Once you have protected your interests, be sure to document your liability:

In order to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries and expenses, you must first determine who is at fault. Be sure to document everything you possibly can as early as possible, because memories can fade, which will cause problems later. If a police officer responded to the scene, a written report of the scene is already available. There will be many things in that report that you can use. The insurance company will likely have a copy of the report, and you should have a copy as well.

To get the police report, you must determine who made the arrest. The Sheriff's department, Police department and California Highway Patrol all operate independently. You can try to call local law enforcement, but there may be a special number that must be used to acquire an accident report. The report will be filed either by date and time, street location, drivers' names, or license plate numbers, so make sure to have all this information available when you make the call. Before going to get the copy of the report, ask about any charge for the report, since there may be a copying fee. In the report, the officer could have noted any violation of a vehicle code or even suggested that the driver at fault was careless. If this is the case, such information can be very useful when fighting an insurance company about your claim. The insurance company will most likely not go to court to question you when you have a police officer's written statements on your side.

Photographs: If any photographs were taken at the accident scene, make sure to get copies. Photographs can be a really big factor when it comes to convincing insurance agencies who is at fault. This is especially vital if there are photographs that can be used to prove that you are not the one at fault.