A driver hit you and drove away. You have pain, a damaged car, and no name, no plate, and no insurance card. Here is what to do in the first 24 hours after a hit and run in California in 2026, and how you can still get paid when the other driver is never found.
The short answer
Call the police and make a report within 24 hours. Get medical care. Then notify your own insurance company and, within 30 days, give it a written statement under oath about the crash. Under Insurance Code 11580.2, those steps open the door to your own uninsured motorist coverage, which can pay for your injuries just as if the driver who fled had no insurance. The car must have actually touched you, your car, or your bike for that coverage to apply.
What to do in the first 24 hours
In a hit and run, the evidence that finds the driver disappears fast.
- Get safe and call 911. If anyone is hurt, ask for an ambulance. Tell the dispatcher it was a hit and run.
- Write down everything you remember right away. Color, make, body style, damage to the other car, partial plate, direction of travel, and anything about the driver.
- Make a police report within 24 hours. If an officer did not come to the scene, go to the station or file with the agency that covers that road. It is a condition in the uninsured motorist law.
- Photograph the scene. Your car, the debris on the road, paint transfer, skid marks, and your injuries.
- Look for cameras. Businesses, gas stations, apartment buildings, doorbell cameras, and city traffic cameras often record the street. Many systems record over themselves within days, so ask quickly.
- Find witnesses. Get names and phone numbers from anyone who stopped or saw it.
- Get checked by a doctor the same day or the next. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is something the insurance company will point to later.
Who takes the report?
The road decides. The California Highway Patrol handles freeways, state highways, and roads in unincorporated areas. The city police department handles city streets inside city limits. Either way, get the report number and the officer's name.
The physical contact rule
California's uninsured motorist law covers a hit and run only when the other vehicle made physical contact. It can touch you, your car, or the vehicle you were riding in. A car that ran you off the road without touching you, sometimes called a phantom vehicle, generally does not qualify for this coverage.
That makes the evidence of contact important. Paint transfer, a dent with a different color in it, a broken part from the other car, and a witness who saw the impact all help prove it. Do not repair the car before the damage is photographed and the insurer has had a chance to inspect it.
The 30-day sworn statement
The second condition is a written statement to your own insurance company, made under oath, within 30 days of the crash. It says that you have a claim against an unknown driver who caused the accident. Your insurer may send you a form, or your lawyer can prepare it. Miss this window and the insurer has a reason to deny the claim.
Report the crash to your insurer promptly as well. Your policy almost always requires it.
How you still get paid
Your own policy is usually the main source of money after a hit and run. Our guide to uninsured motorist coverage explains it in detail, but here is the short version.
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays for your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, up to your policy limit, when the at-fault driver is unknown.
- Medical payments coverage, if you bought it, pays medical bills no matter who was at fault.
- Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car, minus your deductible. California's uninsured motorist property damage coverage generally requires that the other driver be identified, so in a true hit and run, collision coverage is usually how the car gets fixed.
- Health insurance can cover treatment while the claim is pending.
If the police find the driver later, you can also bring a claim against that driver's insurance, and against the driver personally.
If you were walking or biking
A hit and run on foot or on a bike is still covered by the same rules. If you or a relative in your household has an auto policy with uninsured motorist coverage, that coverage may protect you as a pedestrian or cyclist even though you were not in a car. Our pedestrian accident lawyers handle these claims often. The California Victim Compensation Board may also be able to help with some costs for victims of a hit and run that caused an injury.
Be careful with your own insurance company
Your insurer is supposed to be on your side, but in an uninsured motorist claim it is the company paying. The adjuster may ask for a recorded statement, a broad medical authorization, or a quick settlement. Read our guide on the recorded statement before you give one. You can let your lawyer speak for you.
Your deadlines
The general deadline to sue for an injury in California is two years under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. Uninsured motorist claims have their own two-year rule: within two years of the crash you generally must settle the claim, start arbitration with your insurer, or file a lawsuit. If a city or county vehicle or a dangerous road condition played a part, a government claim is usually due within six months.
The 24-hour police report and the 30-day sworn statement come first, and they come fast.
How we help
Our car accident lawyers help hit and run victims across California, from Los Angeles to the Central Valley. We send the sworn statement on time, chase down camera footage and witnesses, deal with your insurance company, and keep track of every deadline. Not sure what your policy covers? Ask for a free case review. No fee unless we win.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change; talk to a lawyer about your situation.