You were hit on Highway 198, Highway 43, or a street in Hanford or Lemoore. You hurt more today than yesterday, and an adjuster is already calling. This guide covers what to do next in Kings County 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. The California Highway Patrol handles crashes on the state highways and on county roads. The Hanford and Lemoore police departments handle crashes on their own city streets. You generally have two years to sue the other driver, but only six months to file a claim if a city, the county, or the state played a part.
Who takes the report in Hanford and Lemoore?
The agency depends on the road, not the town name on your mail.
- Highway 198, Highway 43, and Highway 41: the CHP. These are state highways, so the CHP takes the report even when the crash happens inside city limits.
- County roads and farm roads outside town, such as around Armona, Grangeville, and Stratford: usually the CHP.
- City streets in Hanford: the Hanford Police Department.
- City streets in Lemoore: the Lemoore Police Department.
- On the base itself: a crash inside Naval Air Station Lemoore is handled by base security, not the city.
Ask for the report number before you leave the scene. If no officer came and anyone was hurt, you still must report the crash to the DMV within 10 days on form SR-1.
Highway 198: the road that ties it all together
Highway 198 runs east and west through Hanford and Lemoore and carries most of the traffic between the two towns, the base, and Visalia. Commuters, Navy personnel, big rigs, and farm trucks share the same lanes. Rear-end crashes happen when a slow farm vehicle enters the highway and the driver behind does not react in time.
Highway 43 through Hanford and Highway 41 near Lemoore both have long two-lane stretches where passing and head-on crashes are a real danger.
Farm equipment, dairy trucks, and tule fog
Kings County is farm country. Tractors, harvesters, and dairy and feed trucks move slowly. A driver who comes up too fast behind them, or passes on a blind curve, can be at fault.
If a commercial truck hit you, the company may share responsibility with the driver. Our truck accident lawyers can send a preservation letter so driver logs and camera footage are not erased.
Then there is tule fog. In late fall and winter, thick ground fog can drop visibility to almost nothing on 198, 43, and the county roads. Fog does not excuse a driver. The law requires every driver to slow down for the conditions, and one who does not can be responsible for a chain-reaction crash.
When a Navy or government vehicle is involved
Many drivers on 198 are service members from the Lemoore air station. A crash with a service member in a personal car usually goes through that driver's own auto insurance. A crash with a federal government vehicle follows a separate federal claim process with its own forms and deadlines, and it should be handled by a lawyer from the start.
A crash caused by a city or county vehicle, a dangerous road, or a broken signal usually requires a written government claim within six months. Our guide on the six-month government claim deadline explains how that works.
What to do in the first week
- Get checked out. Neck, back, and head injuries often feel worse two or three days later.
- Keep treating. Gaps in care are the first thing an adjuster points to.
- Photograph everything. The cars, the road, any fog or dust, and your injuries as they change.
- Look for cameras. Gas stations and doorbell cameras may have caught the crash.
- Tell your own insurer. Your policy requires you to cooperate with your own company.
- Skip the recorded statement to the other driver's insurer until you have advice.
Your deadlines
Under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. A lawsuit over a crash in Hanford or Lemoore would generally be filed in Kings County Superior Court in Hanford.
How we help Kings County drivers
We handle cases in Hanford and Lemoore by phone, text, and video, and we come to you when it matters. Our car accident lawyers help people across the Fresno and Central Valley region, and we work in Spanish from the first call. If you drive 99 to the south, our Delano guide covers that stretch of the valley. 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
- Wrongful Death in California: Who Can Sue and the Deadlines (2026)
- Hit and Run in California: What to Do in the First 24 Hours (2026)
- Car Accident in Merced: What to Do, Who Takes the Report (2026)
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