Orange County Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer

Last updated: October 2026 · Reviewed by Faud Haghighi, Esq., Founder & Lead Trial Attorney

How Can an Orange County Hit and Run Lawyer Help?

An Orange County hit and run lawyer makes sure the strict reporting deadlines are met, pursues your own uninsured motorist coverage when the driver can’t be found, and pursues the driver’s insurance if the driver is identified, so you are not left paying for someone else’s crime.

Being hit by a driver who flees is frightening and frustrating, but it does not mean you can’t recover. In many cases, the path to compensation runs through your own auto policy, and that path has deadlines measured in hours and days, not years. The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi represents hit-and-run victims, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists, throughout Orange County and Southern California from offices in Aliso Viejo and Tustin. Faud Haghighi has handled hundreds of cases, including auto, pedestrian, and bicycle accidents, and handles each case personally.

What Should You Do Right After a Hit-and-Run?

Get medical help, report the crash within 24 hours, and write down everything you remember about the fleeing vehicle.

1. Call 911 and get medical care. Don’t chase the other driver.
2. Report the crash to the police, sheriff, or CHP within 24 hours; this is a condition of uninsured motorist coverage for an unknown driver (see below).
3. Write down what you saw: the make, model, color, partial plate, direction of travel, and any damage to the other car.
4. Look for cameras at businesses, homes with doorbell cameras, and gas stations, and ask quickly; many systems record over footage.
5. Photograph the scene, your vehicle, debris, and paint transfer, which can help identify the other car.
6. Get witness names and phone numbers.
7. Notify your auto insurer promptly, and get advice about the sworn statement your insurer must receive within 30 days.

Can You Get Compensation if the Driver Is Never Found?

Often, yes. Your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage can pay for injuries caused by an unknown driver, as long as the strict conditions in California’s insurance law are met (Ins. Code §11580.2). California auto policies include UM coverage unless it was waived in writing.

What if the Other Car Never Touched Me?

A “miss-and-run,” where a driver forces you off the road without making contact, is harder. California’s UM law requires physical contact when the driver is unknown, so these claims depend on identifying the driver or another source of recovery. Witness statements and video are especially important.

What if I Was a Passenger, Pedestrian, or Cyclist?

UM coverage generally protects the people insured under the policy, which can include you and household members even when you are on foot or on a bike. Passengers may also be covered under the UM coverage of the vehicle they were riding in. If you were walking, see pedestrian accident claims; if you were riding, see bicycle accident claims.

How Can a Hit-and-Run Driver Be Identified?

Many fleeing drivers are identified later, usually through evidence gathered in the first days:

• Business, doorbell, and traffic-area video that captures the vehicle or a plate.
• A partial plate, combined with the make, model, color, and damage.
• Debris left at the scene, such as broken lights, mirror pieces, or trim, which can point to a make and model.
• Paint transfer on your vehicle, bike, or clothing.
• Witnesses, including other drivers who followed the vehicle or noted its plate.

Once the driver is identified, you can claim against that driver and their insurance like any other at-fault driver, and the criminal case proceeds separately. California requires a driver involved in a crash that injures or kills someone to stop, provide information, and help, and leaving is a crime (Veh. Code §20001). Your injury claim does not depend on the criminal case. If the driver turns out to be uninsured or underinsured, your UM/UIM coverage may still pay the difference. If you were partly at fault, California’s comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation rather than eliminating it: a driver with $60,000 in losses found 10% at fault still recovers $54,000.

What Other Sources Can Pay After a Hit-and-Run?

Besides UM coverage, other sources can help, depending on the situation:

• MedPay on your auto policy, if you bought it, pays medical bills regardless of fault.
• Health insurance can cover treatment while the claim is pending.
• The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) lists hit and run among the crimes it covers. Eligibility generally requires California residency or being victimized in California and cooperating with police and prosecutors, and applications are generally due within seven years (CalVCB eligibility).
• Collision coverage on your policy can pay for vehicle damage.

Who Do You Report a Hit-and-Run to in Orange County?

Report it to the police agency that covers the location: the CHP on freeways and state highways, your city’s police department, or the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in unincorporated areas and in the cities that contract with the Sheriff for police services.

• Freeways such as the I-5, I-405, SR-55, and SR-91 are patrolled by the California Highway Patrol.
• Cities with their own police departments, such as Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Tustin, and Costa Mesa, take reports for crashes on their streets.
• The Orange County Sheriff’s Department provides police services to unincorporated areas and to contract cities, including Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, and San Clemente (OC Sheriff).

Hit-and-runs often happen at night, in parking lots, and on busy arterials where a driver can disappear into traffic quickly. Ask for the report number and keep a copy; your insurer will need it.

What Affects the Value of a Hit-and-Run Claim?

A claim can include medical bills and future care, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage. When the driver is unknown, your own UM limits often set the practical ceiling, and because your own insurer is on the other side of the claim, careful documentation matters. These factors usually move value:

Read more about what affects the value of a personal injury case and uninsured motorist claims.

What Are the Deadlines After a Hit-and-Run?

The first deadlines come fast: a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days for an unknown-driver UM claim.

This page explains California law in general terms as of October 2026. Laws change and exceptions apply, so it is not legal advice about your situation.

How Does Faud Haghighi Build a Claim When the Driver Is Unknown?

In a hit-and-run, your own insurer often becomes the company you have to negotiate with, and it is not on your side. Faud Haghighi has practiced law in California since 2012, has resolved cases against insurance carriers, and handles each case personally. We help you meet the reporting requirements, look for video and witnesses that may identify the driver, review every policy in your household, and press for the full value of your coverage, including through arbitration when needed.

We help hit-and-run victims throughout Orange County and Southern California, including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Tustin, and Huntington Beach, as part of our Orange County personal injury practice. If the driver is identified and the crash becomes an ordinary collision claim, see car accident claims.

Hit by a driver who fled? The first deadline is 24 hours. Call (949) 313-7656 or request a free consultation. There is no attorney fee unless we recover for you.