Hit and Run Accident in Minneapolis-St. Paul: What to Do

The most important thing you can do after a hit and run is call 911. Even if you are not sure how badly you are hurt, even if you did not get the other driver's license plate, even if you think it is too late — call 911. A police report creates the official record that the hit and run happened. Without it, your insurance claim becomes dramatically harder.

When you call 911, provide as much detail as you can about the other vehicle: make, model, color, any partial plate numbers, direction of travel, and any distinguishing features (bumper stickers, damage, vehicle modifications). If there were witnesses, ask them to stay until police arrive or get their names and phone numbers. Every detail helps — police have found hit-and-run drivers from a single digit of a license plate combined with a vehicle description and direction of travel.

If police did not respond to the scene, you can file a report at the nearest Minneapolis police precinct, call the non-emergency line at 612-348-2345, or call 311. For St. Paul, call the non-emergency line at 651-291-1111. Under Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. § 169.09, subd. 7), any crash resulting in injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more must also be reported in writing to the Commissioner of Public Safety within 10 days using the Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Report form.

After calling 911, your next priority is evidence that can identify the hit-and-run driver or at least document what happened. Look around the scene for surveillance cameras — gas stations, ATMs, businesses, residential doorbell cameras, and traffic cameras may have captured the collision or the fleeing vehicle. Note the locations of any cameras you see and share this information with police.

MnDOT operates traffic cameras throughout the Twin Cities highway system. If your hit and run occurred on a freeway, request MnDOT camera footage immediately through a data practices request at dot.state.mn.us/information/datapractices. The City of Minneapolis also has some traffic cameras at key intersections. Footage from any of these sources has limited retention and may be overwritten within days.

Witnesses are critical in hit-and-run cases. A witness who saw the vehicle, noted the plate, or can describe the driver may be the difference between identifying the responsible party and filing solely under your own UM coverage. Ask nearby pedestrians, other drivers, business employees, and residents if they saw anything. Get their names and phone numbers immediately — people who seem willing to help at the scene often become difficult to reach days later.

When a hit-and-run driver injures you and cannot be identified, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in. Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. § 65B.49) requires all auto insurance policies to include UM coverage with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Many policyholders carry higher UM limits — check your declarations page. Under Minnesota law, a hit-and-run driver who flees the scene is treated as an uninsured motorist, triggering your UM coverage.

UM coverage pays for medical expenses beyond what PIP covers, lost wages beyond PIP limits, pain and suffering, and other damages caused by the hit-and-run driver. Unlike PIP (which pays regardless of fault but is limited to economic losses), UM coverage can compensate you for non-economic damages like pain and suffering — but you must demonstrate that the hit-and-run driver was at fault.

Your insurance company will investigate the UM claim. They may require a sworn statement, a police report, and proof that the hit-and-run driver cannot be identified. They may also attempt to minimize the value of your claim, just as any insurer would. You are making a claim against your own insurance company, but their interests are not aligned with yours — they want to pay as little as possible. An attorney experienced in UM claims can help ensure you receive the full value of your coverage.

Minnesota is a no-fault state, so your own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance pays your initial medical expenses and lost wages regardless of who was at fault — including in hit-and-run cases where the other driver is unknown. PIP covers up to $20,000 in medical expenses and up to $20,000 in non-medical economic losses (including wage loss capped at $500 per week and replacement services for household tasks you cannot perform).

File your PIP claim with your own insurer as soon as possible after the accident. Under Minn. Stat. § 65B.55, you must initiate your PIP claim within 6 months of the accident. PIP benefits are available immediately and do not require proving fault — you simply need to show that the expenses are related to the accident. PIP pays first, and your UM coverage kicks in for damages above PIP limits and for non-economic damages like pain and suffering.

To step outside the no-fault system and pursue a full claim — whether against the identified hit-and-run driver (if found) or through your UM coverage — your injuries must meet Minnesota's serious injury threshold under Minn. Stat. § 65B.51: $4,000 or more in medical expenses (excluding diagnostic imaging), 60 or more days of disability, permanent injury, permanent disfigurement, or death.

If police identify the hit-and-run driver, your options expand significantly. You can file a liability claim against their auto insurance for all damages — medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. You can also pursue a personal injury lawsuit directly against the driver. The criminal prosecution for fleeing the scene is separate from your civil claim and proceeds on its own timeline.

Under Minn. Stat. § 169.09, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime with escalating penalties. For property-damage-only accidents, it is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. For accidents causing substantial bodily injury, it is a gross misdemeanor carrying up to 1 year in jail and $3,000. For great bodily harm, it is a felony with up to 2 years in prison and $4,000. For fatal hit-and-runs, the penalty rises to 3 years in prison and $5,000. The driver also faces license revocation.

A criminal conviction or guilty plea for leaving the scene strengthens your civil case substantially. It establishes that the driver fled — which juries interpret as consciousness of guilt — and the criminal case record provides evidence about the driver's identity, vehicle, and the circumstances of the crash. Even if the driver is not convicted criminally, the arrest and investigation produce evidence useful in your civil claim.

Pedestrians and cyclists are particularly vulnerable to hit-and-run injuries because they have no vehicle to protect them. Minneapolis has seen a troubling pattern of pedestrian hit-and-runs — 66% of serious and fatal traffic injuries in the city occur on just 9% of streets, and pedestrians account for a disproportionate share of severe outcomes. Approximately 225 pedestrians are killed or seriously injured on Minnesota roadways annually.

If you were a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a hit-and-run driver, you may have UM coverage through your own auto insurance policy (if you have one), a household member's auto insurance policy, or — if you were working at the time — your employer's commercial auto policy. Minnesota's UM statute (Minn. Stat. § 65B.49) applies to injuries caused by uninsured motorists regardless of whether the injured person was in a vehicle at the time.

For pedestrians without auto insurance coverage, options are more limited but not nonexistent. If the hit-and-run driver is identified, their liability insurance and personal assets are available. Minnesota's crime victims reparations program may also provide some financial assistance for medical expenses and lost wages. Document everything — photographs of the scene, your injuries, the location of the crash, and any surveillance cameras in the area.

Minnesota's statute of limitations for personal injury is 6 years from the date of injury (Minn. Stat. § 541.05) — one of the longest in the country. For wrongful death, the deadline is 3 years from the date of death. But the legal deadline is not your biggest timing concern in a hit-and-run case — evidence is.

Surveillance camera footage is typically overwritten within days to weeks. Witnesses forget details rapidly. Physical evidence at the scene — tire marks, debris, paint transfer — is cleaned up or degrades quickly. The police investigation is most active in the first 48-72 hours. If you want the best chance of identifying the hit-and-run driver and building a strong claim, you need to act immediately. File the police report, identify cameras, collect witness information, and consult an attorney within days of the accident — not months.

For your PIP claim, you must file within 6 months of the accident (Minn. Stat. § 65B.55). For your UM claim, check your policy for specific notification requirements — most policies require prompt notice of the accident and the hit-and-run. Delayed notification can give your insurer grounds to deny or reduce the UM claim.

Were you the victim of a hit and run in Minneapolis-St. Paul? 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 — including how your UM coverage applies, whether your injuries meet Minnesota's tort threshold, and whether connecting with a Minneapolis-St. Paul personal injury attorney makes sense for your situation.

Hit-and-run accidents are among the most frustrating experiences a person can have — someone hurt you and drove away. But you are not without options. Minnesota's mandatory UM coverage exists specifically for this situation. Understanding your legal options early gives you the best chance at full compensation. Free, confidential, and takes less time than being on hold with your insurance company.