What to Do After a Hit and Run in California

The other driver just drove away. Maybe it happened in a parking lot, on the freeway, or at a busy intersection. Maybe you only caught a partial plate number — or nothing at all. Now you’re standing next to a damaged car, possibly injured, and wondering what just happened to your legal rights.

Here is what you need to know right now: California law is on your side. A hit and run in California does not have to mean you walk away with nothing. There are specific steps you can take — some of them in the next few minutes — that will protect your ability to recover compensation, even if the driver is never found.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do after a hit and run accident in California, step by step, from the scene to the insurance claim to understanding your legal options as a victim.

What to Do After a Hit and Run: Step-by-Step

Call 911 — Even If Injuries Seem Minor

Your first call after any hit and run in California should be to 911. If you or any passenger is injured, request an ambulance immediately. Even if you feel physically fine, call law enforcement to the scene. California law requires a police report when an accident involves injury, and having law enforcement document the incident is critical for your insurance claim and any future legal action.

When you speak with the responding officer, report everything you observed about the other vehicle — make, model, color, any part of the license plate you caught, and the direction the driver fled. Even a partial description matters. Officers can cross-reference partial plates, and in the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area, traffic camera systems may have captured footage you cannot access yourself.

QUICK ACTION — Document Before Anything Moves

While waiting for police to arrive, use your phone to photograph everything: your vehicle damage, the surrounding area, skid marks, debris, nearby traffic cameras, and any business signage. This evidence cannot be recreated once the scene changes.

Get Medical Attention — Even If You Feel Fine

Do not skip this step. After a hit and run accident, your adrenaline is running high. Injuries like whiplash, soft tissue damage, concussions, and internal trauma often do not present immediate symptoms. You may feel completely normal for 24 to 72 hours before the pain sets in.

Seeking prompt medical attention accomplishes two things: it protects your health, and it creates a documented medical timeline that directly connects your injuries to the accident. Without this documentation, insurance companies will argue — often successfully — that your injuries came from somewhere else. Go to an emergency room, urgent care, or your primary care physician the same day. Tell them you were in a car accident.

⚠  IMPORTANT

If you delay medical care by even a few days, the insurance company will use that gap against you. Insurers count on victims assuming they are fine, then discovering injuries later and having no documentation to support their claim. Do not give them that opening.

Document the Scene and Look for Witnesses

After calling 911 and checking for injuries, gather as much evidence as possible while still at the scene. Every detail you capture now is information that cannot be recovered later.

Here is what to collect before leaving the scene:

•      Photos of all vehicle damage from multiple angles

•      Photos of the roadway, skid marks, debris, and the surrounding intersection or area

•      The name, phone number, and statement of any witnesses — do not assume they will stay

•      The exact location, including cross streets, freeway exit, or parking lot address

•      The time of the accident and the direction the hit and run driver fled

•      Identification of any nearby surveillance cameras — businesses, ATMs, traffic signals, and Ring doorbells in residential areas

On the witness point: in hit and run accidents with no witnesses, cases become significantly harder to pursue against the at-fault driver. If witnesses exist, securing their contact information before they leave the scene is one of the most valuable things you can do. Bystanders rarely come forward on their own after the fact.

SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE — Move Fast

Security and traffic camera footage in California is often overwritten within 24 to 72 hours. If you believe a nearby business or traffic camera captured the collision, request that footage immediately. An attorney can send a formal preservation letter to prevent the footage from being deleted. This step alone has made the difference in countless hit and run cases.

File a Police Report — And Follow Up on It

A police report is not optional after a hit and run in California. It is the foundational document your insurance claim will be built on. If law enforcement responded to the scene, they will file the Traffic Collision Report. If they did not respond, you can report the incident at your local California Highway Patrol office or police department.

Get the report number from the officer before they leave. In the days following the accident, you can request a copy of the full Traffic Collision Report, which will be important when you file your insurance claim. If new information emerges — a witness comes forward, a nearby business provides camera footage — follow up with the investigating officer to add that information to the record.

Contact Your Own Insurance — But Understand What You Are Signing

After a hit and run accident where the other driver has fled, you file a claim through your own insurance policy under your uninsured motorist coverage, also known as UM or UIM coverage. This is the most important thing most hit and run victims in California do not know.

California allows uninsured motorist claims in hit and run cases even when the other driver is never identified. Your uninsured motorist coverage is specifically designed for situations like this — where the at-fault driver has either no insurance or cannot be located. If you have UM/UIM coverage, your own insurance company steps into the role of the at-fault driver’s insurer and compensates you for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

DO YOU HAVE UM/UIM COVERAGE?
Check your California auto insurance policy before you need it. Uninsured motorist coverage is optional in California but is strongly recommended precisely because of hit and run incidents. If you do not currently have it, adding it is inexpensive and protects you in exactly this scenario.

⚠  IMPORTANT
Before giving a recorded statement to your own insurance company, understand this: even your own insurer's adjusters are working to minimize the payout. You are not required to give a recorded statement before consulting with an attorney. A single statement made without legal guidance can be used to reduce your compensation significantly.

Report to the California DMV — The Requirement Most Victims Miss

Failing to file the SR-1 form can affect your ability to recover compensation and may result in a suspension of your driver’s license. The form is available through the California DMV website and requires basic information about the accident, the other vehicle (to the extent known), and the insurance details you have. If the other driver was never identified, document that on the form.

What If the Hit and Run Driver Is Never Found?

This is the question most victims have and most law firm articles avoid answering directly. Here is the honest answer: you can still recover compensation.

If the at-fault driver is never identified, your recovery options depend on your own insurance coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage exists for exactly this scenario. Beyond that, there are several additional avenues worth exploring with an attorney:

•      Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage — your primary recovery path when the driver cannot be found

•      Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay) — covers your medical bills regardless of fault or driver identification

•      Collision Coverage — covers vehicle damage when the at-fault party cannot be held responsible

•      Surveillance and investigation — sometimes the driver is identified days or weeks later through camera footage or witness accounts; a well-documented case keeps that door open

The San Fernando Valley — including highways like the 405, the 118, and surface streets through Burbank, Van Nuys, and North Hollywood — sees some of the highest hit and run incident rates in Los Angeles County. Many of these cases are eventually resolved through insurance claims even when the driver was never caught, because the victims took the right steps early.

What If the Hit and Run Driver Is Identified Later?

When the driver who fled is eventually found — and many are, especially in urban areas with traffic cameras and witnesses — your options expand considerably. In California, leaving the scene of an accident is a criminal offense. A hit and run resulting in injury is a felony under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, carrying potential jail time, fines, and license suspension for the driver who fled.

From a civil standpoint, an identified hit and run driver can be held fully liable for your medical expenses, lost income, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. You may also be entitled to pursue a civil claim even while criminal proceedings are underway. The fact that the driver committed a hit and run — an intentional act of fleeing — can strengthen the damages argument in your civil case.

PRESERVE YOUR EVIDENCE — EVEN WEEKS LATER
If a hit and run driver is identified weeks or months after the accident, the quality of the evidence you gathered at the scene and in the days immediately following becomes critical. This is why documentation at every stage matters — it keeps your legal options open long after the incident.

Common Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Hit and Run Claim

After dealing with hundreds of California car accident cases, the mistakes that consistently damage hit and run claims are predictable — and entirely avoidable.

•      Leaving the scene without documenting — even one clear photo of the damage can be the difference in a disputed claim

•      Assuming you have no case because the driver fled — uninsured motorist coverage exists specifically for this

•      Giving a recorded statement to insurance before you understand your rights — this is one of the most damaging mistakes victims make

•      Delaying medical care — a gap between the accident and your first doctor visit is the single most common tool insurers use to minimize payouts

•      Posting about the accident on social media — photos, check-ins, or comments about your physical condition can and will be used against your claim

•      Missing the California DMV SR-1 filing deadline — 10 days from the date of the accident

•      Waiting too long to consult an attorney — surveillance footage, witness memories, and physical evidence all degrade quickly

Your Rights as a Hit and Run Victim in California

Understanding your hit and run victim rights in California can change how you approach the days and weeks ahead. Here is what the law entitles you to:

•      You have the right to file an insurance claim even when the at-fault driver cannot be identified

•      You have the right to consult an attorney before giving any recorded statement to an insurance company

•      You have the right to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering

•      You have the right to request and receive a copy of the police Traffic Collision Report

•      You are protected by California’s two-year statute of limitations — you have time to build a proper case, but earlier is always better for preserving evidence

The statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim in California is generally two years from the date of the accident. However, if a government entity — such as a city bus or a government vehicle — was involved in the hit and run, the deadline to file a government tort claim is just six months. Do not let the two-year clock give you a false sense of time.

The Bottom Line

A hit and run accident is disorienting, frustrating, and — depending on the injuries — potentially life-altering. But the fact that the other driver fled does not mean you are out of options. California law and your own insurance coverage were built for exactly this situation.

Take the steps outlined above. Document everything. Get medical attention. File the police report. Notify your insurance company. File the DMV SR-1 form. And before you make any recorded statements or sign anything, talk to an attorney who handles car accident claims in California.

Frequently Asked Questions