Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer in Texas
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A driver hit your car and left before you could get a name, a license plate, or an insurance card. Now you are standing at the roadside, or back at home, trying to put together a claim against someone the police may never find.
The bills do not wait for that answer. Medical costs and repair estimates keep coming, work keeps getting missed, and the fear that no driver to name means no case can keep you from acting while the evidence is still there. Even leaving the scene yourself to get care can feel like something an insurer will raise later.
At LeMaster Law Firm, we help people across Texas recover after a hit-and-run, even when the driver who caused it is never found. Before founding the firm, Jennifer LeMaster served as in-house counsel for an oil and gas company, handling complex transactions and litigation, and then made partner at an international law firm, where she represented insurance companies. Now she uses that firsthand view of how insurers weigh a claim with no one to name, so she can anticipate their next move and respond to it for you.
Why Northwest Houston Turns to LeMaster Law Firm After a Hit-and-Run
Not knowing who hit you does not leave you without options for recovering what the crash cost you.
Meet Our Texas Hit and Run Accident Lawyer
We Pursue Every Path to Compensation When the At-Fault Driver Cannot Be Found
A hit-and-run does not end your claim just because the person responsible was never identified. We treat uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as the first route to compensation from the start, instead of waiting on a police investigation that may never close.
Jennifer LeMaster’s Insurance-Defense Background Shapes How We Build a Hit-and-Run Claim
Before she founded the firm, Jennifer LeMaster spent years representing insurance companies, so she knows the questions an adjuster raises when there is no other driver to blame. She builds your claim to answer those questions from the first call, before a denial ever arrives. Texas Super Lawyers has named her to its list every year from 2021 through 2026.
Client Testimonials
“They went above and beyond searching for a way to get me compensation for my accident with an uninsured driver. I appreciate the effort.” — T. R.
“The LeMaster team was amazing we couldn’t have gotten the result we did without them! Me and my boyfriend were involved in a traumatic car accident and they were with us every step of the way with a seamless process and really with just any support we needed whether it was emotionally, professionally or any questions we had at anytime during our time with them. Truly grateful for this team and would highly recommend trusting in them to get you the results you deserve!” — A. P.
What Should You Do Right After a Hit-and-Run in Texas?
The first few hours after a hit-and-run can shape whether a later claim holds up. The scene is chaotic and the other driver is already gone, but the choices you make in that window are often the ones an insurer looks at hardest months later.
Take these steps as soon as it is safe:
- Call the police and ask for a written report. Texas requires you to report a crash that causes injury or death right away, and the report becomes a key record even with no driver to name.
- Get medical care, even if you feel fine at first. Some injuries take hours or days to show up, and a documented visit ties your treatment to the crash.
- Photograph the scene, your vehicle, and your injuries as soon as you can. Once a car is repaired or an injury heals, these images are often the only record of what happened.
- Write down any partial plate, vehicle description, or witness contact while it is fresh. These are the first details an investigator or an insurer will ask for.
- Hold off on any recorded statement, even to your own insurer, before speaking with a lawyer. An early statement can be used later to limit what you recover.
From there, a lawyer can pull the police report, track down witnesses, and start building your car accident claim while the details are still within reach.
Can You Still Get Compensation If the Driver Is Never Found?
Yes. When the driver who caused a hit-and-run is never found, the practical path to compensation runs through your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage rather than a lawsuit against a driver Texas may never identify.
Most Texas auto policies carry this coverage. State law requires insurers to offer it unless you turned it down in writing, and an unidentified hit-and-run driver is generally treated the same as an uninsured one.
Because the car that fled actually struck yours, your claim meets the physical-contact rule Texas applies when the other driver cannot be identified. Even without a name, you can have a real claim for what the crash cost you.
A claim through your own policy can help cover:
- Emergency care, follow-up treatment, and rehabilitation
- Income lost while you recover
- Repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Pain and suffering from the crash
Your insurer still has reason to question a claim with no other driver to confirm it, so it helps to build the record early, before the company settles on its own version of events.
Is Leaving the Scene of an Accident a Felony in Texas?
In Texas, leaving the scene of a crash that hurt or killed someone is a felony. A crash that causes death is a second-degree felony, one that causes serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony, and a crash with a lesser injury can still bring up to five years in prison (Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021).
A criminal case punishes the driver, but it rarely puts money toward your medical bills or your car. Even with a conviction, restitution often goes uncollected, especially when the driver is never found or has little to pay. Your insurance claim does not depend on any of that, and it can move forward while a police case is still open.
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim After a Texas Hit-and-Run?
Two deadlines can apply here, and they are easy to mix up.
If the driver is later identified, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit against that person (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003(a)). Missing that deadline usually bars the claim for good, so it pays to act early even while the driver is still unknown.
A claim against your own insurer under your uninsured motorist coverage works on a different schedule. Because it is a contract claim rather than a personal injury claim, Texas generally gives you a longer window, usually four years. The exact deadline can depend on the terms of your policy and the facts of your crash, so it is worth confirming both with a lawyer before either one runs out.
Talk With a Northwest Houston Hit-and-Run Lawyer While the Evidence Is Still Fresh
Not knowing who hit you does not make the crash any less real, and the bills and insurance calls will not wait for an answer. At LeMaster Law Firm, we build uninsured motorist claims for drivers in this position, without waiting on a police investigation to close. The longer a hit-and-run claim sits, the harder the supporting evidence is to find, so it helps to reach out before the trail goes cold.
Your first consultation is free, we answer calls 24/7, and you owe no fee unless the firm recovers compensation for you. We work with families in Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, and across northwest Houston. Call 832-356-7983 or contact us online to get started today.
Written By Jennifer LeMaster
Jennifer LeMaster is the founder of LeMaster Law Firm, representing injured Texans in personal injury, car accident, wrongful death, and insurance bad faith cases throughout the Houston area. With more than 20 years of legal experience, including prior work as an insurance defense attorney, Ms. LeMaster brings an insider’s understanding of how insurers operate to every case she takes. She has been named to Texas Super Lawyers annually from 2021 through 2026, holds a Martindale “Distinguished” peer rating, and earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center.
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