In this guide
What to do in the first 24 hours
- Get safe and get help. Call 911 if anyone is hurt.
- Report it to the police, even if you don’t feel hurt. Ask for the report number. In California, an uninsured motorist claim for a hit and run requires a report within 24 hours; Pennsylvania’s law requires the accident to be reported to the police or proper authority.
- Write down what you remember about the other vehicle — any part of the plate, make, color, damage, direction — and take photos of the scene, your car and your injuries.
- Get witnesses’ names and numbers. In Georgia, an eyewitness other than you can make up for no physical contact; in Ohio, your own testimony isn’t enough without independent corroborative evidence.
- Get medical care, and keep every record and bill.
- Tell your insurer promptly. California requires a sworn statement within 30 days; Pennsylvania requires notice within 30 days or as soon as practicable. Your policy spells out its own requirements.
Who pays when the driver is never found
| Source | Pays for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage | The injury damages you could have recovered from the driver, up to your UM limit | Only if you have it and your state’s law treats the hit-and-run driver as uninsured; conditions vary (see the state table) |
| Collision coverage | Repairs to your car, minus your deductible | Pays whoever caused the crash |
| MedPay or PIP | Medical bills up to your limit | Pays whoever was at fault; Michigan’s no-fault PIP pays injury benefits without regard to fault |
| Health insurance | Medical bills under your plan | May ask to be repaid if you later recover money — see medical liens |
| Crime victim compensation | Crime-related medical bills, counseling, lost wages and funeral costs | Every state has a program and rules vary. California’s covers hit and run, pays only costs no other source covers and doesn’t cover property damage |
Liability coverage on your own policy isn’t on this list: it pays for damage you cause to others. To find your state’s victim compensation program, use the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime’s Help in Your State map.
Uninsured motorist rules for hit-and-runs in 9 states
What each state’s insurance law says when the driver is never identified. Your policy can add its own conditions.
| State | UM on your policy? | A hit and run is covered when… | Deadlines in the law |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Yes, unless you and the insurer agreed in writing to delete it | The injury came from physical contact between the hit-and-run vehicle and you or the vehicle you were in (Ins. Code § 11580.2) | Report the crash to the police (or CHP/sheriff) within 24 hours; File a sworn statement with your insurer within 30 days |
| Texas | Yes, unless a named insured rejected it in writing | Actual physical contact occurred between the hit-and-run vehicle and you or your property (Ins. Code §§ 1952.101, 1952.104) | — |
| Florida | Yes, unless a named insured rejected it in writing | The UM statute doesn’t address unidentified vehicles; your policy’s definition of an uninsured vehicle controls (Stat. § 627.727) | — |
| New York | Required on policies for vehicles principally garaged or used in New York | An unidentified vehicle left the scene, and the injury arose from physical contact with it or with the vehicle you were in (Ins. Law § 3420(f)) | — |
| Pennsylvania | Optional — insurers must offer it, and you can decline it | An unidentified vehicle caused the accident that injured you; the definition doesn’t mention physical contact (75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1702, 1731) | Report the accident to the police or proper governmental authority; Tell your insurer within 30 days (or as soon as practicable) that you have a claim arising from it |
| Illinois | Required | Injuries caused by “hit-and-run motor vehicles” are covered. Property-damage coverage doesn’t apply when the hit-and-run vehicle can’t be identified (215 ILCS 5/143a) | — |
| Ohio | Optional — a policy may, but doesn’t have to, include it | The driver can’t be identified and independent corroborative evidence shows they caused the injury — your own testimony alone isn’t enough (R.C. 3937.18) | — |
| Georgia | Yes, unless a named insured rejected it in writing | Actual physical contact occurred with you or your property — or an eyewitness other than you backs up your account (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11) | Report the accident as Georgia’s accident-reporting law requires (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273) |
| Michigan | No-fault state: your own personal protection insurance (PIP) pays injury benefits without regard to fault | PIP doesn’t depend on finding the driver. If no PIP coverage applies or can be identified, you can claim through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MCL §§ 500.3105, 500.3172) | — |
North Carolina rewrote parts of its uninsured motorist law between 2023 and 2025; we’ll add it after checking the current text.
When the other car never touched you
A driver who forces you off the road and keeps going — sometimes called a “miss and run” — is the hardest case. California, Texas and New York require physical contact for an unidentified driver. Georgia lets an eyewitness other than you stand in for contact. Ohio requires independent corroborative evidence, and says your own testimony alone isn’t enough. That’s why witnesses’ names and any video matter from the first hour.
If the driver is found later
If police identify the driver, you can claim against their liability insurance, up to its limits (Michigan’s no-fault law narrows these claims). If they had none, your uninsured motorist coverage applies as it would to any uninsured driver. The criminal case is separate from your claim for money — see what a hit-and-run driver faces in each state.
What a hit-and-run claim is worth
There’s no reliable “average.” What you can recover depends on your damages and the coverage available — on your own policy, your UM limit caps what that coverage pays. New York’s required minimum UM limits, for example, are $25,000 for injury to one person and $50,000 for the death of one person. Whatever you recover, the lawyer’s fee, case costs and medical liens come out first; the take-home calculator shows what’s left.
Frequently asked questions
Does insurance cover a hit and run?
Your own policy can, depending on what it includes: uninsured motorist coverage for your injuries, collision for your car, and medical payments (MedPay) or PIP for medical bills. In most of the states we checked, the uninsured motorist law reaches an unidentified hit-and-run driver, sometimes only with physical contact or a police report. Liability coverage doesn’t help here — it pays for damage you cause to others.
Can I make a hit-and-run claim without a police report?
It’s risky. Some uninsured motorist laws make a report a condition: California requires a report to the police within 24 hours, and Pennsylvania’s definition of an uninsured vehicle requires the accident to be reported to the police or proper authority. Report it as soon as you can, even if you don’t feel hurt.
Does uninsured motorist coverage pay if the other car never touched me?
It depends on the state. California, Texas and New York require physical contact for an unidentified driver. Georgia accepts an eyewitness other than you instead, and Ohio requires independent corroborative evidence beyond your own testimony. Pennsylvania’s definition doesn’t mention contact but requires a police report and prompt notice to your insurer.
Will a hit-and-run claim raise my insurance?
There’s no single answer: it depends on your state’s insurance rules and how your insurer rates claims. Before you decide, ask your insurer in writing how a claim on your own coverage for a crash you didn’t cause would affect your premium.
Can crime victim compensation pay to fix my car?
Generally not. These programs pay crime-related costs such as medical bills, counseling, lost wages and funeral costs, and California’s lists property damage among the things it doesn’t cover.
Reviewed by
Morgan Hale, Editor. Writes about the financial side of injury claims — fees, liens, timelines and state rules — and checks every page against its sources before it’s published. Not a lawyer; “Morgan Hale” is a pen name. Editorial policy · How we calculate
Sources
- California Insurance Code § 11580.2 — Uninsured motorist coverage (unknown driver: physical contact, 24-hour police report, 30-day sworn statement) (FindLaw (California Insurance Code))
- Texas Insurance Code § 1952.101 — Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage required unless rejected in writing (FindLaw (Texas Insurance Code))
- Texas Insurance Code § 1952.104 — Required provisions (unknown driver: actual physical contact) (FindLaw (Texas Insurance Code))
- Florida Statutes § 627.727 (2025) — Motor vehicle uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage (The Florida Senate)
- New York Insurance Law § 3420(f) — Uninsured motorist coverage, including unidentified vehicles that leave the scene (New York State Senate)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1702 — Definitions (“uninsured motor vehicle” includes an unidentified vehicle, with reporting conditions) (FindLaw (Pennsylvania Vehicle Code))
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1731 — Availability, scope and amount of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (FindLaw (Pennsylvania Vehicle Code))
- 215 ILCS 5/143a — Uninsured and hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage (FindLaw (Illinois Insurance Code))
- Ohio Revised Code § 3937.18 — Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (unidentified driver: independent corroborative evidence) (FindLaw (Ohio Revised Code))
- O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11 — Uninsured motorist coverage (unknown driver: physical contact or an eyewitness) (FindLaw (Official Code of Georgia))
- Michigan Compiled Laws § 500.3105 — Personal protection insurance benefits, due without regard to fault (FindLaw (Michigan Insurance Code))
- Michigan Compiled Laws § 500.3172 — Assigned claims plan when no personal protection insurance applies or can be identified (FindLaw (Michigan Insurance Code))
- Michigan Compiled Laws § 500.3135 — Tort liability limits under no-fault (noneconomic loss threshold; up to $3,000 vehicle damage) (FindLaw (Michigan Insurance Code))
- Victim Compensation (what state programs reimburse; programs in every state) (U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime)
- Help in Your State (contact for each state’s victim compensation program) (U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime)
- Who Is Eligible (covered crimes include hit and run; cooperation with police required) (California Victim Compensation Board)
- Frequently Asked Questions (pays only expenses with no other source; property damage not covered; 7-year filing limit) (California Victim Compensation Board)
Not legal or financial advice. InjuryMath is not a law firm and does not sell or broker funding. This page gives general information based on the sources listed; your contracts and your state’s law control. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.