A hit-and-run case brings a painful mix of shock, fear, and unanswered questions. One moment you are driving home or running an errand, and the next you are dealing with damage, injuries, and a driver who sped away without stopping. Bob Jensen has spent over 40 years helping Nevada families recover after exactly this kind of crash, and this guide explains what steps you can take, what you might expect, and how a hit-and-run case may be resolved.
What Exactly Is a Hit-and-Run Case?
A hit-and-run case begins the moment a driver involved in a collision leaves the scene without stopping to exchange information, render aid, or wait for police. Nevada law treats this conduct as a serious offense under NRS 484E.010. When the crash involves only property damage, the fleeing driver typically faces a misdemeanor. When the crash causes injury or death, Nevada elevates the charge to a Category B felony, carrying significant criminal penalties.
For the person left behind after the crash, a hit-and-run case creates a unique legal challenge. There is often no at-fault driver to hold accountable through a traditional insurance claim, which means the path to compensation runs through different channels. Understanding those channels early gives you the strongest possible position for recovery.
According to research from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS), 15% of all police reported crashes in 2023 involved a hit-and-run.
Source: AAAFTS
5 Tips for Moving Forward After a Hit-and-Run Case
Moving through a hit-and-run case takes more than the initial steps right after the crash. These five tips help protect your case and your peace of mind as the process continues.
Tip 1: Write Down Everything You Remember About the Other Vehicle and Driver
As soon as possible after the crash, jot down any details that come to mind about the vehicle that fled the scene, including its make, model, color, and any part of the license plate you managed to see. Note any characteristics of the driver as well, such as their approximate age, sex, race, hair color, or clothing. The faintest ink is better than the best memory, so recording these details early could help support by law enforcement or your legal team works to identify the driver later.
Tip 2: Keep a Detailed Record of Your Recovery
Check your post-car accident injuries and track your medical appointments, symptoms, missed workdays, and out-of-pocket expenses as they happen. A running record, whether in a notebook or a notes app, creates a detailed account of how the crash may have affected your life, which can help support your claim when evaluating potential damages.
Tip 3: Learn the Details of Your Own Insurance Policy
Review your policy’s uninsured motorist coverage and any deadlines tied to filing a claim. Knowing your coverage limits and notice requirements ahead of time helps you avoid missing a window that could affect your compensation.
Tip 4: Be Careful About What You Share Publicly
Avoid posting about the crash, your injuries, or your recovery on social media while your case moves forward. Insurance carriers routinely review public posts for anything that could be used to question the severity of your injuries or the circumstances of the crash.
Tip 5: Let Your Lawyer Handle Communication with Insurance Companies
Route calls and correspondence from insurance adjusters through your legal team rather than responding directly. This keeps your statements consistent and protects you from questions designed to minimize your claim.
Tip 6: Choose a Lawyer with Local Courtroom Experience
Work with a Reno injury law firm that knows Washoe County courts, local judges, and the investigators handling hit-and-run cases in your area. That familiarity can help guide you through the process and may assist in building your case.
Who Benefits Most from Working with a Car Accident Lawyer
Anyone injured in a hit-and-run case benefits from legal guidance, and certain situations make that guidance especially valuable. Recognizing your own circumstances in the list below can help clarify why bringing in an experienced car accident lawyer makes sense right now, rather than waiting to see how the claims process unfolds on its own.
A car accident lawyer offers meaningful support if you are:
- Managing significant medical bills from emergency care, ongoing treatment, or physical therapy
- Missing work and income while you recover from your injuries
- Facing long-term or permanent injuries that will affect your daily life going forward
- Feeling overwhelmed by insurance paperwork, deadlines, or unfamiliar policy terms
- Uncertain about your own uninsured motorist coverage and how it applies to your case
- Unsure whether the driver who fled the scene will ever be identified
A car crash law firm with extensive trial experience can provide an advocate familiar with how insurance carriers evaluate hit-and-run claims. This support allows you to focus on healing while your legal team manages evidence, deadlines, and communication with the insurance company.
How Insurance Companies Handle Uninsured Motorist Claims
When the driver who caused your crash cannot be identified, your own uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary path to compensation. Filing this claim means submitting a request to your own insurance company, which can often involve complex procedures. Insurance adjusters generally work to evaluate and minimize payout exposure for claims, including those filed by policyholders.
Bob Jensen’s background working for insurance defense firms early in his career gives him direct insight into these tactics. He understands how adjusters build a case for a lower settlement, and he uses that knowledge to counter it. As a Board-Certified Personal Injury Specialist with a well-known reputation for taking cases to trial, Bob Jensen brings extensive courtroom experience to negotiations when evaluating settlement offers with insurance carriers.
Finding the Driver Who Left the Scene
Locating the driver responsible for a hit-and-run case often takes more than a basic police report and a witness statement or two. If you have clear dash cam evidence, finding the driver can become easier, but not every vehicle is equipped with this type of recording device. Jensen Oldham Personal Injury Law brings hands-on investigative resources to this process, drawing on more than 25 years of experience in Reno’s local courts and communities.
This local presence allows the firm to look closely at every angle of liability. In many hit-and-run cases, additional parties share responsibility for the crash. Poor road design, inadequate signage, negligent maintenance by a property or roadway owner, or a commercial employer’s failure to properly supervise a driver can all contribute to a collision. Uncovering this kind of third-party liability can create a path to compensation even when the fleeing driver is never identified.
Calculating the Full Value of Your Hit-and-Run Case
The financial impact of a serious crash extends well beyond the bills already in hand. Long-term injuries can mean months or years of continued treatment, physical therapy, assistive equipment, and reduced ability to work. Insurance carriers frequently calculate settlement offers based only on current medical bills and a narrow wage-loss estimate, which leaves high future costs unaccounted for.
Again, this is where Jensen Oldham Personal Injury Law’s background in insurance defense gives us a detailed understanding of how carriers build these initial offers, and we use that knowledge to build a stronger claim on your behalf. This background helps the firm evaluate potential future medical care, disability, and reduced earning capacity when building a claim, helping clients evaluate whether a settlement offer addresses their potential long-term needs.
How to Get Started with Your Hit-and-Run Case: A Step-by-Step Guide
Taking the right steps in the hours and days after a hit-and-run helps protect both your health and your legal claim. Each step below builds on the last, creating a clear record that supports a strong case.
Step 1: Call 911 and Request a Police Report
Contact law enforcement from the scene whenever possible. An official police report creates a timestamped, third-party record of the crash that becomes an important piece of evidence for your insurance claim and any criminal investigation into the driver who fled.
Step 2: Document the Scene
Take photos of your vehicle’s damage, any visible tire tracks, nearby traffic signs or signals, and the general condition of the roadway. Collect names and contact information from any witnesses who saw what happened. This evidence often becomes harder to gather once time has passed.
Step 3: Get Medical Care Right Away
Seeking a medical evaluation right away is important, even if injuries seem minor at first. Many injuries, including soft tissue damage and concussions, take time to show symptoms. Prompt medical evaluation creates the documentation that connects your injuries directly to the crash.
Step 4: Notify Your Own Insurance Company
Report the claim to your insurer and specifically reference your uninsured motorist coverage. Keep your initial statements factual and brief, and avoid speculating about fault or injury severity until you have spoken with a lawyer.
Step 5: Contact a Car Accident Lawyer
Reach out to an experienced auto wreck law firm as soon as possible after reporting the crash. Early legal involvement can assist in preserving evidence, managing communication with your insurer, and preparing your case.
Common Challenges in Hit-and-Run Cases
Hit-and-run cases carry a few challenges that set them apart from typical car crash claims. Identifying the at-fault driver can take time, and some drivers are never found at all. Uninsured motorist claims require careful navigation of your own policy’s terms and conditions, and insurance carriers may attempt to dispute the value of your injuries or the circumstances of the crash itself.
These challenges are exactly why experienced legal representation makes such a meaningful difference. A skilled car wreck law firm anticipates these obstacles, gathers strong evidence early, and prepares a case structured to address scrutiny from insurance carriers.
Move Forward with Confidence After a Hit-and-Run Case
Reno and Northern Nevada residents deserve legal representation with deep roots in their community. Jensen Personal Injury Law has served this area for decades, with Bob Jensen spending 25 years as a founding partner at Galloway & Jensen before becoming a solo practitioner and building over 40 years of board-certified trial experience. This history gives the firm deep familiarity with Washoe County courts, local judges, and the insurance carriers that operate in this region, along with the hands-on local investigation and insider knowledge of insurance tactics that a hit-and-run case demands.
If you or someone you love has been affected by a hit-and-run, reaching out for a free consultation is a strong first step toward protecting your rights and your future.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for general information purposes only. The information you obtain at this website is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or medical advice. You should consult an attorney or doctor for advice regarding your own individual situation. Use of this website or submission of an online form does not create an attorney-client relationship.