Hit and Run Accident in Indianapolis: What to Do Next

Your first priority after a hit and run is safety. Move out of traffic if you can do so without worsening any injuries. Call 911 immediately. Tell the dispatcher that the other driver fled the scene. Give them whatever details you have — the direction the vehicle went, the make, model, color, and any part of the license plate number you remember.

Even if your injuries feel minor, request medical attention. Adrenaline masks pain. Injuries like whiplash, concussions, and internal bleeding may not produce symptoms for hours or days. The 911 call creates a timestamped official record that your accident happened and that you reported it immediately — this matters when you file your insurance claim.

If you are physically able, stay at the scene until police arrive. IMPD will respond to hit and run calls involving injuries. For property-damage-only hit and runs where police may not respond to the scene, you can file a report through IMPD's Citizens Online Police Reporting System or call the non-emergency line at 317-327-3811.

Evidence at a hit and run scene disappears fast. Start documenting immediately while you wait for police. Use your phone to photograph damage to your vehicle, skid marks, debris, broken glass, and the surrounding area. Take wide shots that show the intersection or road layout, and close-ups of specific damage.

Look for surveillance cameras. Gas stations, ATMs, banks, apartment buildings, and retail stores near the scene may have cameras that captured the fleeing vehicle. Note every potential camera location — your attorney or the police can request footage before it is overwritten, which typically happens within 7-30 days depending on the business.

Talk to witnesses. Other drivers, pedestrians, and nearby business employees may have seen the vehicle or the collision. Get names and phone numbers. Ask if anyone got a photo or video. Witness statements can identify the vehicle, confirm details about the accident, and establish that you were not at fault — all critical to your claim.

A police report is not legally required to file an insurance claim in Indiana, but it is practically essential for hit and run cases. The report creates an official record of the accident, documents available evidence, and triggers a police investigation that may identify the other driver.

If IMPD officers respond to the scene, they will take your statement and create a report. If police do not respond — which can happen for property-damage-only incidents — file a report as soon as possible through the IMPD Citizens Online Police Reporting System or in person at a district headquarters. Under Indiana law (IC 9-26-1-8), you must report an accident to the BMV within 10 days if damage exceeds $1,000 or anyone is injured.

Request a copy of your police report. You will need the report number for your insurance claim. If the police investigation identifies the other driver, your case shifts from a UM claim to a standard liability claim against the at-fault driver — and the hit and run charge strengthens your civil case because leaving the scene is powerful evidence of fault.

When the hit and run driver is never found, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in. Indiana law requires every auto insurance policy to offer UM coverage, though you may have declined it. If you carry UM coverage, it pays for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering up to your policy limits — as if you had a claim against the other driver's liability policy.

About 13.9% of Indiana drivers carry no insurance at all. Even when a hit and run driver is identified, they frequently turn out to be uninsured. UM coverage protects you in both scenarios. File your UM claim promptly. Your insurance company will investigate the accident, review your police report, and evaluate your injuries before making a settlement offer.

Be aware that your own insurance company is not on your side in a UM claim. They owe you coverage under your policy, but their financial interest is to pay as little as possible. Document everything — medical records, bills, lost wages, pain journal — and do not accept the first settlement offer without understanding the full value of your claim. If the hit and run driver is later identified and has insurance, your UM carrier may have a subrogation right to recover from their insurer.

Indiana treats leaving the scene of an accident as a serious offense under IC 9-26-1-1.1. Every driver involved in an accident must stop immediately, exchange information, render reasonable assistance to injured persons, and remain at the scene until all legal duties are fulfilled. Failing to do so triggers criminal penalties that escalate with injury severity.

For property-damage-only accidents, leaving the scene is a Class B misdemeanor (up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine). If the accident causes bodily injury, the charge rises to a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail and $5,000 fine). If the accident results in death or catastrophic injury, the driver faces a Level 4 felony (2-12 years in prison and up to $10,000 fine). If the fleeing driver was intoxicated and caused serious bodily injury or death, the charge can be elevated to a Level 3 felony (up to 16 years in prison).

As the victim, you have the right to be notified of the criminal proceedings and to submit a victim impact statement through the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. While the criminal case does not directly compensate you, a conviction strengthens your civil claim and a guilty plea or conviction can prevent the defendant from denying fault in your injury lawsuit.

IMPD investigates hit and run cases, and drivers are identified more often than victims expect — through surveillance footage, license plate readers, witness tips, paint transfer analysis, or the driver's own vehicle damage leading to a body shop tip. If the driver is found, your claim changes significantly.

Once the driver is identified, you file a liability claim against their auto insurance (if they have it). The hit and run itself is powerful evidence of negligence and consciousness of guilt. A driver who fled the scene will have difficulty arguing they were not at fault. If the driver is uninsured, you can still pursue a civil lawsuit against them personally, though collecting a judgment from an uninsured driver can be difficult. Your UM coverage remains available as a backstop.

Indiana's modified comparative fault system (IC 34-51-2-5) still applies. If you are found partially at fault, your damages are reduced by your fault percentage. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. In hit and run cases, the fleeing driver almost always bears the majority of fault — the act of leaving the scene itself demonstrates irresponsibility.

Indiana's statute of limitations for personal injury claims is 2 years from the date of injury (IC 34-11-2-4). This deadline applies whether the hit and run driver is identified or not. Wrongful death claims also have a 2-year deadline (IC 34-23-1-1). If a government vehicle was involved, you must file a tort claim notice within 180 days for cities or 270 days for state entities under the Indiana Tort Claims Act (IC 34-13-3).

For your insurance claim, check your UM policy for notice and filing deadlines — most policies require prompt notice and cooperation with the investigation. Do not assume the 2-year statute of limitations gives you time to wait. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget details, and surveillance footage gets overwritten. The strongest hit and run claims are the ones that start building their evidence file on day one.

Want to understand your options after a hit and run accident in Indianapolis? Get your free Injury Claim Check. You will answer a few questions about your accident and injuries, and we will provide a personalized report covering your potential claim value — including whether UM coverage, comparative fault, or other factors apply — and connect you with an Indianapolis personal injury attorney experienced in hit and run cases.

A hit and run is disorienting and unfair. Someone hurt you and left. Indiana law gives you multiple paths to compensation — through your own insurance, through the at-fault driver if they are found, and through the civil courts. Start with the Injury Claim Check. It is free, confidential, and takes less time than waiting on hold with your insurance company.