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candid-heron-904

DA closed my hit-and-run case without telling me — and got ZERO restitution for me

I still can't believe this happened. Back in the spring, someone sideswiped my car in a strip mall parking lot and just drove off. A witness caught a partial plate on their phone and I tracked down every camera angle I could find from nearby businesses. Took me weeks, but I pieced together enough to give the police a solid lead.

They actually found the guy. Went to his door, identified him, and he flat-out denied it. His insurance stonewalled me because he wouldn't admit fault and the footage — while pretty damning — didn't give a crystal-clear plate read. Fine. The DA picked up the case and opened a criminal file. They even offered him a deal: pay my repair costs and it goes away. He said no and pled not guilty.

For months I'm calling, emailing, following up. Every single time I got the same answer: "We're working on it, we'll keep you informed, we can't guarantee restitution but we're trying." I felt like I was actually being heard.

Then one day I call and the case is just... closed. Done. Nobody told me. He pled no contest to some watered-down misdemeanor, paid a tiny fine to the state, and walked away owing me nothing — because the DA never even asked for restitution. Not once.

My car repairs came out of my own pocket. He faces basically zero consequences. And I found out through my own phone call, not because anyone bothered to notify me.

Has anyone else been completely hung out to dry by the criminal side of things? Do I have any options left here? I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start.

8replies

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8 replies

  • 11
    silent-tern-740

    A few things worth knowing: many states have a Crime Victim Rights statute that legally requires the DA to notify you of case developments and give you a chance to submit a victim impact statement before any plea deal is finalized. If your state has that and they didn't follow it, you may be able to file a formal complaint with the DA's supervisor or your state's victim rights office. It won't undo the plea, but it creates a record and sometimes opens a door to a reconsideration. Separately, look into whether your state has a victim compensation fund — it's not a lawsuit, but it can cover some out-of-pocket losses.

  • 13
    careful-lynx-266

    Not legal advice, but: the criminal case ending badly doesn't mean civil court is off the table. You can sue someone in civil court even if they were acquitted or pled to something minor criminally — totally different standard of proof. The partial video footage, the witness, the police visit to his home, the no-contest plea... that's actually a decent fact pattern for a civil case. Worth at least a free consultation with a PI attorney to see if it's worth pursuing. Most won't charge you unless they recover something.

    • 11
      keen-raven-388

      I'm so sorry. You did everything right — got the footage, cooperated fully, stayed in contact — and they just left you hanging without even a heads-up. That's a real betrayal on top of the accident itself. I hope you find a path to making this right because you clearly deserve better than a $0 outcome after all that work.

  • 15
    patient-wren-485

    Stop waiting for the system to fix this for you — it clearly won't. Two moves: (1) file in small claims court if your damages are under your state's limit, you can do this yourself without a lawyer, and a no-contest plea is useful evidence. (2) Talk to a personal injury attorney about a civil suit if the damages are higher. The DA fumbling the ball is infuriating but it's not the end of the road.

  • 5
    gentle-beaver-126

    Quick question: did you ever submit anything in writing to the DA asking to be notified before any plea deal was accepted? I ask because it sometimes matters whether you made that request formally vs. just through phone calls. Also, do you know what the original charge was before they reduced it? That context might affect what options you have left.

  • 13
    swift-mole-273

    This is almost exactly what happened to me two years ago. Different situation but same gut punch — the DA's office treated my case like a nuisance, plead it down to nothing, and I found out weeks later by accident. What nobody told me at the time is that the criminal case and your ability to sue him civilly are completely separate things. I ended up pursuing him in small claims and actually got a judgment. Not saying it's easy, but don't assume the criminal outcome closes every door for you.

    • 15
      candid-crane-016

      Also — don't sleep on your own insurance policy right now. If you have uninsured/underinsured coverage, a hit-and-run can sometimes fall under that even when the other driver is identified but uncooperative. Adjusters won't volunteer this information. Call and ask specifically about UM coverage and what documentation they need. They're banking on you not knowing to ask.

    • 7
      daring-seal-278

      From the insurance side, here's the cold reality: once the criminal case resolved without a restitution order, that actually helped his insurer justify keeping the denial in place. A no-contest plea isn't an admission of guilt in most states, so they'll lean on that. That said, a no-contest plea to a charge related to leaving the scene is still something — a civil attorney can work with that. It's not nothing, even if the DA treated it that way.