Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer — Serious Injury & Wrongful Death

Hit-and-run crashes are uniquely catastrophic and uniquely complex. The injured occupant is left without an obvious defendant, often without immediate medical attention, and frequently without working insurance information. Yet the path to full recovery exists — through uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, criminal restitution, and aggressive defendant identification. Siddons Law Firm represents seriously injured motorists and the families of those killed in hit-and-run crashes across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland.

Why Hit-and-Run Crashes Are Catastrophic — and Why Recovery Is Still Possible

The first 48 hours after a hit-and-run crash determine the entire case. The at-fault driver has fled, often before the responding officer arrives. Witnesses scatter. Traffic-camera systems begin their 24-to-72-hour overwrite cycles. Storefront cameras automatically loop and re-record. The scene’s physical evidence — broken glass, paint transfer, debris field, tire skid patterns — is removed by the next day’s traffic and weather.

What remains is the injured occupant’s own auto policy. Every state in our four-state footprint requires or strongly encourages uninsured motorist coverage, and that coverage applies to hit-and-run crashes as if the at-fault driver carried no insurance at all. In serious-injury cases, stacked UM coverage across multiple household policies routinely produces seven-figure recoveries.

Beyond UM, there is often a viable third-party path. Aggressive defendant-identification work — preserving traffic-camera footage in the first 24 hours, canvassing storefront and parking-lot cameras, working with police on license-plate fragments and paint-color analysis — locates the at-fault driver in a meaningful percentage of cases. Once identified, the at-fault driver’s policy and personal assets are added to the recovery mix.

UM/UIM Recovery Mechanics by State

Pennsylvania: UM coverage is mandatory ($15,000/$30,000 minimum, higher recommended). Stacking across multiple household vehicles is permitted under 75 Pa.C.S. §1738 unless waived in writing. In serious-injury cases, total stacked UM after household-vehicle aggregation can exceed seven figures.

New Jersey: UM coverage is mandatory and matches the policy’s liability limits unless the insured selects different limits. The step-down provision applies in some policies — limiting UM recovery for non-named insureds. We review the policy carefully to maximize recovery.

New York: Mandatory Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (SUM) coverage extends UM beyond the basic $25,000 floor. We routinely see SUM at $250,000 to $1 million per accident — meaningfully higher than the basic UM in similar policies.

Maryland: Mandatory UM under Md. Code, Ins. §19-509; structured as excess (not gap) coverage. Statutory consent-to-settle requirements apply. UM stacking generally not permitted, but multi-vehicle UM is available where coverage applies separately.

State Statutes of Limitations

Personal injury / wrongful death deadlines:

• Pennsylvania: Two years (42 Pa.C.S. §5524).
• New Jersey: Two years (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; 2A:31-3).
• New York: Three years personal injury (CPLR §214); two years wrongful death (EPTL §5-4.1).
• Maryland: Three years (Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-101; §3-904).

Where a public entity contributed (signal failure, signage absence, road defect): PA 6-month notice; NJ 90-day TCA notice; NY 90-day GML §50-e notice; MD 1-year TCA/LGTCA notice.

Common Serious Injuries from Hit-and-Run Crashes

• Traumatic brain injury — particularly when struck-pedestrian or struck-cyclist; head impact with vehicle, ground, or fixed object.
• Spinal cord injury — cervical and thoracic from rear-end and side-impact mechanisms.
• Multi-fragment fractures — pelvis, femur, tibia, vertebrae.
• Internal-organ trauma — abdominal blunt-trauma injuries.
• Pedestrian/cyclist amputations and crush injuries.
• Wrongful death — substantial percentage of pedestrian and bicyclist hit-and-run cases involve fatal outcomes.

What to Do After a Serious-Injury Hit-and-Run Crash

1. Get medical attention immediately. Do not delay because the at-fault driver fled.
2. Call police and file a hit-and-run report. A police report is typically required to access UM benefits in most states.
3. Preserve every fragment of identification. Photograph paint transfer, debris, tire prints, broken parts. Note partial license plates, vehicle make/model/color, distinguishing features.
4. Demand traffic-camera footage within 24 hours. Most municipal cameras overwrite within 30 days; we send preservation letters to the responding agency immediately on intake.
5. Canvass for storefront and parking-lot cameras. Many have shorter overwrite cycles.
6. Notify your own UM carrier promptly. Late notice can give the carrier a denial defense.
7. Engage counsel within days. Defendant-identification windows are short; the longer we wait, the less likely the at-fault driver is found.

Frequently Asked Questions — Hit-and-Run Crashes

Can I recover damages if the hit-and-run driver is never identified?
Yes — your own auto policy’s uninsured motorist (UM) coverage applies to hit-and-run crashes as if the at-fault driver carried no insurance. In serious-injury cases, UM frequently produces seven-figure recoveries.

What if I don’t have UM coverage?
Coverage is mandatory in NJ, NY, and MD; PA strongly encourages it. We review the policy regardless — UM is sometimes present even when the insured believes it was waived. We also pursue defendant identification through camera, witness, and forensic work.

What if my own insurance company denies the UM claim?
UM denials are litigated like any other liability claim. Typical defenses include “no physical contact” (in some jurisdictions), “policy lapse,” or “non-resident insured.” We push back on each defense and, where appropriate, add a bad-faith claim.

Does criminal restitution from the hit-and-run driver reduce my civil recovery?
No. Criminal restitution and civil recovery are separate remedies. We coordinate the two to maximize total recovery.

What if a witness saw the at-fault driver but I didn’t?
Witness statements are critical. We work with police investigators on license-plate fragments, paint-color analysis, and any partial identification information.

How quickly do traffic cameras overwrite?
Most municipal traffic cameras overwrite within 30 days; commercial property cameras within 7 to 14 days. We send preservation letters within 24 hours of intake.

What if the at-fault vehicle was a commercial truck?
Commercial-truck hit-and-runs are often easier to identify (DOT numbers, distinctive markings, broker records). FMCSR (49 CFR Parts 350-399) governs; financial responsibility under 49 CFR §387.9 is $750,000 to $5 million.

How much does it cost to hire a hit-and-run accident lawyer?
Nothing up front. Contingency fee — no fee unless we recover. We advance all costs.