Hit and run left me shaking — is it normal to feel this wrecked even with minor damage?

You are not overreacting, I promise you. I was rear-ended at low speed last year and walked away with just some bruising — but for weeks I was a mess. Anxious in the car, couldn't focus at work, kept having this weird background dread I couldn't shake. The physical damage to the car has nothing to do with how much your nervous system got rattled. Give yourself permission to feel it.

What you're describing — the replaying, the sleep disruption, the physical startle response while driving — those are really classic acute stress responses. Your brain literally experienced a threat and it's doing exactly what brains do: trying to process and protect you. It doesn't care that the dent is small.

The neck and shoulder soreness is also worth keeping an eye on. Soft tissue stuff from impacts can take a few days to fully show up. Please don't brush off your body symptoms just because you didn't go to the ER in the moment. See a doctor, even just your primary care, and mention both the physical AND how you've been feeling emotionally. They can connect you to the right support.

One thing I'd flag: if you have uninsured motorist coverage, that may actually apply to hit-and-run situations depending on your state. Don't just assume you're out of luck and let the claim window close. And whatever you do, be careful how you describe your symptoms to your own insurance company — keep it factual, don't downplay, and don't over-explain. They are not your friend even when they sound friendly.

Jumping in on the UM coverage point above — yes, hit-and-run often qualifies as an uninsured motorist claim. I used to handle these. The thing people don't realize is that some policies require you to report within a pretty tight window, sometimes 24-72 hours, so check your policy TODAY if you haven't already. Don't rely on the insurance rep to volunteer that information to you.

Make sure you're documenting everything right now while it's fresh — take photos of the damage if you haven't, write down exactly what you remember about the truck (color, rough size, any partial plate, direction it went), save the police report number, and start keeping a simple notes app log of your symptoms day by day including the sleep issues and anxiety. If your neck and shoulders are still bothering you in a week, that record matters more than people think.

I just want to say — the fact that a stranger stopped to check on you in the moment and you're reaching out here now tells me you're going to be okay. You're not crazy. Someone violated your sense of safety and just drove away like you didn't matter. Of course that stings deep. Be gentle with yourself right now.

Couple of practical things: see a doctor for the neck/shoulder stuff NOW, not next week. Get it on record. File with your insurance if you haven't. And honestly, if driving past that spot is triggering you every day, it might be worth a few sessions with a therapist who does trauma — even just 3 or 4 sessions can make a real difference for this kind of thing. You don't have to white-knuckle your way through it alone.

Not legal advice, but: the emotional symptoms you're describing — sleep disruption, anxiety, avoidance of the location — can actually be part of a legitimate injury claim, not just the physical stuff. If there's any path to identifying this driver later, or if your UM coverage applies, those psychological impacts are documented injuries. Keep that log someone mentioned above. It matters.

You pulled over safely, you got a police report filed, and you're already talking about it and processing instead of bottling it up — honestly that's more than a lot of people manage after their first accident. The shaky hands on the wheel are going to get better. The first few times are the hardest.