What Should You Do When the Other Driver Leaves the Scene?

Many of the steps after a hit-and-run are the same as after any serious collision. Get to a safe location when possible, call law enforcement, seek appropriate medical attention, and document the accident.

For broader guidance about what to do after a collision, see our Miami Car Accident Lawyer page.

A hit-and-run creates several additional concerns.

If possible:

• Do not chase the fleeing vehicle. Avoid creating another dangerous situation.
• Tell law enforcement that the driver left the scene. Provide whatever identifying information you remember.
• Write down what you saw. Even part of a license plate, vehicle color, body style, damage, decals, or direction of travel may be useful.
• Look for witnesses. Another driver, pedestrian, passenger, employee, or nearby resident may have seen something you missed.
• Identify nearby cameras. Businesses, homes, parking garages, dashcams, and other sources may have recorded the fleeing vehicle.
• Notify the appropriate insurer. If the driver cannot be identified, your own insurance coverage may become important.

The key difference is that a hit-and-run investigation often begins without knowing who the responsible driver is or whether that person has insurance.

How Can a Hit-and-Run Driver Be Identified?

A driver does not always disappear without leaving evidence behind.

Hit-and-run investigations often involve combining several pieces of information rather than relying on one clue.

What If You Only Have Part of the License Plate?

You do not necessarily need to remember the entire license plate for the information to be useful.

Write down exactly what you saw, including:

• any letters or numbers
• the state shown on the plate
• plate color or design
• where the plate was located on the vehicle

A partial plate may become more useful when combined with the vehicle description, location, direction of travel, witness statements, or video.

Do not guess at characters you cannot remember.

Vehicle Description

Details about the fleeing vehicle may also help distinguish it from similar vehicles.

Useful information may include:

• make or manufacturer
• model
• approximate year
• color
• sedan, SUV, pickup, van, motorcycle, or other body type
• damage caused by the collision
• broken lights
• decals or bumper stickers
• company names or commercial markings
• unusual wheels, accessories, or other features

Witnesses

Someone nearby may have had a better view of the vehicle or plate.

A witness may also be able to confirm how the collision happened, which direction the vehicle traveled, or whether the driver stopped briefly before leaving.

Dashcam and Surveillance Video

Your own dashcam can be important evidence, but it is not the only possible source.

Video may also exist from:

• nearby businesses
• homes and apartment buildings
• parking garages
• hotels
• gas stations
• commercial buildings
• other vehicles

The camera does not necessarily need to show the impact itself. Footage showing a damaged vehicle leaving the area may also help an investigation.

Vehicle Debris

A hit-and-run vehicle may leave behind part of a bumper, mirror, light assembly, trim, paint, or another damaged component.

When appropriate, evidence left at the scene may provide information about the type of vehicle involved.

Why Acting Quickly Can Matter

Some useful hit-and-run evidence may not remain available for long.

A business surveillance system may overwrite recordings. A witness may become difficult to locate. Vehicle damage may be repaired. Roadway debris may be removed. Memories can become less precise.

There is no guarantee that a particular recording, witness, or piece of evidence will identify the driver. The goal is to determine what evidence exists before potentially useful information disappears.

Can You Still Recover Compensation If the Hit-and-Run Driver Is Never Found?

Possibly.

This is one of the biggest differences between a typical car accident claim and a hit-and-run claim.

In a normal collision, you may know the other driver’s name and insurance company from the beginning. After a hit-and-run, you may have neither.

If the responsible driver cannot be identified, possible sources of recovery may depend on:

• the insurance coverage available to you
• whether uninsured motorist coverage applies
• the language of the applicable insurance policy
• how the crash occurred
• whether the fleeing vehicle physically struck your vehicle
• evidence showing that an unidentified vehicle caused the crash
• whether another person or business may also be legally responsible

The fact that police have not identified the driver does not automatically determine whether an injury claim is available.

A lawyer may need to investigate both who caused the crash and which insurance coverage may respond if that person remains unknown.

For broader information about damages, insurance issues, and automobile injury claims, see our Miami Car Accident Lawyer page.

Can Uninsured Motorist Coverage Apply to a Hit-and-Run?

Uninsured motorist coverage, often called UM coverage, may provide another potential source of compensation when the driver who caused the crash has no insurance or cannot be identified.

Florida requires uninsured motorist coverage to be offered with certain automobile policies that provide bodily injury liability coverage, although a named insured can reject that coverage in writing.

That does not mean UM coverage automatically applies to every hit-and-run.

The answer may depend on:

• whether UM coverage was purchased
• who qualifies as an insured under the policy
• the facts of the collision
• the policy language
• required notice and documentation
• how the unidentified vehicle was involved

In some hit-and-run cases, you may therefore be dealing with your own insurance company rather than the fleeing driver’s insurer.

The actual policy should be reviewed before assuming that coverage applies.

To learn more, read out Miami Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer page.

Can You Have a Hit-and-Run Claim Without Vehicle Contact?

Potentially.

Some hit-and-run crashes happen without physical contact between the vehicles.

For example, another driver may:

• suddenly enter your lane
• cut you off
• force you onto the shoulder
• cause you to swerve
• force you off the roadway
• cause you to collide with another vehicle

The other vehicle may then leave without ever touching yours.

These situations are sometimes referred to as phantom vehicle or no-contact crashes.

They can create additional evidence and insurance questions because the unidentified vehicle is not available for inspection and there may be no impact damage connecting it to the accident.

Evidence such as dashcam footage, witnesses, photographs, roadway evidence, and reports made immediately after the collision may become particularly important.

Whether insurance coverage applies depends on the policy and the specific facts of the crash.

What Happens If Police Identify the Driver Later?

A hit-and-run claim can change if police or other evidence eventually identifies the driver.

The investigation may then expand to determine:

• whether the driver had liability insurance
• who owned the vehicle
• whether someone other than the owner was driving
• whether the driver was working at the time
• whether an employer or another party may also be responsible
• whether the fleeing vehicle has damage consistent with the crash
• whether the driver’s explanation matches the available evidence

Identifying the driver does not guarantee that sufficient insurance coverage exists.

The driver may have no insurance or limited coverage. There may also be disputes about liability or coverage.

Finding the driver simply provides additional people, insurance policies, and evidence that can be investigated.

Where Can Evidence Come From After a Miami Hit-and-Run?

The location of a hit-and-run can affect the types of evidence that may be available.

A crash in Downtown Miami, Brickell, Wynwood, Little Havana, or another dense commercial area may occur near businesses, parking garages, residential buildings, pedestrians, or other drivers who could have witnessed the collision or recorded it.

A hit-and-run on I-95, SR 826/Palmetto Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, Florida’s Turnpike, or an entrance or exit ramp presents a different problem. The fleeing vehicle may quickly disappear into traffic.

Crashes near shopping centers, hotels, gas stations, apartment buildings, and parking areas may provide other potential sources of surveillance video.

Roads around Miami International Airport may also involve rental vehicles, rideshare drivers, taxis, visitors, and commercial traffic. If a vehicle is later identified as a rental or commercial vehicle, additional records may help determine who was driving it.

The focus should be on the evidence available at the actual crash location rather than assuming that a particular camera or record exists.

Hit-and-Run Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Motorcycle Accidents

A fleeing driver may also strike someone walking, riding a bicycle, or riding a motorcycle.

When that happens, identifying the vehicle and available insurance may become just as important as establishing how the collision occurred.

For broader information about these types of crashes, see:

• Miami Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
• Miami Bicycle Accident Lawyer
• Miami Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

These pages address the broader issues involved in each type of accident. The additional concern in a hit-and-run is determining who caused the collision and what options may remain when that person leaves the scene.

Criminal Hit-and-Run Case vs. Your Injury Claim

A hit-and-run can involve both a criminal investigation and a civil injury claim, but they serve different purposes.

Police and prosecutors may investigate whether the driver violated Florida law by leaving the scene.

Your civil claim focuses on financial responsibility for the injuries and losses caused by the crash.

The same evidence may be relevant to both matters, but the criminal case does not replace a civil claim or insurance claim.