What if I am involved in a hit and run accident in New York?

Video Transcription

If you’re the driver of a vehicle that gets involved in a hit-and-run accident and the other vehicle flees the scene, the first thing you should do is contact the police. Reason being is that there’s a 24-hour regulation for what’s called uninsured motorist claims to make with your own insurance company.

Or, if you are pedestrian or bicyclist who’s hit by a hit-and-run vehicle, then under the motor vehicle accident indemnification rules, you have 24 hours to report it to the police. If there is no police report, you will not get coverage for your benefits, which include no-fault. Or, in the case of the Motor Vehicle Acts Indemnification Corporation, they will not cover for liability, either. So it’s very important to contact the police.

Now there are situations where you can make a claim with your own coverage, if you do have a vehicle. If you’re a pedestrian or a cyclist, your insurance provides uninsured motorist coverage, just specifically for that kind of situation, when a vehicle runs away or if the vehicle that does hit you does not have any coverage at all.