Hit and Run Lawyer in McAllen, TX

The driver who hit you kept going. That’s against the law, but it doesn’t shut down your claim. Texas still gives you ways to get paid for your car and your injuries, whether or not police ever catch that driver. Two clocks start the moment they drive off: how fast you act at the scene, and the legal deadline sitting further down the road. Both matter, and neither one waits for you to feel ready.

Report it before you do anything else

Call 911 even if you feel fine. It’s not only about safety. It starts an official record of a crash the other driver never stuck around to explain. While it’s fresh, grab whatever details you can: any part of the plate, the car’s color and type, which direction it went. Ask people nearby if they saw anything, and check for doorbell or business cameras close to the scene. That footage can get overwritten within days if nobody asks for it first. See the full list of first steps after a crash, and once a report is filed, here’s how to request your copy. None of that guarantees police find the driver, but it gives them the best shot.

Two different roads to getting paid

If police identify the driver, your claim starts to look like a normal crash claim. Their insurance company becomes the one you’re dealing with, and the process runs a familiar path. If the driver is never found, that road closes, but it isn’t the only one. Many Texas auto policies include uninsured motorist coverage, and a driver who flees is usually treated as uninsured since there’s no one to identify or bill. If your policy carries that coverage, your own insurer can end up paying in place of theirs. Uninsured motorist claims run by different rules than a standard crash claim, and they bring their own fight. One thing usually isn’t in question, though: fault. A driver who flees rarely has a story to argue back with.

What your own company still wants to see

Filing against your own policy can feel backwards, but the insurer still has a reason to pay you as little as possible. Expect questions about how the crash happened, requests for documentation, and maybe a slower response while they sort out how to handle it. None of that means your claim is weak. It means it needs the same proof any injury claim needs: medical records, repair estimates, and a clear, consistent account of what happened. Staying consistent and thorough is what moves a claim like this forward.

The clock runs whether or not they’re ever caught

Whether or not the driver is ever caught, the two-year Texas deadline to file suit keeps running from the day of the crash. Waiting on a police investigation to close before you look into your options can burn through that window for no good reason. The civil side of your case can move forward even while a criminal case, if there is one, is still open. Camera footage and witness memories also fade well before that deadline arrives, so the practical clock is often shorter than the legal one.