What Should You Do After a Hit-and-Run Accident in California?

Someone hit your car and drove off, and now you’re standing there wondering who pays for it.

California Vehicle Code 20002 requires every driver to stop after a crash, no matter how small, and exchange information with everyone involved. A driver who takes off without exchanging information commits a crime.

None of that changes what’s sitting in front of you now:  a damaged car, anl injury, and no idea where to send the bill.

You still have options, even if that driver never turns up. Corrales Law Group has spent over a decade helping Orange County drivers recover after crashes exactly like this one, hit-and-run included.

If any of this sounds like where you are right now, a hit-and-run accident attorney at Corrales Law Group can look at your situation for free and walk you through your legal options.

What Counts as a Hit-and-Run Under California Law

A hit-and-run happens the moment a driver involved in a crash fails to stop, exchange information, or help someone who’s hurt. Fault has nothing to do with it. Vehicle Code 20002 covers accidents that damage only property, while Vehicle Code 20001 covers crashes that hurt or kill someone.

A driver who bolts from a parking lot fender bender has broken the same basic duty as one who flees a serious wreck on the 55 Freeway through Orange. Stopping is the obligation. It isn’t an admission of fault.

What to Do in the First 10 Minutes (If Possible)

The first few minutes after a hit-and-run can shape how strong your claim will be months from now. If you can:

• Check yourself and any passengers for injuries, and call 911 if anyone needs help
• Note whatever you can about the fleeing car, its color, make, partial plate, direction of travel, etc.
• Photograph your vehicle, the road, skid marks, and any debris left behind
• Ask nearby witnesses or businesses with security cameras for contact information
• Wait for the if it’s safe to, since an officer on scene can take a report immediately

Skipping any of these doesn’t end your case, but doing them may help your claim.

Reporting the Accident: Police, DMV, and Your Insurer

Reporting isn’t paperwork for its own sake. It’s what turns your version of events into something an adjuster or a judge has to take seriously.

The Police Report

File with the local police department, or the California Highway Patrol if the crash happened on a freeway, as soon as you reasonably can. If the crash caused an injury or death, you generally have 24 hours to file a report.

The DMV SR-1 Report

California law requires a separate filing with the DMV, the SR-1, within 10 days of any crash causing more than $1,000 in damage or any injury at all. Miss it, and the DMV can suspend your license even though you weren’t the one who fled.

Notifying Your Insurance Company

Under Insurance Code 11580.2, most policies require you to report a hit-and-run to police within 24 hours and to notify your insurer within 30 days to preserve an uninsured motorist claim. Read the actual policy language. A late report is the kind of technicality some insurers use to deny a claim outright.

Every one of these deadlines runs on its own clock, and missing even one can impact your recovery. Talk to our office before you sign anything an insurance company sends you.

Getting Paid When the Driver Is Never Found

This is where most people assume they’re out of luck, and they’re wrong. California requires every insurer to offer uninsured motorist coverage, and while drivers can decline it in writing, most never do, which means many policyholders are carrying protection they’ve never had to think about.

If you have uninsured motorist coverage, your own insurance company steps into the shoes of the driver who ran and pays your claim up to your policy limits, covering medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering the same way a liability claim against an identified driver would. Collision coverage handles the car itself, usually with a deductible attached, and medical payments coverage can pay bills with no fault determination required at all.

None of it happens on its own. You have to file the claim, document every dollar of damage, and sometimes push back hard when an adjuster tries to lowball a settlement or slow-walk the process for months. If the driver is later identified and refuses to pay what’s owed, that dispute can end up in front of a judge at Orange County Superior Court, which is a very different process from a routine insurance claim.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hit-and-Run Accident

Will my rate go up if I’m hit by a driver who fled and it wasn’t my fault?

Your rates shouldn’t go up for a claim where you weren’t at fault, since California’s surcharge rules are tied to fault determinations, not just filing a claim. Some insurers still factor claim frequency into a renewal. Ask your agent directly instead of assuming either way.

What if I was walking or riding a bike when the driver fled?

You’re still covered. Uninsured motorist protection under your own auto policy, or a household member’s policy, generally extends to pedestrians and cyclists hit by an unidentified driver. You’ll need to meet the same physical contact and reporting requirements a driver would.

What happens if the driver is caught after I’ve already settled with my insurer?

You may still have a claim against that driver for anything your policy limits didn’t cover, especially pain and suffering beyond what your insurer paid. Your insurer may also have a subrogation right to recoup part of what they paid you.

Corrales Law Group: Your Orange County Car Accident Law Firm

A hit-and-run leaves you carrying costs someone else caused, and that’s not right. We’ve spent over a decade in Orange County pulling apart insurance policies, chasing down uninsured motorist coverage, and building claims backed by evidence insurers can’t wave away. Every case starts the same way for us, reading your policy line by line and gathering evidence.

If a driver hit you and drove off, you don’t have to sort out DMV forms and coverage deadlines alone. Contact our firm today, and let’s figure out what you’re owed.