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Accident Help in California:
Your Rights, Deadlines and Where to Get Help

If you were hurt in a crash in California, you generally have two years to file, and the decisions that shape a claim usually get made in the first few weeks. Here’s what matters, plus a way to talk to a California attorney today.
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Accident Help in California
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Accident claims in California, the short version

If you were injured in a crash in California, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. California is an at-fault state, so the driver who caused the crash and their insurer are the ones who pay. California also lets you recover even when the crash was mostly your fault, with your share of the blame coming off what you get. Two things changed recently that are worth knowing: the state raised its minimum insurance limits at the start of 2025, and claims against a government agency still run on a much shorter six month clock.
to file a claim
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you can still recover even at this fault
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minimum coverage, 2025
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Easy Accident Help isn’t a law firm and doesn’t give legal advice. We connect you with an independent attorney licensed in California who can look at your situation, at no cost to you.

California at a glance

Accident claim rules in California

General information about California law. It isn’t legal advice about your case, and an attorney can tell you how any of it applies to what happened to you.
  • Last updated

October 9, 2026

How long to file

Two years from the date of the accident

2 years

That’s the general rule for personal injury lawsuits in California. The main exception is a claim against the government. If a city bus, a county vehicle, a public employee on the job or a dangerous public road caused your crash, you usually have to file a formal claim with that agency within six months, long before the two year deadline. Miss the six month window and you can lose the right to sue. If the injured person was under 18, the two years generally do not start until they turn 18.

Source California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and Government Code section 911.2 for claims against public agencies

If you share blame

California uses pure comparative negligence

99%

California follows a pure comparative fault rule, set by the courts rather than a single statute. You can recover even if you were mostly to blame, right up to 99%, though your percentage of fault comes straight off what you receive. Found 30% responsible on a $100,000 claim, you still recover $70,000. That is far more forgiving than the many states where crossing 50 or 51% ends the claim. It also means insurers work hard to assign you a bigger share, because every percent they add is money off your check.

Source California common law, Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975)

Minimum coverage

At least 30/60/15 in liability coverage

30/60/15

As of January 1, 2025, California requires at least $30,000 for injuries per person, $60,000 for injuries per accident and $15,000 for property damage. This was a big jump from the old 15/30/5 limits that had stood for decades, so older policies and guides may still show the lower numbers. Even so, these are legal floors. A single serious injury can pass $30,000 quickly, which is why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage still matters.

Source California Insurance Code, SB 1107 (Protect California Drivers Act), effective January 1, 2025

State specifics

California is an at-fault state, not a no-fault state

The driver who caused the crash and their insurer are generally responsible for the damages, so a claim goes against them rather than your own policy first. California does not require personal injury protection. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, but you can turn it down in writing, and many drivers do without realizing what they have given up. With a lot of California drivers carrying only the state minimum, that coverage is worth checking on your own policy.

Source California Insurance Code, California Department of Insurance

What to do after an accident
First steps

What to do after an accident in California

After a crash in California, the first steps matter for both your health and your claim. This is general guidance that applies anywhere in the state, and none of it replaces talking to a doctor or an attorney about your own situation.
  1. Get looked at by a doctor, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline hides a lot in the first few hours. Neck, back and head injuries often surface a day or two later, and a gap between the crash and your first medical record is the first thing an adjuster points at.
  2. Call the police and ask how to get the crash report. In California the report is usually available from the responding agency, the CHP or the local police. It won’t settle fault by itself, but it’s the document everyone works from later.
  3. Photograph everything before it moves. Both vehicles, where they came to rest, skid marks, the intersection, signals, signs and your injuries as they develop.
  4. Trade insurance and contact details with the other driver. Name, phone, insurer, policy number and the plate. Get the number of anyone who stopped to help, because witnesses are hard to find again a week later.
  5. Go slow with the adjuster. The other driver’s insurer may call within a day or two asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and most people talk to an attorney first.
  6. Write down what you remember the same day. Where you were heading, what the light was doing, what was said at the scene. Memory of a crash fades fast.
  7. Watch the deadline, especially for government claims. Two years is the general rule, but if a public agency or employee was involved the real deadline can be just six months to file a claim.
Practice areas

Accident types we help with in California

Different crashes turn on different evidence. Pick the one that matches what happened and we’ll look for an attorney who handles that kind of claim in California.

Car Accidents

Rear-end hits, intersection collisions, highway pileups, drunk drivers. These are the most common claims we see in California and often the ones insurers try to close fastest.

Truck Accidents

18-wheelers and commercial vehicles bring federal safety rules, driver logs and sometimes several insurers into the same claim. Evidence like electronic logs can be overwritten, so these move fast.

Motorcycle Accidents

Riders get blamed by default more often than not. Injuries tend to be more serious and the argument over who did what is usually harder fought.

Rideshare Accidents

Uber and Lyft coverage shifts depending on whether the app was off, waiting for a ride request or already carrying a passenger. Which policy applies is often the whole question.

Pedestrian Accidents

Crosswalk and parking lot collisions, often at low speed and still severe. Drivers frequently say they never saw you, which puts the focus on sight lines and signals.

Hit & Run

When the other driver takes off, your own uninsured motorist coverage is usually the route to getting paid. Worth checking your policy even if you assume you don't have it.

Coverage
Find accident help in your California city
Pick your city for pages written around that area, or start the form from anywhere in the state.
Los Angeles
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian
San Diego
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian
San Jose
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare
San Francisco
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian
Fresno
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare
Sacramento
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Long Beach
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian
Oakland
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Bakersfield
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Anaheim
Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian

We cover all of California, not just the cities above. If your crash happened in Riverside, Santa Ana, Irvine, Stockton or anywhere else in the state, we can still look for an attorney who works your area. Start the form or call (888) 401-3677.

Coverage

Find accident help in your California city

Pick your city for pages written around that area, or start the form from anywhere in the state.

Los Angeles

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian

San Diego

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Rideshare
Pedestrian

San Jose

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare

San Francisco

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare

Fresno

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare

Sacramento

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian

Long Beach

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare

Oakland

Car
Truck
Motorcycle

Bakersfield

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian

Anaheim

Car
Truck
Motorcycle
Pedestrian
Rideshare

We cover all of California, not just the cities above. If your crash happened in Riverside, Santa Ana, Irvine, Stockton or anywhere else in the state, we can still look for an attorney who works your area. Start the form or call (888) 401-3677.

How it works

Three steps. One free phone call.

We do the work of finding you a California attorney so you can put your attention on getting better.

Tell us what happened

A few questions about the crash, your injuries and where in California it happened. Around 90 seconds.

Get matched with an attorney

We connect you with an independent personal injury attorney licensed in California who takes cases like yours.

Free case evaluation

You talk to that attorney directly, at no charge. If they take the case, you only pay if they win.

See if you qualify

Two minutes, no cost and no obligation to hire anyone. If nobody in the network is right for your case, we’ll say so rather than matching you anyway.
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Straight answers

What this is and what it costs you

How the service actually works, in plain terms.

Free to use

Getting matched costs nothing and neither does the first conversation with the attorney. There’s no fee to you for the matching itself at any point.

No win, no fee

Attorneys in the network work on contingency. Their fee comes out of a settlement or award rather than your savings, and if the case doesn’t succeed you owe no attorney fee.

How matching works

You answer a few questions. We look for an independent attorney licensed in California whose practice covers your type of crash, then pass your details to them and they call you directly.

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You choose to be contacted. The box is never pre-ticked, and we keep a record of the exact wording you agreed to. That’s what TCPA compliance means in practice.

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Common questions

California accident claim questions

How long do I have to file an accident claim in California?

In most cases, two years from the date of the crash. That is the general deadline for personal injury lawsuits in California under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. A claim against a government agency runs on a much shorter clock. Under Government Code section 911.2 you usually have six months to file a formal claim with the agency, and missing that window can cost you the right to sue. If the injured person was under 18, the two years generally do not start until they turn 18.
You can still recover. California uses pure comparative negligence, so there is no threshold that ends your claim outright. Even if you were mostly to blame, right up to 99 percent, you recover something, with the award reduced by your share of the fault. Found 30 percent responsible on a $100,000 claim and you still receive $70,000. That rule also gives the insurer a direct reason to argue for a bigger share of blame, because every percent they add comes off what you are paid. An adjuster’s opinion about fault is not the final word.
See a doctor first, even if nothing hurts yet. Call the police so there is a crash report. Photograph both vehicles, the scene and your injuries, and get the other driver’s insurance and contact details. Go carefully with recorded statements to the other driver’s insurer. Write down what happened the same day, while you still remember it clearly.
At least 30/60/15 in liability coverage as of January 1, 2025. That is $30,000 for injuries to one person, $60,000 for injuries in one accident and $15,000 for property damage, up from the old 15/30/5 limits. Insurers have to offer you uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, though you can decline it in writing, and California does not require personal injury protection. It is worth checking what is actually on your policy.
Yes. We work with attorneys across all of California, not only the cities listed on this page. Those cities have their own pages because they are the ones we get asked about most. Fill out the form or call (888) 401-3677 and we will look for someone who covers your area.
No. Easy Accident Help is a marketing and matching service. We are not a law firm and not a lawyer referral service, we do not give legal advice and we do not represent you. We take a few details about your accident and connect you with an independent personal injury attorney licensed in California. Any attorney-client relationship is formed between you and that attorney, not with us.
Nothing. The match is free and so is the case evaluation. Personal injury attorneys in our network work on contingency, which means their fee comes out of a settlement or award instead of your pocket, and you owe no attorney fee if the case does not succeed. The attorney will go through their fee agreement with you before you sign anything.

Hurt in a crash in California?

Find out in about two minutes whether you qualify to be matched with a California attorney. It’s free, there’s no obligation and you only pay your attorney if they win.

See If You Qualify
Call (888) 401-3677
  • TCPA Compliant
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