The minutes right after a crash are loud and confusing, and almost everyone reaches for the phone before they have a plan. What you do in those first 10 minutes shapes your safety, your paperwork, and how the entire repair plays out. The good news: there is a simple order to follow. Get safe, document the scene, then make your calls in the right sequence so the decisions that protect you stay in your hands, not someone else's.

Minute one: people and safety come first

Before insurance, before photos, before anything, check yourself and your passengers for injuries. The federal safety agency advises that if you are involved in a crash, you should stop, stay at the scene, and check on everyone involved, then move vehicles out of traffic only if it is safe and they are drivable, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Turn on your hazard lights. If anyone is hurt, if the road is blocked, or if you are unsure, call 911 first and let the dispatcher guide you.

Staying calm and staying put matters legally too. Leaving the scene of an accident without stopping and exchanging information can turn a simple fender bender into a much more serious problem, so the very first rule is to remain at the scene until the required steps are done.

Minutes two to five: document and exchange information

Once everyone is safe, this is your window to capture what happened while it is fresh. In California, exchanging information is not optional. Every driver involved in an accident must exchange their name and address, driver's license number, vehicle identification number, and insurance company name and policy number with the other parties present, under California Vehicle Code section 16025. Failing to do so is an infraction with a fine of up to $250.

While you are there, build your own record. A short, calm checklist goes a long way:

• Photos of all vehicles, every angle, plus wide shots showing the road, signals, and skid marks.
• The other driver's license, insurance card, and license plate.
• Names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
• The time, date, weather, and exact location.

Stick to the facts when you talk to the other driver. You do not need to argue about fault or apologize at the scene. Let the documentation and, if police respond, the report speak for themselves.

Who to call first, and in what order

Here is where most drivers get the sequence backwards. The instinct is to call your insurance company immediately and let them run the show. There is a calmer order that keeps more of the decisions with you.

1. 911 or police, if there are injuries, a hazard, or significant damage. An official report is a clean, neutral record of what happened.
2. A trusted person who can help, a family member or friend, especially if you are shaken or need a ride.
3. Your body shop, before you start the claim. A certified shop can tell you whether the car is safe to drive, arrange a tow if needed, and walk you through the claim so it starts correctly.
4. Your insurance company, to report the loss. You are still reporting promptly; you are simply doing it with a plan and a shop already in your corner.

That third call is the one people skip, and it is the one that protects you most. When your repair shop is involved from the start, your documentation, your estimate, and your choice of parts are all set up correctly from day one instead of being shaped to fit someone else's cost target.

Why calling your body shop early protects you

This is the heart of it. After a crash, your insurer's job is to settle the claim efficiently, which often means guiding you toward a shop in their network. That practice is sometimes called steering, and California law puts firm limits on it. An insurer cannot require that your vehicle be repaired at a specific shop, and after you have chosen your own repairer, the insurer is generally not supposed to keep recommending a different one, under California Insurance Code section 758.5.

Your right to choose is not a gray area. The California Department of Insurance's Auto Body Repair Consumer Bill of Rights states plainly that a consumer is entitled to select the auto body repair shop to repair covered damage, and that an insurance company shall not require the repairs to be done at a specific shop. The same document confirms your right to an itemized written estimate and to obtain an independent estimate directly from a registered shop, even while pursuing a claim.

When you call a shop first, you put a knowledgeable advocate in the conversation before the claim has any momentum. That is the whole point of getting in front of the process: the choice of shop is yours, and exercising it early is far easier than trying to redirect a claim that is already rolling.

The choice of shop is yours, not the insurer's. The earlier you make it, the more it protects you.

The right order at a glance

If you remember nothing else, remember the sequence. Safety, then documentation, then calls in the order that keeps control with you.

After the scene: reporting and next steps

Once you are home and safe, a couple of follow-ups round out the first day. California requires drivers to file an SR-1 report with the DMV within 10 days when an accident causes injury, death, or property damage over $1,000, under California Vehicle Code section 16000. You can file the SR-1 directly with the California DMV, and it is separate from any claim you open with your insurer.

If you were not at fault, the same rights still apply, and they apply whether you are dealing with your own insurer or the other driver's. You are not required to use any shop a claims handler names, and you can get an independent estimate from a registered repair shop of your choosing. Knowing this up front keeps a stressful situation from quietly steering itself.