Visiting Los Angeles

You arrive at LAX, grab the rental car, and head down to the coast with the windows down and the playlist on. Next, you are stopped at the traffic lights on the 405 and get a hard jolt from behind.

A vacation crash is not the same as a home crash. You don’t know the roads and the local rules; your insurance agent may be three time zones away, and the trip you’ve been planning for months suddenly isn’t that appealing.

You are not the first visitor to face this. Los Angeles welcomed 49.5 million visitors in 2025, and roughly two-thirds of domestic overnight visitors drove there in 2023, so plenty of people are learning an unfamiliar set of freeways at the same time. On city streets alone, collisions killed 290 people in 2025, according to LAPD data. Here is what to do, in order, if you ever end up in a crash while traveling through Southern California.

Start with safety

If possible, move your car to a safe location and flash your emergency lights. If someone appears to be injured, dial 911, and do not move the injured person unless in the event of a fire or other immediate danger.

Ask for police to come to the scene, even when the damage looks minor. An official report gives you a solid record to hand to insurers later. Whatever you do, don’t drive away before you have shared your information, because California law expects every driver involved in a crash to stop.

Collect what you will need later

Take photographs of both vehicles, license plates, and the road, along with any nearby signs or signals and any visible injuries. Next, collect the other driver’s name, phone number, and license number, along with the insurance company and policy number. Get the address and nearest cross street from any witnesses and record the time.

If you are in a rental car, call the rental company soon, since most rental agreements require you to report a crash right away. When you speak with anyone about what happened, stick to the facts you know and skip any guesses about who caused it.

Get checked, even if you feel fine

Adrenaline can hide pain for several hours. Soreness in the neck and back is a common occurrence a day or two after a collision, so it makes sense to seek urgent care or emergency room treatment. Keep all records and receipts from that visit.

If your flight home is coming up, ask for copies of your medical records before you leave. They will matter if you decide to file a claim after you return.

File the DMV report within 10 days

This step surprises many visitors. California requires a driver to report a crash to the DMV within 10 days if anyone is hurt or killed, or if the property damage to any one person tops $1,000. The rule comes from Vehicle Code section 16000, and the form is called the SR-1.

A police report does not replace it, and the rule covers any crash that happens inside California, so it can apply to visiting drivers as well. Missing the deadline can put your driving privileges at risk.

Call your insurer and keep notes

Contact your insurance provider or rental insurance provider and explain the situation. Get the date, time and name of anyone you speak with, as facts fade rapidly during a stressful week.

The other driver’s insurer may call within days and ask for a recorded statement. You can say you would like a little time first.

It also helps to understand what coverage might be available. Since January 1, 2025, California drivers have been required to carry at least $30,000 in liability coverage for one injured person, $60,000 for everyone hurt in a crash, and $15,000 for property damage. Those limits can run out fast once you add an emergency room visit, a damaged rental, and missed work.

If you purchased travel insurance, please read your travel insurance policy also. Some plans cover medical care or trip changes after an injury.

Watch the clock

Most personal injury lawsuits in California must be filed within two years of the injury, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Claims against a city or another public agency can carry a much shorter deadline, sometimes as little as six months under Government Code section 911.2.

Two years sounds like plenty of time, but it often isn’t. Once you are back home, caught up at work, and still going to appointments, the months pass quickly.

When it helps to talk to a lawyer

Not every fender bender calls for one. Still, an injury, a dispute over fault, an uninsured driver, or a low offer from an adjuster are all good reasons to ask for advice. Distance makes everything harder, since you may be dealing with Los Angeles insurers from a home that is thousands of miles away.

Talking with a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer early can take some of that weight off your shoulders, because a local attorney can handle the calls, the paperwork, and the deadlines while you focus on healing. Jacoby & Meyers is a trusted and well-established firm in Los Angeles known for supporting accident victims.

Getting back to the trip

Once things settle, give yourself room to recover, because some trips need a long pause, and that is perfectly fine. If you want a reminder that travel can still be part of healing, read this personal story about using travel to recover after an injury.

A crash can derail a vacation, but a few careful steps in the first days can keep it from derailing your recovery as well.