Accident Guides

Practical guides for people hurt in crashes in California’s largest cities. Each one lists the local police report office, the city and county claim offices, and real crash data, with links to the official sources.

What is in each city accident guide?

Each guide covers how to get the police or sheriff crash report in that city, how to file a claim against the city or county step by step, the government claim timeline, the intersections and freeways with the most reported crashes, the DMV SR-1 report, and which courthouse handles injury cases.

Why does it matter which city the crash happened in?

The city decides which police department wrote your report, which office takes a claim against the city, and which courthouse hears your case. For example, Long Beach has its own police department even though it is in Los Angeles County, so its reports do not come from LAPD.

Statewide topics, like deadlines and what to do after a crash, are covered in our articles on California injury deadlines and what to do after a car accident in California.

This page is general information about California law and local procedures, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and agency procedures change; confirm with the linked official source. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising. Geller Legal, a dba of The Geller Firm, Inc.