A San Antonio hit and run accident lawyer at NMW Law Firm represents drivers, passengers, and pedestrians injured by a driver who fled the scene of the crash.
We handle uninsured motorist claims, coverage disputes, and injury cases across Bexar County when the at-fault driver stays unidentified or later turns out to be uninsured.
Most hit and run recoveries in Texas run through the injured person's own auto policy under uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, not through the fleeing driver.
That means the case often turns on how well your policy is read, filed, and enforced against your own insurance company. Call (713) 714-2565 to talk through your policy and the crash.
Why San Antonio Drivers Choose Our Firm for Hit and Run Claims
San Antonio drivers work with NMW Law Firm because our attorneys handle first-party insurance claims regularly, including the uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) claims that hit and run cases turn on.
Our firm has recovered more than $200 million in total client recoveries across more than 3,000 cases of all types over the course of our history.
Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future matter.
A few specifics about how we operate:
- We handle Bexar County injury claims from an office at 711 Navarro St., Suite 300-130, in Travis Park Plaza.
- We work with physicians, past clients, and other attorneys who send referrals.
- Our attorneys hold memberships in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which recognize verdicts and settlements at those thresholds; membership is not a guarantee of results in any case.
- We hold an accredited rating with the Better Business Bureau.
- Clients work directly with their attorney throughout the case.
Our approach is Quiet Strength, Relentless Care. For a hit and run client, that translates to reading your auto policy carefully, filing the UM claim the right way, and pushing back when your own insurer treats you like a stranger.
Dial (713) 714-2565 to find out whether we are the right fit.
Can You Still Recover Compensation if the Driver Fled the Scene?
Recovering compensation after a hit and run is often possible even when the driver is never identified, because your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply to this exact situation.
Texas insurers must offer UM and UIM coverage with every auto policy under Texas Insurance Code § 1952.101. Unless you rejected the coverage in writing, it is presumed to apply to your case.
Depending on the policy and claim, UM coverage may pay for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and vehicle damage, subject to separate coverage limits and deductibles.
Claims involving an unidentified vehicle may require proof of physical contact. A driver who forces you off the road without hitting your vehicle may not qualify for UM coverage.
Insurers may dispute fault, physical contact, the driver’s identity, or the nature and extent of the claimed injuries. A hit-and-run injury attorney in San Antonio can review the policy and present the claim under its terms.
Hear From Our Clients
How Do San Antonio Police Handle Hit and Run Investigations?
San Antonio police investigate hit and run crashes by collecting scene evidence, canvassing for surveillance video, running partial license plates, and entering vehicle descriptions into local and regional databases.
Detectives follow up in the days or weeks after the crash, and Crime Stoppers tips sometimes produce leads.
The San Antonio Police Department manages most city hit and run reports, while Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) handles crashes on I-10, I-35, I-37, and other state highways.
You may request a copy of your crash report through the Texas Department of Transportation crash records system once it is filed. A completed report is often required for the UM claim, and many auto policies list a deadline for producing one.
Steps we take with San Antonio hit and run clients often include:
- Pulling every version of the SAPD or DPS report and any dashcam or bodycam footage.
- Canvassing businesses near the crash site for surveillance video before it is overwritten.
- Following up with witnesses whose contact information appears on the report.
- Requesting traffic camera footage from local and state agencies where available.
- Working with private investigators on cases involving serious injuries and missing suspects.
None of this replaces the police investigation. It runs alongside it, since our team focuses on the civil claim while the criminal side sits with law enforcement.
What Does Your Auto Insurance Actually Cover in a San Antonio Hit and Run?
Auto insurance in a hit and run situation may cover your injuries and vehicle damage through several separate coverages, each with its own rules.
Reading the declarations page is the fastest way to know what applies to your crash. Many drivers have coverage they never knew about until a lawyer walked through the policy with them.
| Coverage | When It Applies to a Hit and Run | What It May Pay For |
| Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury | The driver fled and remains unidentified | Medical bills, lost pay, pain and suffering |
| Uninsured Motorist Property Damage | The fleeing driver damaged your vehicle | Repairs or vehicle value, subject to a deductible |
| Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | Any covered crash, regardless of fault | Medical expenses and part of lost income, up to your limit |
| MedPay | Any covered crash, regardless of fault | Medical bills only, up to your limit |
| Collision | Your vehicle was damaged in a covered crash | Repairs or vehicle value, minus your deductible |
Coverage often stacks in useful ways. PIP may cover early medical bills while the UM claim develops, and collision may repair the vehicle while the injury claim is still open.
A San Antonio hit and run accident lawyer reads all of these together, then plans the claim around what actually pays fastest and what pays most.
What Should You Do After a Hit and Run in San Antonio?
After a hit and run in San Antonio, the actions that matter most happen once you are home, medically checked out, and thinking clearly.
A same-day or next-day medical visit protects both your health and your claim, since delayed treatment often becomes an insurance company's favorite argument.
Actions That Protect Your Claim
Once you are safe and past the initial shock, several steps in the first few days tend to make the biggest difference in a hit and run injury claim.
- Confirm the crash report with SAPD or Texas DPS and request a copy through the TxDOT system.
- Notify your auto insurer promptly and ask for a copy of your declarations page.
- Return to the scene during daylight to photograph nearby businesses, cameras, and traffic patterns.
- Write down everything you remember about the vehicle, including partial plates, color, make, and the direction it went.
- Save receipts for medical care, prescriptions, rideshare trips to appointments, and missed work.
Every one of these steps closes a gap that an insurance adjuster may otherwise try to widen. San Antonio hit and run cases often live or die on the paper trail built in the first week.
How Long Do You Have to File a Hit and Run Claim in San Antonio?
You have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Texas, under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003.
Contract claims against your own insurer for UM or UIM benefits follow a longer four-year limit under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.051.
In practice, however, neither deadline is usually the most urgent one.
Policy notice deadlines often run in days or weeks—not years. Missing a notice deadline may give your insurer grounds to deny the claim, even when fault and the resulting injuries are clear.
Wrongful death claims are also generally subject to a two-year limitations period, measured from the date of death.
FAQs for San Antonio Hit and Run Accident Lawyers
How much does a San Antonio hit and run accident lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. Our firm handles hit and run cases on a contingent fee, which means attorney fees are a percentage of the recovery and are owed only if we recover money for you.
Case expenses like filing fees, record fees, and expert costs are separate from attorney fees and are explained in writing in the representation agreement.
What if my insurance company says my UM coverage does not apply because the driver was never identified?
It depends on the policy. Texas UM coverage is often written to cover unidentified drivers, but many policies require actual physical contact between the vehicles for the coverage to apply.
A lawyer reading your policy language may push back on the denial when the contact requirement is met, or when the insurer misapplies the coverage rules.
What if the hit and run driver was later found and had no insurance?
Yes, your UM coverage may still apply if the located driver turns out to be uninsured. Your attorney may pursue the driver directly for a judgment and pursue your UM carrier for the balance.
Both tracks may run at the same time, since collecting on a personal judgment against an uninsured driver is often difficult.
Will filing a hit and run claim make my insurance rates go up in Texas?
Generally no, since a not-at-fault UM claim in Texas usually should not trigger a surcharge, though underwriting practices vary by carrier.
If your insurer indicates otherwise, a lawyer may push back on that explanation before you agree to any settlement.
Does Texas have a fund that helps hit and run victims when insurance runs out?
Maybe. Texas operates the Crime Victims' Compensation Program through the Office of the Attorney General, which may cover some expenses for victims of certain hit and run crimes.
Eligibility depends on cooperation with law enforcement and specific filing deadlines. The fund is generally a secondary source after insurance.
Can I still file a claim if I was hit while riding a bike or walking in San Antonio?
Yes. Bicyclists and pedestrians hurt by a hit and run driver may claim on their own auto UM coverage, on a household member's auto UM coverage, or through PIP.
Many San Antonio riders and walkers do not realize their auto policy covers them even when they were not in a car at the time of the crash.
Past Case Results
Ready to Get Answers About Your San Antonio Hit and Run Claim
The driver may be gone, but the claim is not. Your policy, the coverage you paid for, and the deadlines that apply to your case are all still on the table, and each one has a clock running against it.
Our San Antonio hit and run accident lawyers read policies for a living. We look at what you have, what applies, and what your case is realistically worth, and we do it on a contingent fee basis with attorney fees owed only from a recovery in your case.
Bring your declarations page, your crash report, and any photos to a free policy review. Call our San Antonio office at (713) 714-2565 or send a message through our contact page to get on the calendar.