The crash is bad enough. Watching the other car drive away adds anger and a question: who pays now? More often than people think, the answer is a policy you already own, used correctly. Verde Law handles hit-and-run claims in all 50 states, and leaving the scene of an injury crash is a crime in every one of them.
First moves that protect the claim
Call 911 and get the police report on record; it is the foundation of every insurance claim that follows. Write down everything you remember: plate fragments, vehicle color and damage, direction of travel. Look for witnesses and note nearby cameras, because businesses and doorbells record more streets than people realize. And get medical care promptly, within 14 days if the crash happened in Florida, so no-fault benefits stay available.
The criminal case is not your claim
If police find the driver, the criminal case runs on its own track. Your injury claim does not need a conviction, and it does not even need an identified driver to succeed. Those are two different fights, and we only need to win yours.
Uninsured motorist coverage was built for exactly this
UM coverage stands in for the driver who ran. If you carry it, your own policy takes the place of the phantom driver's missing insurance, covering your injuries the way their liability policy should have. The rules for offering and rejecting UM vary by state, and insurer paperwork mistakes sometimes mean you have coverage you were never told about. Our uninsured motorist page explains why we always pull the policy documents before accepting "you're not covered" as an answer.
We investigate while the trail is warm
Camera footage overwrites in days, not weeks. We canvass for video, follow up with witnesses, and coordinate with law enforcement leads. If the driver is identified, we pursue their liability coverage. If not, we build the claim through UM, no-fault benefits, and every other source that applies.
Deadlines and notice
Insurance policies demand prompt notice of hit-and-run claims, and suit deadlines vary by state. The earlier we start, the more evidence still exists. This is the one case type where waiting a week can genuinely cost the case.
The driver was never found. Can I still recover?
Yes, if the right coverages exist: UM, no-fault benefits where applicable, medical payments coverage, and sometimes policies within your household. Finding every source is our job.
I only caught a partial plate. Is that useful?
Very. Partial plates plus a vehicle description plus camera canvassing identify drivers more often than people expect. Give it to the police, and give it to us.
Free, bilingual case review, day or night, and no fee unless we win. Call before the cameras overwrite.