Car accidents 15 articles
What to do after a California car crash: the reporting deadlines, how fault is decided, what your policy and the other driver’s policy actually cover, and how to deal with the adjuster.
Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Reviewed
Car accidents, newest first
15 posts in this category. Also in motorcycle accidents and personal injury.
California's 2025 minimum car insurance limits, and what they mean if you were hit
On January 1, 2025 the floor moved from 15/30/5 to 30/60/15, and it moves again in 2035. If the driver who hit you carries the minimum, $30,000 is the ceiling on their liability policy no matter what your treatment costs.
8 min readRead
Pedestrian right of way in California: what the crosswalk law says
Drivers must yield to people in marked and unmarked crosswalks, and crossing outside one does not end your claim. The Vehicle Code sets the duties, the 2023 change limited enforcement, and fault is divided by percentage when a pedestrian is hit in Los Angeles.
9 min readRead
The California three foot law, dooring, and who pays after a Los Angeles bike crash
Two Vehicle Code sections decide most Los Angeles bicycle claims: the three foot passing rule and the rule against opening a door into traffic. Each sets a duty, the door zone works against riders, and the money comes from more than one policy.
9 min readRead
How to get your LAPD traffic collision report in Los Angeles
Your adjuster will ask for the DR number within days. That number comes from the officer's slip or the station desk, the report takes about 45 days, there are three ways to request a copy, the law lists who may have one, and some reports are released by mail only.
9 min readRead
Medical payments coverage (MedPay): how it works in California, and whether you repay it
MedPay sits on your own auto policy and pays medical bills after a crash no matter who caused it. The limits are small, and a California Supreme Court rule decides whether you have to give it back.
10 min readRead
Prop 213: why an uninsured driver in California loses pain and suffering
If your own car was uninsured when someone hit you, California pays your bills and your lost wages and takes away everything else. The statute has one exception, and the rule does not reach passengers, pedestrians, or economic damages.
9 min readRead
Truck crash evidence disappears in 30 days: the preservation letter and why it matters
A carrier has to keep a driver's logs for six months and the ELD backup for six months. The truck goes back to work inside a week. A preservation letter names each item, and the first month decides the case.
9 min readRead
Uber and Lyft crashes in California: which insurance applies at each stage
Which policy pays after a rideshare crash in California depends on what the driver's app was doing at the moment of impact. Public Utilities Code section 5433 sets the coverage floor for each period, and the app data is what proves which one you were in.
8 min readRead
Injured on the job in a vehicle: workers' compensation and the third party claim, side by side
A crash on the clock gives you two claims at once. Workers' compensation pays without proof of fault and pays nothing for pain. The claim against the driver who hit you covers the rest, and your employer's insurer gets repaid out of it.
11 min readRead
Dealing with insurance after an accident
You owe your own insurer cooperation. You owe the other driver’s insurer the date, the place, and nothing else. What to say, what to refuse, and the deadlines California law puts on the insurance company.
10 min readRead
How contingency fees work for car accident lawyers
A contingency fee means no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. Business and Professions Code section 6147 sets what your agreement has to say, California caps the percentage only in medical malpractice, and the fee, costs, and liens come out of your check in order.
9 min readRead
How to get paid for personal belongings damaged in a crash
Phones, laptops, car seats, and glasses are property damage separate from your car. The at-fault driver’s property damage liability or your own renters or homeowners policy pays for them, proof works without receipts, and California uninsured motorist coverage will not help.
8 min readRead
What to do if someone rear ends you in California
If you were rear ended in California, the scene steps and the reporting deadlines start the same day, the driver behind is usually but not always at fault, and the adjuster is owed the date, the place, and nothing else.
10 min readRead
What to do after a car accident that was not your fault
The other driver caused it, and you still have to prove it. What to collect at the scene, which policy pays for what, the deadlines California sets, and the Proposition 213 rule that catches uninsured drivers all follow from that.
10 min readRead
The 5 steps to take after a car accident in California
Five steps, in order, after a California crash: get safe and call 911, document the scene, exchange what the Vehicle Code requires, get examined the same day, and talk to an attorney before you talk to the adjuster.
9 min readRead
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