I was hit by a hit-and-run driver in Houston. How do I report it, and who pays?

First: call 911

If you are hurt, call 911 from the scene, or as soon as you can. Texas law requires a crash with an injury, a death or a car that can't be driven to be reported immediately, by the quickest means (Transportation Code § 550.026). Inside Houston that is the Houston Police Department. On a freeway or in unincorporated Harris County, a DPS trooper or a sheriff's deputy may respond instead.

Ask for an officer to come and write a report, and get the officer's name and the case number before you leave. Then get medical care, even if you think you can wait. Injuries from a crash often show up hours or days later, and the medical record made that day is part of your claim.

Can I report a hit-and-run online in Houston?

Not right now. When we checked HPD's online reporting page in October 2026, it said the system was undergoing maintenance, with “new online reporting coming soon.” Even when it returns, don't rely on an online form for a hit-and-run where someone was hurt. Leaving the scene of an injury crash is a serious crime, an officer needs to document it, and evidence like video and debris is best gathered right away. A report made the same day also protects your insurance claim: many policies require prompt reporting of a hit-and-run, and a same-day report keeps an insurer from questioning whether the other car existed.

What the law required of the driver who left

Under Transportation Code § 550.021, a driver involved in a crash that injures or kills someone must stop immediately, return to the scene if needed, check whether anyone needs help, and stay until he has given his name, address, vehicle registration and insurer and given reasonable help to anyone injured, including arranging a ride to a doctor or hospital (§ 550.023). The penalties for leaving:

• If someone dies: a second-degree felony.
• If someone suffers serious bodily injury: a third-degree felony.
• Any other injury: up to five years in prison or up to one year in county jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Leaving after hitting an unattended car, without finding the owner or leaving a note with your name and address, is a misdemeanor (§ 550.024). In Houston, hit-and-runs are investigated by HPD's Vehicular Crimes Division.

Crime Stoppers can help find the driver

Crime Stoppers of Houston posts hit-and-run cases and has offered rewards of up to $5,000 for tips that lead to charges or an arrest. Tips go to 713-222-TIPS (8477), crime-stoppers.org or the Crime Stoppers app. Only tips made directly to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for the reward. Neighbors, coworkers and people who saw the crash are often more willing to call when they know that.

Who pays if the driver is never found

Usually, your own insurance. A driver who is never identified counts as uninsured.

• Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Texas insurers must offer it, and you have it unless someone on the policy rejected it in writing (Insurance Code § 1952.101). It pays for your injuries as if the driver who fled had insurance. There is one important rule: when the driver is unknown, Texas requires actual physical contact between that driver's vehicle and you or your vehicle (§ 1952.104). If a car ran you off the road without touching you, a UM claim for an unknown driver is much harder, and we look for every other source.
• Personal injury protection (PIP). Unless it was rejected in writing, your policy includes at least $2,500 per person that pays medical bills and lost income regardless of fault (§§ 1952.151–1952.155). It pays early, which helps when there is no other driver's insurer to bill.
• Other policies. A policy held by a relative who lives with you, or the policy on the car you were riding in, may also cover you.
• Texas Crime Victims' Compensation. The Attorney General's program lists failure to stop and render aid among the crimes it covers. It pays after insurance and other sources, for things like medical bills, lost wages and funeral costs, but not property damage. You must report the crime to police within a reasonable time and apply within three years.

If police do find the driver, his liability insurance is the first source, and your UM coverage can still help if he had none or not enough. Read more in what if the driver has no insurance.

The evidence that finds drivers and proves claims

• Video. Gas stations, stores, apartment complexes and doorbell cameras near the crash. Most systems record over themselves within days or weeks, and nobody saves anything unless asked.
• Paint transfer and debris. Paint on your car, a broken mirror, trim or a piece of a grille can identify a make, model and color. Photograph it and keep it.
• Witnesses. Names and phone numbers, before they leave. A partial plate is worth writing down.
• The crash report. It shows what the officer recorded. See how to get your crash report in Houston.

Your own insurer is still the other side

A UM claim is a claim against your own insurance company, and it is handled like any other injury claim: the adjuster will ask for a recorded statement and broad medical authorizations. Once you hire us, we handle those communications, along with the police and Crime Stoppers follow-up. You talk with Jimmy directly, in English or Spanish, by phone, text, email or video call. For the same situation in West Texas, see hit-and-run options in El Paso.

Other ways people ask this

Should I chase the driver?

No. Stay at the scene, call 911, and note what you can: plate, make, color, damage and direction. Chasing puts you in danger and can complicate your claim.

Can I file a hit-and-run report online with HPD?

When we checked in October 2026, HPD's online reporting page said it was under maintenance. For a hit-and-run where someone is hurt, call 911 so an officer documents it.

The car never touched me, but it forced me off the road. Does UM cover it?

For a driver who is never identified, Texas UM coverage requires actual physical contact with you or your vehicle. Without contact it is harder, so we look for witnesses, video and every other source of coverage.

What is the reward for information?

Crime Stoppers of Houston has offered up to $5,000 for tips in hit-and-run cases that lead to charges or an arrest. Tips go to 713-222-TIPS and are anonymous only if made directly to Crime Stoppers.

How long do I have?

Generally two years to file a lawsuit for injuries, and three years to apply for Crime Victims' Compensation. Your policy may require faster notice of a UM claim, so call soon.

Do I need papers to make a claim?

No. Your right to compensation in Texas doesn't depend on your immigration status, and we don't ask about it to help you.

Authority: Tex. Transp. Code ch. 550 (§§ 550.021–550.026) · Tex. Ins. Code ch. 1952 (§§ 1952.101, 1952.104, 1952.151–.155) · HPD — Online reporting · Crime Stoppers of Houston — Failure to Stop and Render Aid case · Texas Attorney General — Crime Victims' Compensation · Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003