I Was in a Hit-and-Run in Florida: What to Do (2026)

If the driver who hit you took off, your own insurance is almost certainly your only path to full recovery, but Florida law requires a few specific things to happen for that claim to actually go through. Florida treats hit-and-run drivers as uninsured motorists by law, which means your uninsured motorist coverage, if you carry it, applies the same way it would if the at-fault driver simply had no liability insurance. If you’re involved in a hit and run, Florida law also gives you specific windows to act, starting with the 14-day rule that governs your PIP claim.

Here’s what to do in the immediate aftermath, and how the claim process differs from a standard crash.

Hit and Run, Florida: What to Do Right After an Accident

• Call 911 and stay at the scene if it’s safe to do so. Report the incident to police right away and get a crash report. The resulting report is often the single most important piece of evidence for your claim, especially since the at-fault driver can’t be located to give their side.
• Get medical attention within 14 days, even for minor injuries. Florida’s PIP rules don’t make an exception for hit-and-run crashes. Miss the 14-day window and you can forfeit PIP medical benefits regardless of how the crash happened.
• Document everything you can about the other vehicle. A partial license plate, the vehicle’s color, make, or model, and any nearby security or dashcam footage all help both the police investigation and your own claim.
• Look for witnesses. If there’s no physical contact between your vehicle and the other car, an independent witness who saw what happened can be critical to supporting a hit-and-run uninsured motorist claim.
• File both a PIP claim and a UM claim with your own insurance company. PIP responds first regardless of fault. If you carry uninsured motorist coverage, notify your insurer that this was a hit-and-run specifically, since that triggers the UM claim process.

Does uninsured motorist coverage actually cover a hit-and-run?

Yes, hit-and-run drivers are treated as uninsured motorists under Florida law, so your uninsured motorist coverage, if you have it, applies the same way it would to any other uninsured at-fault driver. The complication is proof. Some policies require physical contact between your vehicle and the unidentified vehicle to support a hit-and-run UM claim, since there’s otherwise no direct way to confirm another vehicle was actually involved. If there was no physical contact (for example, if you swerved to avoid a vehicle that ran you off the road), independent corroborating evidence, like an eyewitness who isn’t a passenger in your own car, can satisfy this requirement instead.

What if you don’t have uninsured motorist coverage?

Without UM coverage, your PIP benefits, up to $10,000, are likely your only source of recovery unless the at-fault driver is later identified and has liability insurance or assets worth pursuing. This is one of the clearest illustrations of why UM coverage matters in Florida specifically: roughly one in five Florida drivers carries no insurance at all, and a driver willing to flee the scene of a crash is not the type of driver likely to have adequate coverage, even if they were later found. Every Florida driver’s auto insurance policy is required to have personal injury protection, but PIP alone rarely covers the full extent of medical bills from a serious crash.

What are the actual deadlines for a hit-and-run claim in Florida?

Florida doesn’t set one single fixed deadline for hit-and-run insurance claims; instead, several different timelines apply depending on the type of claim. You generally have up to 4 years to file a property damage claim for your vehicle. If the at-fault driver is later identified, a personal injury lawsuit against them generally must be filed within 2 years. Your PIP claim itself is governed by the 14-day treatment rule rather than a separate filing deadline. And your uninsured motorist claim deadline depends on your specific policy language, which is worth confirming directly with your insurance company rather than assuming.

What if you were riding a motorcycle?

Motorcyclists face a meaningfully different situation. Motorcycles are excluded from Florida’s PIP requirements entirely, which means a motorcyclist hit by a driver who fled the scene has no PIP benefits and, without an identified driver, no bodily injury liability policy to pursue either. For motorcyclists, uninsured motorist coverage carried on the motorcycle policy itself becomes even more central to any real recovery after a hit-and-run.

The bottom line

A hit-and-run doesn’t remove your ability to recover, but it does shift where that recovery comes from, largely to your own policy, and it raises the evidence bar since there’s no other driver to point to. Report the crash immediately, get medical care within 14 days regardless of how minor the injury feels, and document anything that can corroborate that another vehicle was actually involved.

If you’re not sure whether you currently carry uninsured motorist coverage, or whether it’s stacked, check your declarations page or call your agent before you need it. Given Florida’s uninsured driver rate, it’s one of the more consequential coverage decisions on a Florida policy.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do immediately after a hit-and-run in Florida?

Call 911 and report it to police, get medical attention within 14 days to protect your PIP claim, document what you can about the other vehicle, and file both a PIP and, if you have it, a UM claim with your own insurance company.

Does uninsured motorist coverage cover a hit-and-run accident in Florida?

Yes. Florida law treats hit-and-run drivers as uninsured motorists, so UM coverage applies. Some policies require physical contact with the other vehicle or independent corroborating evidence to support the claim.

What if there was no physical contact with the other vehicle?

An independent witness or other corroborating evidence can support your claim in the absence of physical contact, though the specific requirement depends on your policy language.

How long do I have to file a hit-and-run claim in Florida?

Property damage claims generally have up to 4 years to file. A personal injury lawsuit against an identified at-fault driver generally has 2 years. PIP claims are governed by the 14-day treatment rule rather than a separate filing deadline.

What happens if I was hit-and-run on a motorcycle in Florida?

Motorcycles are excluded from Florida’s PIP requirement, so there are no PIP benefits available. Uninsured motorist coverage carried on the motorcycle policy is typically the primary path to recovery in this situation.

Does Florida law require every driver to have personal injury protection?

Yes. Every registered vehicle’s auto insurance policy in Florida must include at least $10,000 in personal injury protection, which pays medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, including in a hit-and-run.