What should I do after a car crash in Glendale: police, CHP and DMV?

The first days after a crash decide what evidence exists later. This page sets out the Vehicle Code duties that apply anywhere in California, then the agencies that handle crashes in and around Glendale, from city streets to the 134, 5, 210 and 2 freeways. For the wider picture of how a crash claim is built and paid, see our auto accident practice page.

What happens after a crash in Glendale, step by step?

1. Stop safely. In an injury crash the driver must stop immediately at the scene (Vehicle Code section 20001(a)). After a crash that only damages property, the driver must stop at the nearest place that does not block traffic, and moving there does not affect fault (section 20002(a)).
2. Help and exchange information. In an injury crash each driver must give the details listed in the next section and show a license on request (section 20003).
3. Show proof of insurance if asked. When an officer or a trained city or county collision investigator is called to a reportable crash, each driver must provide evidence of insurance, on paper or on a phone (section 16028(c)).
4. Make the written report within 24 hours. If anyone is hurt or killed, the report goes to the CHP or, inside a city, to the CHP or that city's police (section 20008(a)).
5. File the SR-1 within 10 days. It goes to the DMV for any crash with injury, death, or property damage over $1,000 (section 16000(a)).
6. Get medical care and the records. A provider must let you inspect your records within five working days of a request and send copies within 15 days (Health and Safety Code section 123110).

What does California law require at the scene?

When a crash injures or kills someone other than the driver, section 20001(a) requires the driver to stop immediately. Section 20003 then requires each driver to give their name and current address, the registration number, the owner's name and address, and the names and addresses of injured occupants of their own vehicle, to the other people involved and to any officer at the scene. Each driver must also give reasonable help to anyone injured, including arranging transport for treatment when it is clearly needed or requested.

Leaving the scene of an injury crash is a crime. Under section 20001(b), it can be punished by jail or prison and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, with longer prison terms when the crash causes death or permanent, serious injury. If the other driver drove off, see our page on hit and run and uninsured driver claims in Los Angeles County.

When a crash damages only property, such as a parked car, section 20002(a) requires the driver either to find the owner and give the driver's and owner's names and addresses, or to leave a written note in a conspicuous place and notify the city police (or, in unincorporated territory, the CHP) without unnecessary delay. Failing to do so is a misdemeanor.

Who takes the crash report in Glendale?

When anyone is injured or killed, the driver must make or cause to be made a written report within 24 hours. For a crash inside a city, the report can go either to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) or to that city's police department (Vehicle Code section 20008(a)). If the agency that receives it is not the one responsible for investigating, it must forward the report.

One local detail trips people up: the CHP's Southern Division headquarters is at 411 N. Central Avenue in Glendale, but the CHP says it is an administrative office that is not open to the public, and requests for reports must be made at an Area office instead. For a crash the Glendale Police Department handled, the city says most collision reports can be bought online through LexisNexis, starting at least seven days after the crash. Hit and run and fatal collision reports may be delayed or not available online. The Records Bureau counter is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and its number is (818) 548-3135. Our page for anyone looking for a personal injury lawyer in Glendale collects the other city offices that matter after an injury.

The state Office of Traffic Safety's 2023 rankings, which compare cities of similar size, list 593 people killed or injured in Glendale crashes, including 72 pedestrians. Among the 62 cities in its population group, Glendale ranked 14th for pedestrian victims and 2nd for pedestrian victims aged 65 and over, where 1st is the highest or worst. The Office notes that crashes the CHP reports on roads it shares with a city do not count toward the city's figures.

When do I have to file an SR-1 report with the DMV?

The DMV says you, or your insurance agent, broker or legal representative, must send an SR-1 report within 10 days if anyone is injured, no matter how minor, or killed, or if property damage is over $1,000 (Vehicle Code section 16000(a)). The SR-1 is required in addition to any report to the police, the CHP or your insurer, and it can be started online. Keep a copy; it is one of the documents worth bringing to a lawyer.

Skipping it has a real cost. Section 16004 directs the DMV to suspend the driving privilege of anyone who fails to make a required report, until the report or proof of insurance arrives. No SR-1 is required when the vehicle involved was owned or leased by a government agency (section 16000(b)).

What changes the answer?

These facts change which rules apply and how much time you have.

Whether the other driver left or had no insurance

To claim on your own uninsured motorist coverage when the driver cannot be identified, Insurance Code section 11580.2(b) requires physical contact with your car or with you, a report within 24 hours to the city police where the crash happened (or, in unincorporated areas, to the sheriff or the CHP), and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days. Section 11580.2(i) then requires, within two years of the crash, a lawsuit against the uninsured driver, an agreement with your insurer, or a written arbitration demand sent by certified mail.

Whether a government vehicle or road was involved

A claim for an injury against a city, a county or the state must be presented within six months (Government Code section 911.2), long before the two-year lawsuit deadline. That includes crashes with a city bus and crashes caused by a dangerous public road. Our page on the six-month claim against Glendale or Los Angeles County lists the offices that take these claims.

Whether you were partly at fault

California uses comparative fault. Under the Judicial Council's civil jury instruction CACI 405, if the other side proves that your own negligence was a substantial factor in causing your harm, your damages are reduced by your percentage of responsibility rather than barred. That is why the report and witness names matter even when the cause seems obvious.

Whether the other driver's insurance is too small

Unless the policyholder deleted it by a written agreement, every California auto liability policy must include uninsured motorist coverage, and that coverage includes underinsured motorist coverage (Insurance Code section 11580.2(a) and (p)). Underinsured benefits apply only after the at-fault driver's limits are paid out. Our page on how much insurance California drivers must carry explains the minimum limits and how that gap is filled.

Whether someone died

A fatal crash can delay the Glendale police report and changes who may bring a claim. Our page on wrongful death and survival claims in California explains who holds each claim and what changed for cases filed from 2026.

A worked example

For example, imagine a hypothetical driver who is rear-ended at a red light on Brand Boulevard on a Friday evening. Her neck feels stiff but she says she is fine. The other driver gives a name and phone number, and both cars are driven away. No officer comes.

Because she has a possible injury, it is an injury crash: section 20003 entitled her to the other driver's address, registration number and owner details, and section 20008 calls for a written report to the Glendale police or the CHP within 24 hours. On Saturday her neck is worse, so she sees a doctor, photographs her bumper and files the report. The SR-1 is due within 10 days whatever the repair estimate says.

The next week the other driver's insurer asks for a recorded statement. She says she will respond in writing, requests her medical records, and checks her own policy for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in case the phone number leads nowhere. None of this tells her what a claim is worth; it keeps the deadlines and the evidence intact while she finds out.

Common mistakes after a crash in Glendale

• Settling for a phone number. Section 20003 gives you the right to the other driver's name, address, registration number and the owner's details.
• Treating "no police came" as "no report needed." The 24-hour report under section 20008 and the SR-1 under section 16000 are the driver's duties, not the officer's.
• Going to the wrong CHP office. The Southern Division building in Glendale does not take report requests; the Area office that handled the crash does.
• Missing the hit and run clock. An uninsured motorist claim for an unidentified driver needs a 24-hour report and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days.
• Waiting on a claim against a city or county. Six months passes quickly while you are treating, and it is far shorter than the two-year lawsuit deadline.

What to do this week

1. If anyone was hurt and no report was made, make the written report to the Glendale police or the CHP now, and note the report number.
2. Count 10 days from the crash and file the SR-1 with the DMV before then. Keep a copy.
3. See a doctor, follow the treatment plan, and request your records in writing.
4. Photograph the vehicles and your injuries, and write down witness names.
5. Tell your own insurer about the crash and ask for your policy's declarations page.
6. If the car may be a total loss, read how a total loss value is decided in California before you accept a figure.
7. Gather your documents using our checklist of what to bring to a personal injury consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to call the police after a minor crash in Glendale?

If anyone is injured, even slightly, a written report must reach the Glendale police or the CHP within 24 hours under Vehicle Code section 20008. If only property was damaged and you exchanged information with the owner, that statute does not apply, but an SR-1 is still due if the damage to anyone's property is over $1,000.

Does filing an SR-1 mean I am admitting fault?

No. Section 16000 requires every driver who is in any manner involved in a reportable crash to file, whoever caused it, so the duty to report is not a finding of fault. Fault is decided separately, and under California's comparative fault rule shared fault reduces damages rather than barring them.

What if the other driver drove away?

Leaving the scene of an injury crash is a crime under section 20001. For your own claim, report the crash within 24 hours and send your insurer a sworn statement within 30 days to protect uninsured motorist coverage; our Los Angeles County personal injury page lists the other offices that may be involved.

How long do I have to sue after a car crash in California?

Generally two years for injuries (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1) and three years for damage to a vehicle or other property (section 338). A claim against a public agency must be presented within six months first.

Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company?

Nothing in the Vehicle Code requires you to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement; the reporting duties run to the police, the CHP and the DMV. Many people answer the adjuster in writing and keep copies. Our article on how a personal injury lawyer works with insurers describes what that process looks like.

How can Glendale Law help?

We gather the police or CHP report, photographs, witness statements and medical records, deal with the insurance companies, and pursue compensation for the losses the crash caused. If the crash left you hurt, our personal injury page explains how those claims work. Call our Glendale office at (818) 244-9000 or request a consultation.