Hit-and-Run Accidents: What to Do and Who Pays

You hear the crunch, look up, and see taillights disappearing around the corner. A driver who hits you and leaves takes their insurance information with them, and that is what makes a hit-and-run so maddening. Still, there is often a way to get paid, usually through your own policy. The first few hours count most: what you write down and who you call then can decide whether a claim gets paid.

What makes it a hit-and-run

A hit-and-run happens when a driver involved in a crash leaves without stopping to give their information or help anyone who's hurt. Every state requires drivers to stop after a crash, and leaving the scene can be a crime, especially when someone is injured. Hit-and-runs can involve:

• Another moving vehicle
• A parked car
• A pedestrian or bicyclist
• Property such as a fence or building

Right after the crash

1. Stay safe and get medical help

Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Don't chase the other driver. Chasing puts you and others at risk and can complicate your claim.

2. Call the police right away

With no other driver to exchange information with, the police report does a lot of the work. Many insurance policies require you to report a hit-and-run to police promptly to use uninsured motorist coverage. Ask for the officer's name and the report number.

3. Write down everything you remember

Memory blurs fast. Even half a plate number helps:

• Partial or full license plate, and the state
• Make, model, color, and body style
• Damage the other vehicle might have, such as a broken headlight
• Direction it went
• Description of the driver
• Time and exact location

4. Look for witnesses and cameras

Ask people nearby what they saw and get their names and numbers. Look for cameras on nearby businesses, homes, traffic lights, buses, and other cars. Footage is often recorded over within days, so ask quickly or tell police where cameras are.

5. Photograph the scene

Take pictures of your vehicle, debris, paint transfer, skid marks, and your injuries. Paint or parts left behind can help identify the other car.

Who pays when the driver isn't found

If police find the driver and they have insurance, you can make a claim against their liability coverage like any other crash. If not, you'll usually turn to your own policy.

Coverage	What it may pay in a hit-and-run	Notes
Uninsured motorist bodily injury (UM)	Your injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering	Most common source for injury claims
UM property damage (where available)	Your car repairs	TDI notes it usually has a lower deductible than collision in Texas
Collision	Your car repairs	Subject to your deductible
Personal injury protection (PIP)	Medical bills and some lost wages	Required in no-fault states
Medical payments (MedPay)	Medical bills	Usually small limits
Health insurance	Medical care	May seek repayment from any later recovery

The Texas Department of Insurance explains that liability insurance alone doesn't pay to repair your own car after a hit-and-run. Collision coverage or UM/UIM property damage coverage can. TDI also notes that UM/UIM can still pay when the other driver can't be found.

If you only carry liability coverage, ask your agent what it would cost to add collision or UM coverage for the future.

Special rules for hit-and-run UM claims

Policies and state laws often add conditions for UM claims when the driver is unknown:

• Prompt police report. Some policies require reporting to police within a short period, such as 24 hours. Check your policy.
• Prompt notice to your insurer. Report the claim as soon as you can.
• Physical contact. Some states and policies require that the unknown vehicle actually hit you or your car. If a driver ran you off the road without touching you (a "miss-and-run"), coverage may depend on state law, independent witnesses, or other evidence.
• Cooperation. You may need to give a statement, provide records, or let the insurer inspect your car.

These rules vary widely. Read the uninsured motorist section of your policy carefully, and ask your insurer to explain any condition you don't understand. See uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.

If you were a pedestrian or on a bike

You may still be covered by your own auto policy even though you weren't in a car. Many UM and PIP policies cover you as a pedestrian, and some cover household members who don't own a car. If you don't have auto insurance, a household member's policy may apply. See pedestrian and bicycle accidents.

If police find the driver later

If the driver is identified after you've started a UM claim:

1. Tell your insurer right away.
2. Get the driver's insurance information from the police report or the officer.
3. Your claim may shift to the driver's liability insurer, with UIM as a backup if their limits are low.
4. If the driver is charged criminally, you may be able to request restitution in the criminal case. That's separate from your insurance claim.

Reporting to the state

Some states require drivers to file their own crash report with the DMV in addition to any police report. New York, for example, requires a Civilian Accident Report (MV-104) within 10 days if property damage is $1,001 or more. Check your state's rules on our state law pages.

Keep a hit-and-run claim file

Unknown-driver claims tend to drag, partly because the insurer may wait to see whether police find the driver. A tidy file keeps yours from stalling:

• The police report number and the investigating officer's contact information
• Your written account, dated the day you wrote it
• Witness names and what each one saw
• Any camera footage you found, and the name of the person who gave it to you
• Medical records, bills, and receipts
• Repair estimates and photos of the damage
• A log of every call with your insurer

Check in with the police every few weeks to ask whether there are any leads, and tell your insurer about any update.

Hit-and-run of a parked car

If someone hits your parked car and leaves:

• Look for a note on the windshield
• Check for cameras nearby
• File a police report
• Use collision or UM property damage coverage if you have it

Deadlines

Your usual statute of limitations applies to any lawsuit against a driver who's identified. UM claims may also have their own deadlines set by your policy or state law, which can be shorter. Don't wait. Use our statute of limitations calculator as a starting point and confirm with a licensed attorney.

Hit-and-run checklist

• ☐ Call 911 and get medical care
• ☐ Report to police immediately; get the report number
• ☐ Write down plate, vehicle, and driver details
• ☐ Get witness names and phone numbers
• ☐ Note nearby cameras and ask owners to save footage
• ☐ Photograph damage, debris, and injuries
• ☐ Notify your insurer promptly
• ☐ Read your policy's UM conditions
• ☐ Check whether you must file a state crash report

If the driver is never found

Plenty of hit-and-run drivers are never identified, and the claim still gets paid. That usually depends on two things you control early: calling police quickly (many policies require a prompt report before UM coverage applies) and capturing details of the other vehicle and any camera footage. From there, UM coverage typically handles injuries, while collision or UM property damage coverage pays for the car; liability coverage alone won't. Watch for policy conditions such as physical contact or independent evidence for unknown-driver claims. And if you were on foot or on a bike, check your own auto policy anyway. It may still cover you.