The other driver is gone, but the next few decisions still matter. A calm response protects your safety, preserves evidence that disappears quickly, and builds the record an insurance claim depends on.
Our firm, Kempton & Russell, has represented Missouri personal injury clients since 1951. We provide one-to-one attorney representation, and we know a hit and run crash can leave a driver with unanswered questions long before an insurer provides any answers.
What To Do After a Hit & Run Accident in Missouri
Start by addressing danger at the scene. Don’t follow the vehicle that left. Chasing it can cause another collision, muddy your account of events, and put you or others at risk.
Take these steps if you can do so safely:
- Check for Injuries: Call 911 if anyone is hurt, disoriented, or in pain after the impact.
- Move Out of Traffic: If the vehicle is drivable and there are no serious injuries, get it out of the travel lane.
- Contact Law Enforcement: Report the crash promptly and tell the dispatcher the other driver left the scene.
- Record Vehicle Details: Note the make, model, color, license plate characters, direction of travel, and any visible damage or decals.
- Preserve the Scene: Photograph vehicle damage, debris, skid marks, traffic signals, weather conditions, and the surrounding roadway.
Officers may document the location, visible damage, witness accounts, and the description of the fleeing vehicle in a police accident report, even when the driver isn’t immediately identified.
Ask witnesses for names and contact information before they leave. Dashcam footage can be overwritten, and nearby businesses or residences may have surveillance video erased after a short retention period. Note camera locations and request that relevant footage be preserved as soon as possible.
Report the Crash & Lock Down the Official Record
A police report and an insurance claim serve different purposes, and a Missouri Department of Revenue report may also be required. Calling law enforcement creates an official account of the event, but it doesn’t automatically notify your insurer or fulfill every state reporting obligation.
Police Accident Report
The police report can help establish the time, place, witnesses, vehicle damage, and your initial account of what happened. Ask how to obtain a copy or report number, then keep it with your photographs, repair estimates, and medical records. If you later recall an important detail such as a partial plate number, provide it to the investigating agency promptly.
Missouri Department of Revenue Report
Drivers must report a crash to the Driver License Bureau when it involved an uninsured motorist and caused more than $500 in property damage, or resulted in injury or death. Missouri law under RSMo Section 303.040 sets a 30-day reporting period for applicable reports. A hit and run driver may be treated as uninsured when the driver can’t be identified. This report is separate from what an officer files at the scene, so don’t assume one filing replaces the other. Keep copies of everything submitted, along with the date and any confirmation you receive.
Get Medical Care & Document Your Injuries
Seek medical attention promptly if you have pain, visible injuries, dizziness, headaches, numbness, or other symptoms after a collision. Some injuries aren’t obvious at the scene, particularly when an impact causes the body to twist or strike part of the vehicle.
A medical visit also creates a record of your symptoms, diagnosis, treatment plan, and work restrictions. Follow treatment instructions, attend recommended appointments, and tell your provider when symptoms change. These records can become critical in a bodily injury claim seeking compensation for physical harm caused by the crash.
Keep a single claim file with:
- Medical Records: Visit summaries, test results, prescriptions, therapy records, and bills.
- Work Documentation: Missed time records, reduced duty notices, and lost income information.
- Crash Evidence: Photographs, video, witness statements, repair estimates, and the police report number.
- Expense Records: Transportation costs, medication receipts, rental car paperwork, and other crash-related expenses.
- Insurance Communications: Letters, emails, claim numbers, adjuster names, and notes from every call.
A parked car hit and run can require many of the same evidence steps, even without injuries. Photograph the damage before repairs, look for paint transfer or debris, ask nearby property owners about cameras, and report the incident. The coverage question may differ when the loss involves only vehicle damage.
How Uninsured Motorist Coverage May Apply
Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance guidance describes uninsured motorist coverage as protection for bodily injuries caused by an uninsured or hit and run driver. That matters because tracking down the person who fled isn’t the only possible path to a bodily injury claim. Note that uninsured motorist coverage applies to bodily injury, not vehicle damage. Collision coverage or other provisions in your policy may be relevant to repair costs, deductibles, towing, or a totaled vehicle.
Notify Your Insurer Promptly
Report the collision as soon as reasonably possible, give accurate facts, and provide the police report number when available. Ask for a copy of the full policy and declarations page, which lists the coverages and limits you purchased. Preserve evidence before repairs or disposal of the vehicle complicate the insurer’s evaluation.
Review the Claim Carefully
An adjuster’s initial assessment isn’t necessarily the final word. Policy language, medical documentation, witness evidence, and disputes about how the crash happened can all affect the outcome. Comparative fault (a rule that can reduce recovery when an injured person is found partly responsible) may also come into play if the insurer challenges the facts.
When To Speak with a Missouri Hit & Run Attorney
Legal guidance may help when injuries are serious, symptoms emerge days later, lost income is significant, or the insurer disputes coverage. It can also be valuable when policy language is unclear, witnesses give conflicting accounts, the other driver is later identified, or an uninsured motorist claim is contested.
Our attorneys can investigate available evidence, assess potential insurance coverage, handle communications with insurers, and evaluate whether another source of recovery may exist. We provide individualized guidance for clients throughout Missouri without treating a complicated collision as just another file.
Keep the Next Steps in Order
Report the crash, preserve every available piece of evidence, seek medical care when needed, notify your insurer, and confirm whether a Missouri Department of Revenue report is required. Those steps build a clearer record whether the driver is identified that day, identified later, or never found.
If you were injured in a hit and run, Kempton & Russell can discuss the facts of your situation and your available options. Reach our attorneys at (660) 722-4115 for one-to-one guidance.