California is an “at-fault” state. This means that any party involved in a car accident is required to file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Whoever is considered at-fault in an accident will be responsible for paying damages to anyone involved. No-Fault States: California is not a no-fault state. In no-fault states, anyone involved in an accident seeks recovery from their own individual insurance companies, no matter who is at-fault for the car accident. The only exception in this rule is when a driver files a claim after being involved in an accident resulting in severe, permanent or fatal accidents.