Hit-and-Run: What Your Car Insurance Covers

If you're a hit-and-run victim and the at-fault driver cannot be identified or does not have insurance, your own policy's uninsured-motorist (UM) coverage is the primary path to recovery. UM bodily injury (UM-BI) pays for medical bills; UM property damage (UM-PD) pays for car repairs in the states that offer it. Collision coverage also pays for the car repair regardless of fault, but with your deductible.

The 5-step playbook

1. Document the scene. Photos of damage, debris, nearby plates and vehicles, timestamps. If anyone saw the hit-and-run, get a name and number.
2. File a police report immediately. Most states require a hit-and-run report within 24 hours for UM-PD coverage to apply. Get the police-report case number.
3. Call your insurer and open a claim. Report the incident as hit-and-run; UM is the applicable coverage.
4. Request UM and collision in parallel. Your adjuster will route the claim. If UM-PD is unavailable in your state or your policy, collision picks up with your deductible.
5. Follow up on the police investigation. If the at-fault driver is later identified, your insurer may subrogate against them to recover its payment.

Which coverage pays what

• UM-BI pays your medical bills (and household passengers) up to the UM-BI limits.
• UM-PD pays your car repair in the 15-ish states that offer it. States include CA (with $3,500 limit), GA, IL, LA, MD, MS, NC, OR, SC, VT, VA, WA, WV, and a few others. Not available in TX, FL, NY, PA, OH, among others.
• Collision pays your car repair regardless of fault; you pay the collision deductible. Many drivers use collision for hit-and-run even in UM-PD states because collision has no cap and the deductible is often smaller than the UM-PD requirement.
• PIP or MedPay pays medical bills regardless of fault; a useful first-dollar line if UM-BI deductible applies.

Will my rate go up?

Most carriers do not surcharge for a UM claim where you were not at fault, because the UM payment is designed to put you in the position you would have been in if the at-fault driver had been insured. Collision claims where you were not at fault similarly do not surcharge at most mainstream carriers in most states. A hit-and-run can trigger a non-renewal in rare cases if multiple comp or UM claims cluster in a short window, but a single incident is almost never a problem.

If the at-fault driver is later identified

• Your insurer may subrogate against the at-fault driver to recover what it paid you.
• You may be able to recover your deductible once subrogation is successful (varies by state and policy).
• Civil action against the at-fault driver remains available for amounts above UM limits.