A hit-and-run accident can leave an injured person facing medical bills, vehicle damage, and uncertainty about who will pay. The most important steps are to get to safety, call 911, document the fleeing vehicle, locate witnesses, obtain medical care, and report the crash to the appropriate insurance companies.
We should never assume that compensation is unavailable simply because the other driver escaped. Police investigations, traffic cameras, witness accounts, vehicle debris, and uninsured motorist coverage may provide a path to recovery.
Move to Safety and Check for Injuries
Safety must come first after a hit-and-run accident in Texas. We should check ourselves, our passengers, and anyone else involved for injuries. When a vehicle can be driven and no one is seriously hurt, it should be moved out of active traffic to reduce the risk of another collision.
We should turn on the hazard lights and move to a nearby parking lot, shoulder, or other safe location. A vehicle that cannot be moved should be left in place until emergency responders arrive. Everyone should remain away from moving traffic whenever possible.
The Texas Department of Transportation advises drivers to check for injuries, move vehicles out of traffic when it is safe, and protect the scene when disabled vehicles cannot be moved.
Call 911 and Report the Fleeing Driver
We should call 911 immediately when another driver leaves the scene. The dispatcher should receive a clear description of the fleeing vehicle and the direction in which it traveled.
Useful details include:
- The license plate number or any portion of it
- The vehicle’s make, model, body style, and color
- Visible damage to the vehicle
- The driver’s appearance
- The number of people inside
- Distinctive decals, equipment, lights, or markings
- The street or highway and direction of travel
- The approximate time of the collision
We should provide the facts without guessing. Even a partial license plate combined with the vehicle’s color and model can help investigators narrow their search.
TxDOT specifically recommends calling police when a driver leaves an accident scene. (
Do Not Chase the Hit-and-Run Driver
We should not pursue a fleeing driver. A chase can cause another crash, expose passengers to danger, and make it harder for police to determine what happened at the original scene.
The fleeing driver may be intoxicated, uninsured, driving a stolen vehicle, carrying illegal items, or attempting to avoid arrest for another reason. We should remain at the scene, cooperate with law enforcement, and allow trained officers to conduct the search.
A clear description provided quickly is usually more useful than a dangerous attempt to follow the vehicle.
Write Down Everything Before Details Fade
The moments after a collision are stressful, and memories can change quickly. We should use a phone, paper, or voice recording to preserve everything remembered about the crash.
Important details include the location, traffic conditions, weather, lighting, lane positions, traffic signal status, and how the impact occurred. We should also record anything noticed immediately before the collision, such as speeding, swerving, unsafe lane changes, or a driver looking at a phone.
Any statement made by a passenger or witness should be preserved in that person’s own words. These details may later help establish negligence and identify the driver.
Photograph the Hit-and-Run Accident Scene
Photographs and videos can preserve evidence that may disappear within minutes. We should document the entire scene before vehicles are repaired, debris is removed, or road conditions change.
Useful photographs include:
- Damage to every involved vehicle
- Wide views showing the roadway and intersection
- Skid marks, broken glass, and vehicle debris
- Traffic lights and signs
- Lane markings and construction zones
- Nearby homes, stores, and businesses
- Injuries, torn clothing, and damaged personal property
- Paint transfer left by the fleeing vehicle
Close photographs show detail, while wider photographs explain where everything was located. We should take both whenever it is safe.
Look for Witnesses and Nearby Cameras
Independent witnesses can be critical in a Texas hit-and-run claim. We should ask anyone who stopped or saw the collision for a name, phone number, email address, and short description of what was observed.
We should also look for cameras mounted on nearby businesses, homes, apartment buildings, parking garages, buses, delivery vehicles, and traffic control systems. Dash cameras in surrounding vehicles may have captured the collision or the fleeing vehicle’s license plate.
Video evidence may be erased automatically within days. A business or property owner should be contacted promptly and asked to preserve the recording. In serious injury cases, a written preservation request may be necessary.
Obtain Medical Care After a Texas Hit-and-Run
We should accept emergency care when an injury may be serious. Symptoms involving the head, neck, back, chest, or abdomen should not be ignored. Confusion, dizziness, numbness, weakness, severe pain, breathing difficulty, and loss of consciousness require prompt medical attention.
Some injuries do not become obvious until hours or days after a crash. Adrenaline can temporarily hide pain, particularly after a frightening impact. A medical examination creates a record of the symptoms and allows treatment to begin before the condition becomes worse.
We should describe every symptom accurately and explain that it began after the collision. Follow-up appointments, therapy recommendations, work restrictions, and referrals should be taken seriously.
Obtain the Texas Police Crash Report
The responding officer may prepare a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, commonly called a CR-3. The report may include witness information, vehicle descriptions, a diagram, road conditions, insurance information, and the officer’s account of the investigation.
Texas law requires an investigating officer to submit a written report to TxDOT when a crash causes injury, death, or apparent property damage of at least $1,000 to one person’s property. People directly involved in the accident and certain other interested parties can purchase a copy through TxDOT’s online system.
We should keep the police incident number and the responding officer’s name. Dash camera footage, body camera footage, photographs, dispatch recordings, and field notes may be held by the investigating law enforcement agency rather than TxDOT.
Notify the Insurance Company Promptly
A hit-and-run accident should be reported to the insurer as soon as reasonably possible. Insurance policies usually require timely notice and cooperation with the company’s investigation.
We should provide basic facts, the police report number, photographs, witness information, and a description of the fleeing vehicle. We should avoid guessing about speed, injuries, or fault. We should also avoid signing a broad medical authorization or accepting a quick settlement before the full extent of the losses is known.
A claim may involve several forms of coverage, including uninsured motorist coverage, collision coverage, personal injury protection, medical payments coverage, rental reimbursement, and health insurance.
Use Uninsured Motorist Coverage for a Hit-and-Run Claim
Texas uninsured motorist coverage may apply when the responsible driver cannot be identified or has no insurance. It can provide benefits for bodily injuries and property damage, subject to the terms and limits of the policy.
Uninsured motorist coverage may compensate for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, vehicle repairs, damaged property, rental expenses, and diminished vehicle value. Texas insurers must offer uninsured motorist coverage, although a policyholder may reject it in writing.
A Texas uninsured motorist property damage claim generally has a $250 deductible. Collision coverage may also pay for vehicle repairs after a hit-and-run, but its deductible may be higher and it may not provide the same benefits as uninsured motorist coverage.
We should request a complete copy of the insurance policy and declarations page rather than relying only on an insurance card. These documents show the available coverages, limits, deductibles, exclusions, and notice requirements.
Preserve Evidence of Every Financial Loss
A successful hit-and-run claim requires proof of damages as well as proof of fault. We should create a file containing all records connected to the accident.
The file should include medical bills, diagnostic reports, treatment notes, pharmacy receipts, repair estimates, towing charges, rental expenses, photographs, wage records, and correspondence with insurers.
We should also keep a written record of pain levels, physical limitations, sleep problems, missed activities, and the ways the injuries affect daily life. This record can help explain losses that do not appear on a medical bill.
Understand Texas Hit-and-Run Laws
Texas law requires a driver involved in a collision causing injury or death to stop at or near the scene, determine whether anyone needs assistance, provide identifying information, and render reasonable aid. Leaving without performing these duties can result in serious criminal charges.
Under Texas Transportation Code Section 550.021, leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death can be charged as a second-degree felony. A collision resulting in serious bodily injury can lead to a third-degree felony. Other injury cases can result in incarceration, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
Texas Transportation Code Section 550.022 also requires drivers to stop after collisions involving vehicle damage and exchange the required information.
The criminal case against the fleeing driver is separate from the injured person’s civil claim. A driver can face prosecution while also being financially responsible for the injuries and property damage caused.
Compensation Available After a Texas Hit-and-Run
The compensation available depends on the injuries, insurance coverage, evidence, and whether the responsible driver is found.
Recoverable damages may include:
- Emergency transportation and hospital care
- Doctor visits and specialist treatment
- Surgery, rehabilitation, and physical therapy
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages and reduced earning ability
- Physical pain and mental anguish
- Physical impairment and disfigurement
- Vehicle repairs or replacement
- Rental transportation and towing charges
- Damaged personal property
- Loss of companionship in a fatal accident
When the fleeing driver is later identified, a claim may be made against that driver and any applicable liability policy. Additional parties may be responsible when the driver was working, operating a company vehicle, or driving a vehicle owned by someone who negligently entrusted it to an unsafe driver.
Avoid Common Hit-and-Run Claim Mistakes
We should not delay medical treatment, repair the vehicle before documenting the damage, discard broken vehicle parts, or post details about the accident on social media.
We should also avoid giving a recorded statement about injuries before understanding their full extent. Statements such as feeling fine or being unhurt may later be used against the claim, even when symptoms developed after the initial shock wore off.
A quick settlement may not account for future treatment, time away from work, permanent limitations, or the full value of an uninsured motorist claim. Once a release is signed, the claim usually cannot be reopened.
Act Before Important Evidence and Deadlines Are Lost
Texas personal injury claims are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations. Waiting can also cause the loss of surveillance footage, witness information, vehicle data, and physical evidence.
Insurance notice requirements and uninsured motorist disputes can involve separate legal issues. Early investigation helps preserve evidence, identify all available coverage, and prevent avoidable arguments about delay.
The practical response to a hit-and-run accident in Texas is immediate action. We should protect our health, notify police, preserve every available piece of evidence, report the claim, and carefully review the insurance coverage that may provide compensation even when the fleeing driver is never found.
