You were driving in Delano, on Highway 99, Garces Highway, or a city street, and another driver hit you. Maybe you were on your way to a shift before sunrise, or heading home after one. Now you are hurting, your car needs work, and an adjuster is calling. This guide walks you through what to do next in Delano in 2026.
The short answer
Get medical care, get the report number, and do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Inside Delano city limits, Delano Police usually handles crashes on city streets, and the California Highway Patrol handles Highway 99 and county roads. You generally have two years to file a lawsuit against the driver, but if a public road or agency played a part, the deadline can be as short as six months.
Who takes the report in Delano?
It depends on where you were when the crash happened.
- Highway 99: the California Highway Patrol.
- Unincorporated roads outside the city, including the rural roads between Delano and the fields around it: usually the CHP as well.
- City streets inside Delano, such as Cecil Avenue or the streets around downtown: the Delano Police Department.
Ask the officer for the report number before you leave the scene. If no officer came and anyone was hurt, you must still report the crash to the DMV within 10 days using form SR-1.
What makes Delano crashes different
Delano sits on Highway 99 in northern Kern County, close to the Tulare County line. The 99 here carries a steady mix of commuters, farm labor vans, produce trucks, and long-haul big rigs.
Early morning is a real risk. Workers leave home in the dark for shifts in the fields and packing houses, and many share rides in vans. In winter, tule fog can cut visibility to almost nothing on the 99 and the roads that feed it. A driver is still required to slow down for conditions, so fog is not a free pass for a chain-reaction crash.
Farm equipment and slow trucks also turn on and off rural roads at the edge of town. If a truck or a work vehicle hit you, a company may be responsible alongside the driver. Our truck accident lawyers can send a preservation letter so driver logs and camera footage are not erased.
What to do in the first week
- Get checked out. Whiplash, back injuries, and concussions often feel worse two or three days later.
- Keep treating. Gaps in treatment are the first thing an adjuster points to.
- Photograph everything. Both cars, the road, skid marks, debris, and your injuries as they change.
- Look for cameras. Gas stations, stores, and homes with doorbell cameras may have recorded the crash.
- Report it to your own insurer. You have a duty to cooperate with your own company.
- Skip the recorded statement. Our guide on recorded statements to the adjuster explains why that call can hurt you.
How much insurance does the other driver have?
California's minimum liability limits are $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage as of 2025. Many drivers carry only the minimum, and some carry none. Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can step in when the other driver's policy runs out or does not exist.
If you were partly at fault, you can usually still recover a reduced amount. California splits fault by percentage.
Your deadlines
Under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit.
If a public agency is involved, the clock is much shorter. A crash caused by a dangerous road, a broken signal, or a city or county vehicle usually requires a written government claim within six months. Our guide on the six-month government claim deadline explains how that works. A lawsuit over a Delano crash would generally be filed in Kern County.
Help in Spanish
Many Delano families are more comfortable in Spanish, and that is fine. We handle cases in Spanish from the first call. Your immigration status does not decide your right to recover for an injury, and it is generally not allowed to come up in the case.
We handle cases in Delano by phone, text, and video, and we come to you when it matters. Our car accident lawyers help people across Fresno and the Central Valley, including Kern County. No fee unless we win.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change; talk to a lawyer about your situation.
Keep reading
- Car Accidents: how we handle these cases
- Injury lawyers serving Fresno & Central Valley
- Hit While Walking: Pedestrian Accident Rights in California (2026)
- The Six-Month Government Claim Deadline in California (2026)
- Car Accident in Bakersfield: Highway 99, CHP Reports, and Your Deadlines (2026)
- Start your free case review