What to Do If You’re the Victim of a Hit-and-Run in Florida (And How to Protect Your Claim)

Being a victim of a hit-and-run is one of the most infuriating kinds of crashes. One minute you’re driving home, heading to school pickup, or running errands, and the next you’re staring at damage, dealing with pain, while watching the other driver disappear.

If this happened to you in Florida, you’re not powerless. But what you do in the first minutes, hours, and days matters more than you may think. It can affect your health, your ability to identify the driver, and the amount of compensation available to help you recover.

Here’s the practical, plain-English roadmap I give clients when the other driver decides not to stay at the scene.

Step 1: Get safe first (do not chase them)

Your instincts might scream, “Go after them!” Don’t.

A hit-and-run driver is already making reckless decisions. Chasing can escalate the situation, put you in danger, and create another crash. Your job is to get yourself and your passengers to safety.

If you can, move your vehicle out of traffic. Then call 911.

Florida specifically lists hit-and-run crashes as situations where you should notify law enforcement and call 911, and it ties this requirement to Florida Statute 316.065.

(FL Highway Safety)

Step 2: Capture details fast (your memory fades quicker than you think)

After a crash, adrenaline scrambles time. The details you swear you’ll remember can blur within minutes. If you can safely do it, look for:

License plate number (even partial plates help)
Make/model/color (and anything distinctive: decals, dents, company logos)
Direction of travel and last known location
Description of the driver (only if you saw them)
Time of day and traffic conditions

Pro tip: Say it out loud into your phone as a voice memo. It’s faster than typing and preserves the raw details.

Step 3: Document the scene like you’re freezing it in ice

In a hit-and-run, the other driver is gone; therefore, the scene becomes your “witness.” Take photos and video of:

Your vehicle damage (close-up and wide shots)
Your position on the road (lanes, intersection, shoulder)
Skid marks, debris, and road signs
Any nearby cameras (gas stations, stores, traffic cams, building entrances)
Visible injuries

Even if the police respond, your pictures can capture angles and details that don’t make it into a report.

Step 4: Find witnesses (and get their contact info)

Witnesses can be the difference between “we can’t prove it” and “we can.”

If someone stops, politely ask for:

Name
Phone number
Email
A quick description of what they saw

If they’re willing, ask them to text you what happened while it’s fresh. A short written summary can be extremely helpful later.

Step 5: Report it promptly and get the crash report info

Hit-and-run cases often turn on paperwork. Get the responding agency, report number, and the officer’s name.

Florida’s highway safety agency emphasizes reporting crashes that involve hit-and-run and calling law enforcement. (FL Highway Safety)

Step 6: Get medical care, even if you “feel okay”

A lot of hit-and-run victims tell me the same thing: “I felt fine until later.”

That’s common. Soft-tissue injuries, concussions, and back/neck injuries can take hours or days to show up. Medical documentation also becomes a cornerstone of any insurance claim.

Key tip: If something feels off, whether it’s a headache, dizziness, numbness, or stiffness, it’s important to get evaluated and follow up.

Common mistakes people make after a hit-and-run

Hit-and-run cases can be emotionally charged. Here are the mistakes that most often cost people money, time, or options:

Waiting too long to seek medical treatment
Not insisting on a police report or report number
Forgetting to photograph the scene and nearby cameras
Not gathering witness info (or assuming police will do it later)
Telling an insurer “I’m fine” before you truly know or get checked by your Doctor.
Posting about the crash on social media (even “I’m okay!” posts can be misused)
Accepting a quick settlement before the full injury picture is clear

Composite example (based on real patterns we see)

A driver in Broward County gets sideswiped at night. The other car speeds off. The driver is shaken but goes home, figuring it’s “just property damage.” Two days later, neck pain and headaches hit hard. When they try to file the claim, they don’t have photos of the intersection, and they can’t remember which direction the other car went in. A nearby business had a camera, but the footage had already been overwritten.

That’s the heartbreak of hit-and-run cases: the driver disappears, and time quietly eats the evidence.

You may be thinking, “How can you still get compensation when the driver is unknown?”

One of the biggest misconceptions is: “If they’re not caught, I’m out of luck.” And that’s not necessarily true.

In Florida, your recovery often comes from insurance coverages, such as:

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): can help with medical bills regardless of fault (up to your policy limits)
Uninsured Motorist coverage (UM): often the most important coverage for hit-and-run injuries, because it can step into the shoes of the missing driver (if you have it)
Health insurance: may help cover treatment while the claim develops

Many Florida resources emphasize UM/UIM as key coverage for hit-and-run situations, along with PIP for medical bills.

How legal representation helps after a hit-and-run

People usually call a lawyer for one of three reasons:

They are hurt.
The insurance process is getting stressful or confusing.
They feel like they’re being lowballed or ignored.

Here’s what an attorney does that directly affects your outcome.

Medical documentation that tells the story
Insurance doesn’t just look at what happened. It looks at what can be proven.

We help clients:

Connect treatment to the crash clearly
Document symptoms over time (not just day one)
Avoid gaps that insurers use to argue “it wasn’t that bad.”
Preserve diagnoses, imaging, and provider notes in an organized way

Dealing with insurers without stepping on legal landmines
In a hit-and-run, insurers often scrutinize everything because they don’t have another driver to pursue.

We handle:

Recorded statement strategy (when it helps, when it hurts)
Policy analysis (what coverages apply and how)
Negotiations backed by documentation, not emotion
Pushback when adjusters “lose” paperwork or delay

Preserving evidence before it disappears
Video gets overwritten. Witnesses change numbers. Vehicles get repaired.

We move quickly to:

Identify surveillance sources and request preservation
Collect photos, reports, and records in usable form
Build a timeline that makes sense to an adjuster or jury

Building damages beyond “just the bills.”
A fair claim isn’t only about today’s urgent care visit. It’s about the ripple effect.

We help quantify:

Future treatment needs
Lost wages and reduced earning ability
Pain, limitations, and lifestyle changes
Out-of-pocket expenses that add up fast

A quick word about deadlines in Florida

Florida has strict deadlines (statutes of limitations) for accident cases, and recent law changes shortened the timeframe for many negligence claims to two years for causes of action accruing after March 24, 2023. (The Florida Senate)

Even if you’re not sure you want a lawyer, it’s smart to get clarity early because missing a deadline can end the case, no matter how strong the facts are.

What Tucker Law does differently

When you’ve been hit, and the other driver runs, you need steady help—not a call center feel.

At Tucker Law, we’re known for:

Responsiveness: you shouldn’t have to chase answers
Hands-on guidance: clear steps, plain-English explanations
Strong case-building: we treat documentation and evidence like they matter from day one

We’ve built a successful track record by doing the unglamorous work consistently, gathering proof, telling the story clearly, and pushing back when insurers try to minimize what you’re going through. No guarantees. Just preparation and follow-through.

If you were the victim of a hit-and-run, call us before the trail goes cold.

If you’ve been injured in a hit-and-run in Florida, don’t carry this alone—and don’t wait until the evidence disappears or the insurance process turns into a headache.

Call Tucker Law at 1-800-TUCKERWINS. We’ll help you understand your options, protect your claim, and take the pressure off your shoulders so you can focus on getting better.