curious-grouse-9855/10/2026

Hit and run — I have the plate, dashcam, and a witness. What do I do next?

So this happened to me yesterday afternoon and I'm still kind of rattled even though physically I'm totally fine.

I was sitting at a red light when a pickup blew through a turn and clipped the entire front passenger side of my car. Pretty significant scrape and a crumpled bumper. The driver just... kept going. Didn't even slow down.

Lucky for me, my dashcam caught the whole thing, I got the plate number, AND the guy in the car next to me pulled over and gave me his contact info as a witness. So I've got receipts. The responding officer was actually really helpful and said once they track down the registered owner, the report would be updated with the driver's info. Told me to expect a ticket to be issued at minimum.

Here's where I'm lost though — I've never dealt with anything like this before. Do I:

Wait for the police to ID the driver and then go after their insurance?
File with my own insurance now and let them chase the other driver?
Something else entirely?

I really don't have any strong feelings about what happens to the other driver beyond whatever the police decide. I just want my car fixed without coming out of pocket for something that was 100% not my fault.

My deductible isn't cheap, and I'm worried that if I go through my own insurance I'll be stuck paying it — or worse, my rates go up. But I also don't know how long it could take for them to identify this person.

Anyone been through something similar? What path did you take and how did it turn out?

8 replies

Most helpful first

keen-marten-8975/10/2026
Almost the exact same thing happened to me about two years ago. I waited a few days for the police to update the report with the driver's info, then filed directly with their insurance. Took a little longer but I paid zero out of pocket and my rates never moved. Honestly the wait was worth it. Keep calling the non-emergency line every couple of days to check on the report status.
- genuine-seal-3375/10/2026
  Former adjuster here. A few things worth knowing from the inside:
  
  1. If you file under your own collision coverage now, your insurer can go after the at-fault driver's insurance through a process called subrogation — and if they recover the money, they're supposed to refund your deductible. Key word: supposed to. It doesn't always happen smoothly. 2. A hit-and-run where the other driver is eventually identified is treated differently than one where they're never found. Since you have a plate and dashcam footage, odds are decent they'll be tracked down. 3. Your rates going up depends entirely on your carrier and state rules, but a not-at-fault claim should not raise your premium. Emphasis on should.
  
  If I were in your shoes and the car is still drivable, I'd hold off a week or two and see if the driver gets identified. Then go straight to their liability coverage.
warm-hare-7625/10/2026
Whatever you do, be careful about calling your own insurance before you absolutely have to. Even asking a question can sometimes get logged as a 'reported incident' depending on the carrier. I'm not saying lie to them — just know that the moment you open a claim, you're in their system and the clock starts ticking on their terms, not yours.
wise-lynx-4565/10/2026
You're in a pretty strong position, honestly. Dashcam footage plus an independent witness plus a plate number is way more than most hit-and-run victims have. Once the driver is officially named in the police report, you can get their insurance info through your state's DMV or the officer can sometimes pull it. At that point you file a third-party liability claim against their policy and your own insurance doesn't need to be involved at all. Definitely get a copy of the final police report — not just the incident number, the full report — before you do anything.
candid-mole-4765/10/2026
Get the updated police report the second it's available. File against their insurance directly. Done. You've got everything you need to make this pretty clean. Don't overcomplicate it.
cool-otter-8575/10/2026
Glad you're physically okay! Just a heads up — sometimes the adrenaline from something like this masks soreness that shows up a day or two later, especially in your neck and shoulders. If you start feeling stiff or have any headaches in the next 48 hours, go get checked out and make sure it's documented. Even in low-speed impacts it's more common than people think.
swift-newt-0585/10/2026
Ugh, people who flee the scene are the worst. So glad you had your dashcam going. Fingers crossed they track this person down fast — sounds like you did everything right.
genuine-kestrel-4645/10/2026
Do you know yet if the registered owner of the plate is actually the person who was driving? Sometimes people lend cars, or it's a company vehicle, or the plates are stolen. Asking because it might affect which insurance you'd even be going after. Not trying to stress you out, just something worth clarifying with the officer when you follow up.