Hit and Run in Texas: What to Do as the Victim (2026 Guide)

What should I do in the first 10 minutes after a hit and run?

The first 10 minutes determine whether police catch the driver and whether your claim has the documentation it needs.

Minute 0–1. Check yourself and passengers for injury. Move out of traffic if you can — turn on hazards, get to the shoulder. Minute 1–2. Call 911. Even for a property-damage-only hit and run, Texas police want to be notified immediately. Tell dispatch the location, direction the fleeing vehicle went, and any plate or vehicle description you caught. Minute 2–5. Photograph everything — your damage, the surroundings, debris, skid marks, broken parts that fell off the other vehicle. The other driver's broken parts are gold for police identification. Minute 5–10. Look for witnesses. People who saw the crash will leave fast if you do not get their contact info now. Approach calmly, ask for name and phone number, and confirm they are willing to give a statement to police.

Critical: do not chase the fleeing driver. Texas law does not require pursuit, and chase scenarios escalate rapidly into secondary crashes that often shift fault back to you. Stay at the scene, work the scene, and let police handle the hunt.

How do I file a Texas police report for a hit and run?

In most DFW jurisdictions — Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Garland, Plano, Frisco, Mesquite — police will dispatch an officer to the scene if you call 911. The officer interviews you, photographs the scene, and files the official report. Insurance carriers strongly prefer this — an on-scene report carries far more weight than a citizen-filed delayed report.

If police do not respond on scene — common for property-damage only hit-and-runs in busy precincts — you typically have 10 days to file the report in person at the responding agency. Bring your photos, witness contact info, and any details you have. Request a copy of the report once it is finalized; carriers require either the report number or a copy. Texas crash reports (CR-3) become available 7 to 10 business days after filing, either through the responding agency or via the Texas Department of Transportation Crash Records Information System.

Our broader guide on what to do after any car accident in Texas covers the standard reporting process in more detail.

Which Texas coverages pay after a hit and run?

This is the part that catches most Texas drivers off guard. Texas requires only liability — 30/60/25 — and liability does not pay for damage to your car or your medical bills. For hit-and-run recovery, four other coverages matter, and only the ones you actually purchased will help.

Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD). Pays for damage to your vehicle when the at-fault driver flees and is never identified. Texas requires carriers to offer this; you can decline in writing. Our Texas uninsured motorist coverage guide walks through the details. Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UMBI). Pays your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering when the fleeing driver is at fault. Collision coverage. Pays for vehicle damage minus your deductible regardless of who is at fault — so a hit-and-run is covered, but you eat the deductible (usually $500 to $1,000). Personal Injury Protection (PIP). Pays your medical bills and a portion of lost wages no matter what — a $2,500 PIP limit costs about $5 per month and pays out fast.

The brutal math: if you only carry state-minimum liability and you got hit by a fleeing driver, you pay for everything yourself. The cheapest hit-and-run protection upgrade in DFW is to add UM/UIM with PIP — usually $10 to $25 per month on top of a $28 liability base. We rebuild policies for clients in this exact scenario every week.

Hit and run claim coverage matrix (Texas)

Source: Texas Department of Insurance coverage definitions and A-LA Auto Insurance internal claims data.

How long do I have to file a hit and run insurance claim?

Texas insurance contracts give you a defined window to report a claim — typically "as soon as practicable" with most carriers interpreting that as within 24 to 72 hours. Some non-standard carriers tighten this further, requiring notice within 24 hours of the incident. The longer you wait, the more leverage the carrier has to question the timing or details. Call your carrier the same day if at all possible.

The Texas statute of limitations on a property damage claim is two years from the incident date for civil purposes, but that applies to lawsuits — not insurance claims. For your insurance policy, treat the window as 72 hours maximum. Bring the police report number when you file (or a placeholder report you have already started filing). Photographs, witness contact info, and your own notes about the incident strengthen the claim.

If you got physical injuries, see a doctor within 14 days for insurance documentation purposes — many PIP and UMBI carriers treat delayed treatment as evidence of low injury severity. Our Texas at-fault accident guide covers the broader claim mechanics.

Will my insurance rate go up after a hit and run as the victim?

In most cases, no — when you are clearly the victim with a police report establishing the other driver's fault, Texas carriers treat the claim as not at-fault and your rate should not surcharge. Texas Insurance Code limits surcharge eligibility to at-fault claims, and most carrier underwriting guides explicitly exclude documented hit-and-run victim claims from renewal increases.

The exceptions matter. If you have multiple claims in a short window — even not-at-fault — some carriers factor frequency into renewal pricing, especially in DFW where uninsured motorist claims are higher than the state average. If fault is contested — for instance, if there is no police report and the carrier cannot confirm the other driver fled — the claim may be processed under collision coverage with your deductible and counted toward your loss history. If you do not have UM coverage and file under collision, the claim shows as a collision payout regardless of fault, which some carriers treat differently than a UM claim.

The single most important step is getting a police report on scene. It transforms ambiguous "I think I got hit" claims into documented hit-and-run victim claims that carriers process cleanly and without surcharge.

How do I make sure I am protected against a future hit and run?

Three coverage upgrades, in priority order. 1. Add Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury and Property Damage at limits matching your liability — usually 30/60/25 to start, or higher if your assets warrant it. Texas carriers must offer both; insist they not be declined unless you genuinely cannot afford the $5 to $15 per month premium. 2. Add Personal Injury Protection at $2,500 minimum — about $5 per month — pays your medical bills regardless of fault, no deductible, no waiting for liability investigation. 3. If your vehicle has any meaningful resale value (over $3,000), consider collision coverage. Collision pays regardless of fault minus your deductible, which is critical when the other driver flees. Read our full coverage vs liability comparison to size the decision.

At A-LA Auto Insurance, the typical hit-and-run protection upgrade adds $10 to $25 per month to a state-minimum liability policy. For a DFW driver paying $28 per month for state-minimum, that brings the total to $38 to $53 per month — a meaningful difference, but trivial compared to paying out of pocket for repairs and ER visits after a fleeing driver.

Hit-and-run rebuilds are heaviest at our high-density DFW locations: Dallas 75211 (Oak Cliff / Cockrell Hill), Fort Worth 76104 and 76116, Irving 75061, and southeast Dallas 75217. Walk in to any of our 15 DFW offices with your existing dec page and we will rebuild the policy with UM, UMPD, PIP, and collision in under 30 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Authoritative source

Texas Department of Transportation — Texas crash reports and the Crash Records Information System (CRIS).