, but that does not mean a particular person or insurance company automatically owes or pays a claim. Payment depends on the facts, current law, available coverage, and the policy you actually have. That policy may separately list MedPay or PIP on its declarations page.
A secondary state-by-state chart indicates that insurers in California generally must offer uninsured motorist coverage on applicable auto policies. The source does not confirm what was offered, selected, or rejected on the policy you actually have, or whether coverage applies or pays. Check that policy and its declarations page for uninsured motorist or UM; the policy terms and facts control.
Other states can matter too, depending on where the people live, where the vehicles are registered, where the policies were issued and which companies were involved. A lawyer decides which law applies to your facts.
Check any other stateCalifornia Highway Patrol (CHP)
In California, the agency that came out keeps the crash report. CHP says it can only release reports CHP investigated. Here is how CHP says to ask for a copy.
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CHP can only get you copies of collision reports CHP investigated. If a city police department or a sheriff took the report, ask that agency instead. If you do not know who came out, CHP says your local police department or a CHP office can help you identify the right agency.
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CHP releases a crash report to a proper party of interest. Its list includes drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, passengers, parents of minors, legal guardians, vehicle or property owners, legal representatives, and insurance companies with a valid claim or policy number. If you are not sure, CHP says to contact any CHP Area office and ask.
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A proper party of interest can ask for a CHP crash report online through the Crash Portal, without going to the CHP Area office where the report was filed. Have the crash date, the crash location, and the name of the driver or vehicle owner ready before you start.
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You can also mail form CHP 190, or bring it in person, to a CHP Area office. CHP says to send it to the office that reported the crash. Use the CHP office finder to search by city, county, or ZIP code and get the right address.
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CHP says it charges only a nominal fee to cover reproduction costs, and the charge rises with the page count. There is no extra charge for handling or mailing. Send a personal check or money order made out to the California Highway Patrol, not cash. Contact the office where the report was filed for the exact amount.
California Highway PatrolAgencies change their forms, portals and fees. Open the linked page before you pay for anything, and keep a copy of every request you send.
A driver reporting duty, not a claim window
California has a separate driver duty. The DMV says you, or your insurance agent, broker, or legal representative, must complete an SR-1 report and send it to DMV within 10 days if someone is injured, no matter how minor, or killed, or if property damage is over the amount the DMV page lists. The DMV says an SR-1 is required in addition to any other report made to the police, CHP, or your insurance company. This is a reporting duty owed to the DMV. It is not a window for making a claim, and it says nothing about any claim you may or may not have. You can start it online or print the form, and the DMV posts a Spanish version too.
California Department of Motor VehiclesFederal fatal-crash counts, 2022 to 2024
| County | Fatal crashes | People who died | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 2,320 | 2,484 | 20.0% |
| San Bernardino County | 1,089 | 1,197 | 9.4% |
| Riverside County | 925 | 981 | 8.0% |
| San Diego County | 825 | 877 | 7.1% |
| Orange County | 649 | 680 | 5.6% |
| Sacramento County | 551 | 582 | 4.7% |
These are crashes in which at least one person died within 30 days, as counted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are not a count of all crashes, injuries, insurance claims or lawsuits, and most crashes are not in this file at all.
The counts are not adjusted for population, road miles or how much people drive, so they cannot say one place is more dangerous than another. A crash appearing here does not show who was at fault, whether anyone was insured or whether anyone has a claim.
Closer to where it happened
Each page names the department that usually holds the report there and how to ask for it.
Questions
It depends on who came out. If CHP worked the crash, a party of interest can ask online through the CHP Crash Portal, or mail form CHP 190 to a CHP Area office. If a city police department wrote it, ask that department instead.
The DMV has its own form, the SR-1. The DMV says you, or your insurance agent, broker, or legal representative, must send it when someone is hurt or killed, or when property damage passes the amount the DMV page lists. The SR-1 is required in addition to any police or CHP report. The DMV page sets the timing.
California Vehicle Code section 20012 says the agency the crash was reported to must release the report to anyone with a proper interest. The law names the drivers involved, a guardian or conservator, the parent of a minor driver, an authorized representative, named injured people, owners of damaged vehicles or property, and attorneys who declare that they represent one of them.
Some California departments do not send an officer for minor property damage. Sacramento police, for example, list the conditions that bring an officer to the scene, and let you file the report yourself for documentation and insurance. Write down the date, time, cross streets, plates, and insurance details yourself.
Yes. The DMV posts its SR-1 form in Spanish. San Francisco police post their report request form in Spanish, and the LAPD page for ordering a traffic collision report online links an English and a Spanish version. You can also start a free case check with Vetted Cases in Spanish by phone, text, or online.
Keep reading
A quick reality check
This page cannot decide fault, medical cause, insurance coverage, legal deadlines, case value or whether you have a claim. Those questions depend on the complete facts, records, state law and a licensed attorney's review.
Last updated
We opened every California agency page linked here on this date and rewrote anything that had changed.
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