A driver who leaves the scene takes the most obvious source of recovery with them. That does not necessarily end the claim: uninsured motorist coverage exists for this situation, and it carries requirements of its own that begin running immediately.
Margossian Law represents people injured by drivers who left the scene, working on identifying the vehicle where that is still possible, and on the coverage claim where it is not.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage Is Usually the Route
Uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy is what these claims are usually made under, and in a hit and run it is frequently the only meaningful source of recovery. Whether an unidentified driver qualifies is not automatic: California requirements and the policy itself set conditions that have to be satisfied, covering reporting, notice, and in some circumstances corroboration of contact.
It changes the dynamic of the claim, though. The party disputing the value of your injury is now your own insurer, which means the file has to be built as carefully as it would be against a stranger. Many policies also require some independent corroboration that another vehicle was involved, rather than your account alone.
The Driver Is Identified More Often Than People Expect
Leaving the scene is a crime, which means there is usually an active investigation running alongside the insurance claim.
- Camera footage from nearby businesses, homes, and traffic infrastructure, most of it overwritten within days
- Vehicle debris left at the scene, which can identify a make, model, and year
- Paint transfer on your own vehicle
- Partial plates from witnesses, which narrow a search rather than ending it
- Body shop reports of matching damage in the days that follow
Reporting Is Its Own Deadline
Uninsured motorist coverage carries notice requirements that are separate from, and usually much shorter than, the deadline to file suit. Policies commonly require prompt reporting to the police and to the insurer, and many are subject to arbitration provisions with their own timetable. Missing one of those can end a claim that is otherwise sound.