Injured in a Hit-and-Run in Las Vegas?

Do not chase the other driver. The impulse is understandable, but pursuing a fleeing vehicle puts you and everyone else on the road at risk. Stay where you are, check yourself for injuries, and call 911 immediately.

Tell the dispatcher it was a hit-and-run. Give them everything you can about the other vehicle — make, model, color, partial plate number, direction they fled, any damage you noticed. Even a partial plate or a general vehicle description can be enough for police to find the driver. Las Vegas's extensive network of surveillance cameras gives LVMPD more to work with than in most cities. You can also submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers of Nevada at (702) 385-5555 or via the P3 mobile app.

If you're able, flag down witnesses before they leave. Other drivers, pedestrians, people at bus stops, cyclists — anyone who saw the vehicle or the crash. Their descriptions and any dashcam footage can be the difference between finding the driver and never identifying them.

Even if your injuries seem minor, get checked out at an emergency room or urgent care the same day. Adrenaline and shock mask pain. Soft tissue injuries, concussions, and internal bleeding don't always show symptoms right away.

University Medical Center (UMC) at 1800 W. Charleston Blvd. is Nevada's only Level I trauma center. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center at 3186 S. Maryland Pkwy is a Level II trauma center and the largest acute care facility in Nevada. For less severe injuries, several urgent care facilities across the valley can provide initial treatment.

The medical records from that first visit create the documented connection between the crash and your injuries. Without that link, both the at-fault driver's insurer (if they're found) and your own UM carrier will argue your injuries came from something else.

Keep every medical bill, prescription receipt, and record of time missed from work. If the driver is found, these documents support your claim against them. If not, they support your UM claim.

Photograph everything: your vehicle damage, the road, any debris or paint transfer from the other car, skid marks, your injuries, and the surrounding area. If you noticed damage on the other car before it fled — a broken headlight, a smashed bumper, a specific color of paint — write that down.

Look for cameras. In Las Vegas, surveillance is everywhere. Note every casino, hotel, gas station, convenience store, ATM, and traffic camera within view of the crash. This footage is critical — but most systems overwrite within days. An attorney can send preservation letters to ensure it isn't deleted.

Write down the time, the exact location, the direction you were traveling, and the direction the other vehicle fled. Draw a simple diagram of the crash if you can. These details get fuzzy fast, and your immediate notes will be more reliable than your memory weeks later.

If LVMPD responded to the scene, they'll generate a crash report automatically. If they didn't respond, file a report as soon as possible through LVMPD's citizen reporting system or by visiting a substation.

LVMPD's Traffic Bureau handles all collision investigations. The Collision Investigation Section within the Traffic Bureau investigates hit-and-run crashes — contact them at (702) 828-3595. For fatal hit-and-runs, the Fatal Detail takes over with full accident reconstruction. For non-fatal hit-and-runs, the responding officer files the initial report and the case may be assigned to a detective depending on the severity and available leads.

Follow up with LVMPD regularly. Ask for the case number and the name of the investigating officer. Provide any new information you gather — a witness who comes forward later, a camera you noticed that police may not have checked. With roughly 75% of Las Vegas hit-and-run cases going unsolved, persistence and evidence preservation are critical.

To obtain your crash report, contact the LVMPD Records and Fingerprint Bureau at (702) 828-3271 or visit 400 South Martin Luther King Blvd., Building C. Allow at least 10 business days.

Nevada takes hit-and-run seriously. Under NRS 484E.010, every driver involved in an accident must stop at the scene, provide identification and insurance information, and render reasonable assistance to injured persons.

Leaving the scene of a crash involving death or substantial bodily harm is a category B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and fines up to $5,000 (NRS 484E.010). Leaving the scene of a crash involving injury (but not death or substantial harm) is a gross misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Even leaving the scene of a property-damage-only crash is a misdemeanor.

The criminal penalties matter for your civil case because the driver's decision to flee is powerful evidence of consciousness of guilt. If the driver is found and charged, the felony charge puts pressure on their insurance company to settle your civil claim.

Nevada's 2-year statute of limitations (NRS 11.190(4)(e)) runs from the date of the crash — not the date the driver is identified. If police find the driver 18 months later, you have very little time remaining to file a lawsuit.

If the driver is never found — or is found but has no insurance — your primary path to compensation is your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. UM coverage pays for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering as if the at-fault driver had insurance.

Nevada law (NRS 687B.145) requires insurers to offer UM coverage to every policyholder. Rejection must be in writing with your signature — if your insurer cannot produce a valid signed rejection, you may be deemed to have UM coverage by default. In Nevada, uninsured and underinsured coverage are combined into a single policy, and stacking of limits across multiple vehicles is the default. Check your auto policy — your UM limits typically match your liability limits (minimum 25/50).

UM coverage applies even if you were on foot, on a bicycle, or a passenger in another vehicle when the hit-and-run happened. The coverage follows you, not the car. With an estimated 10–13% of Nevada drivers uninsured — above the national average — UM coverage is especially important in this state.

Filing a UM claim means making a claim against your own insurance company. Don't assume they'll treat you fairly just because you're their customer. UM claims are adversarial — your insurer's goal is to minimize what they pay. An attorney experienced with UM claims in Nevada can make a significant difference in the outcome.

Whether the claim is against the at-fault driver's insurer (if found) or your own UM carrier, the insurance company will investigate aggressively. They'll look for reasons to deny or reduce your claim.

Under Nevada's modified comparative negligence rule (NRS 41.141), if you were partially at fault — for example, you were speeding or ran a red light — your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing.

The insurance company will also scrutinize the gap between the crash and your first medical visit. If you waited days or weeks, they'll argue your injuries aren't from the accident. See a doctor the same day.

For UM claims specifically, your own insurer may require a "physical contact" element — meaning the fleeing vehicle must have actually struck your car or you. Nevada law generally requires physical contact for UM hit-and-run claims unless the fleeing vehicle can be identified. This is another reason documenting paint transfer, debris, and damage is critical.

Hit-and-run cases are more complex than standard car accident claims because they involve criminal investigations, potential UM claims, evidence that may be destroyed (surveillance footage), and a driver who may never be found. An experienced attorney can navigate all of these tracks simultaneously.

In Las Vegas, the density of surveillance cameras — at casinos, hotels, traffic intersections, ride-share vehicles, and businesses — gives attorneys more tools to identify hit-and-run drivers than in most cities. But footage is overwritten quickly, sometimes within 48 to 72 hours. An attorney who acts fast can preserve this evidence.

If the driver is found, your attorney handles the claim against their insurer while the criminal case proceeds in parallel. If the driver is never found, your attorney files and negotiates the UM claim against your own insurance company.

Most hit-and-run attorneys in Las Vegas work on contingency — no upfront cost, and they only get paid if you recover. A free consultation gives you a clear picture of your options, whether the driver is found or not.