Los Angeles has the highest hit-and-run rate in the nation, and victims are often left wondering how they can recover compensation when the driver fled the scene. Attorney Anand Desai has 20+ years of experience helping hit-and-run victims identify at-fault drivers, file UM claims, and recover the compensation they deserve.
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Hit-and-run accidents are uniquely frustrating because the at-fault driver has fled, leaving you injured, in pain, and uncertain about your legal options. Many victims assume that if the driver is not found, they have no recourse. This is not true. Attorney Anand Desai has helped hundreds of hit-and-run victims recover compensation through uninsured motorist claims, investigation and identification of the fleeing driver, and other legal strategies.
Los Angeles County leads the nation in hit-and-run accidents, with thousands of incidents reported every year. The LA Times has reported that nearly half of all traffic collisions in the City of Los Angeles involve a driver who flees the scene. Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and surrounding communities are not immune to this epidemic. Hit-and-run drivers flee for many reasons: they may be uninsured, intoxicated, driving on a suspended license, or undocumented and afraid of law enforcement contact.
Our firm's investigation team works to identify hit-and-run drivers using CCTV footage from nearby businesses and intersections, ring doorbell cameras, traffic cameras, license plate reader data, vehicle debris analysis, social media, and witness interviews. When the driver is identified, we pursue full compensation from them and their insurance company. When the driver cannot be found, we file claims under your own uninsured motorist coverage to recover compensation for your injuries.
We communicate in 11 languages and handle every case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront and nothing unless we win. Call (833) 270-7800 for a free consultation about your hit-and-run accident.
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California law imposes strict duties on every driver involved in an accident. Under California Vehicle Code §20001, any driver involved in an accident resulting in injury or death must immediately stop at the scene, provide their name, address, vehicle registration, and driver's license information to the other parties involved, and render reasonable assistance to anyone who is injured. Failure to comply is a felony punishable by up to four years in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and a driver's license suspension of up to three years.
California Vehicle Code §20002 addresses hit and run involving property damage only (no injury). This is a misdemeanor that can result in up to six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine. Even when only a parked car is damaged and no one is present, the driver must leave a note with their identifying information and report the accident to the police.
Vehicle Code §20003 requires drivers involved in accidents to provide identifying information and insurance details to law enforcement upon request. These criminal penalties for hit and run exist separately from the civil liability of the fleeing driver. As a hit-and-run victim, you have the right to pursue both criminal prosecution (through the District Attorney's office) and civil compensation (through a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim). Attorney Anand Desai focuses on the civil side — recovering compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and suffering.
When the hit-and-run driver cannot be identified, your own auto insurance policy becomes your primary source of recovery. California Insurance Code §11580.2 requires all auto insurance policies in the state to include uninsured motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage unless the policyholder has specifically rejected it in writing. A hit-and-run driver is treated as an uninsured motorist under this statute, allowing you to file a UM claim with your own insurance company.
Your UM coverage will compensate you for your injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages up to the limits of your policy. Common UM coverage limits in California range from $15,000/$30,000 (the state minimum) to $100,000/$300,000 or higher. If your UM limits are insufficient to cover your damages, you may also have med-pay (medical payments) coverage that can provide additional compensation regardless of fault.
It is important to understand that filing a UM claim is not the same as filing a claim against the at-fault driver's insurance. Your own insurance company has a duty to act in good faith, but they still have financial incentives to minimize your payout. Insurance adjusters may undervalue your injuries, question the necessity of your treatment, or dispute causation. Having an experienced attorney like Anand Desai handle your UM claim ensures that your own insurance company treats you fairly and pays the full value of your claim.
While police investigate hit-and-run accidents, the reality is that law enforcement resources are stretched thin, and many hit-and-run cases go unsolved. An experienced attorney can conduct a parallel private investigation that significantly increases the chances of identifying the fleeing driver. At Anand Desai Law, we use multiple investigative strategies to track down hit-and-run drivers.
CCTV and surveillance footage is often the most valuable tool. Businesses near the accident scene, traffic cameras operated by the city, red-light cameras, toll cameras, and Ring or Nest doorbell cameras from nearby homes may have captured the vehicle, its license plate, or the driver. Time is critical because many of these systems automatically overwrite footage after days or weeks. This is why contacting an attorney immediately after a hit and run is essential.
Vehicle debris left at the scene can be analyzed to determine the make, model, year, and color of the fleeing vehicle. Paint transfer, broken headlight or taillight lenses, and fragments of body panels all provide clues. License plate reader databases maintained by law enforcement and private companies can track the movements of specific vehicles through an area. Social media posts and local community groups sometimes yield tips. Body shop canvassing can locate a vehicle that came in for suspicious damage repair. Each of these investigative avenues can lead to the identification of the driver and the recovery of full compensation from their insurance policy.
Los Angeles has earned the unfortunate distinction of being the hit-and-run capital of the United States. According to data from the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, Los Angeles County experiences more hit-and-run accidents annually than any other county in the nation. In some years, nearly half of all traffic collisions in the City of Los Angeles involve a driver who leaves the scene.
Several factors contribute to this epidemic. California has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the nation, with an estimated 15% of drivers lacking insurance. Drivers without insurance are far more likely to flee an accident scene because they face both civil and criminal liability. The high cost of auto insurance in Los Angeles, particularly in underserved communities, contributes to the rate of uninsured driving.
The consequences are devastating. Hit-and-run victims, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, are disproportionately injured in lower-income communities with less traffic infrastructure. Many victims are left with serious injuries and no immediate source of compensation. The emotional trauma of being struck by a driver who then abandons you compounds the physical injuries. Anand Desai Law is committed to helping hit-and-run victims in Glendale, Los Angeles, and surrounding communities navigate the legal process and recover the compensation they need to rebuild their lives.
The actions you take in the minutes and hours after a hit-and-run accident can make or break your case. First, call 911. A police report is essential for both criminal prosecution and your civil claim. If possible, note any details about the fleeing vehicle: color, make, model, license plate number (even a partial plate is helpful), direction of travel, and any distinguishing features. If there were witnesses, ask for their contact information.
Document everything at the scene. Take photographs of your vehicle damage, the accident location, any debris left by the fleeing vehicle, skid marks, traffic signals, and your injuries. Look for potential surveillance cameras on nearby businesses, homes, and traffic poles. Note the addresses or names of businesses that might have cameras pointing toward the accident location.
Report the accident to your own insurance company promptly, but do not give a detailed recorded statement without first speaking to an attorney. Your insurance company will be handling your UM claim, and they are not necessarily on your side in that process. Tell them the basic facts of the accident, but save the detailed discussion of your injuries and treatment for after you have legal representation.
Seek attention for your injuries as soon as possible. Even if your injuries seem minor, the adrenaline after an accident can mask symptoms. Creating an early record of injury is important for your claim. Contact Anand Desai Law at (833) 270-7800 for a free consultation. The sooner we are involved, the sooner we can send evidence preservation letters to businesses with cameras and begin our independent investigation.
Hit-and-run victims are entitled to the same categories of compensation as victims of any other car accident. The source of that compensation depends on whether the at-fault driver is identified. If the driver is found and has insurance, you file a claim against their liability policy for economic damages (all costs, lost wages, loss of earning capacity), non-economic damages (pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life), and potentially punitive damages if their conduct was particularly egregious.
If the driver is found but is uninsured, you can sue the driver personally and also file a UM claim with your own insurance. If the driver is never identified, your UM coverage provides compensation for bodily injury damages. Under California law, UM claims for hit-and-run accidents generally require that the accident was reported to the police or the insurer within 24 hours, or as soon as practicable.
Additionally, if the hit and run occurred in a location where a property owner's negligence contributed to the accident — for example, a poorly lit parking lot or a road with obstructed sight lines due to overgrown vegetation on private property — the property owner may share liability. In cases where the hit-and-run driver was operating a vehicle owned by someone else, the vehicle owner may be vicariously liable. Anand Desai Law examines every possible avenue of recovery to ensure our clients receive maximum compensation. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Yes. If the fleeing driver is never identified, you can file a claim under the uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your own auto insurance policy. California Insurance Code §11580.2 requires all auto policies to include UM coverage unless you specifically rejected it in writing. A hit-and-run driver is treated as an uninsured motorist under this law. Your UM coverage can compensate you for injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages up to your policy limits. Attorney Anand Desai has extensive experience handling UM claims and maximizing recovery for hit-and-run victims.
It depends on whether there were injuries. Under California Vehicle Code §20001, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in injury or death is a felony punishable by up to four years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Under Vehicle Code §20002, leaving the scene of an accident involving only property damage is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. If someone died as a result of the accident, the hit-and-run driver could face additional criminal charges. These criminal penalties are separate from the civil compensation you are entitled to as a victim.
To file an uninsured motorist claim for a hit-and-run accident, California law generally requires that the accident be reported to law enforcement or your insurance company within 24 hours, or as soon as practicable. This reporting requirement exists to prevent fraudulent claims. The sooner you report the accident, the stronger your claim. Call 911 immediately after the hit and run, then contact your insurance company. Contact Anand Desai Law at (833) 270-7800 as soon as possible so we can begin investigating and preserving evidence before surveillance footage is overwritten.
If you witnessed a hit and run, try to note the fleeing vehicle's license plate number, color, make, and model, and the direction of travel. Call 911 and provide this information to the police. Stay at the scene and check on the victim. Provide your contact information to the victim and to law enforcement. If you have a dashcam, preserve the footage. Your eyewitness testimony can be critical to identifying the hit-and-run driver and helping the victim recover compensation. Even partial information, like a partial license plate or vehicle color and type, can lead to identification of the driver.
Yes. If the hit-and-run driver is identified, you can file a civil lawsuit against them for all damages including costs for treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. The criminal case against the driver is handled by the District Attorney and is separate from your civil claim. In fact, evidence from the criminal case, including any admissions or guilty plea, can sometimes be used to support your civil claim. If the driver was intoxicated or acting with extreme recklessness, you may also be entitled to punitive damages under Civil Code §3294.
Los Angeles has the highest hit-and-run rate of any major city in the United States. Contributing factors include the high rate of uninsured drivers in California (estimated at 15%), the high cost of auto insurance in LA, and traffic congestion that creates more opportunities for accidents. Drivers without insurance are far more likely to flee because they face both civil liability and criminal penalties for driving uninsured. The sprawling geography of LA and limited public transit also mean more vehicles on the road. Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and surrounding communities are all affected by this epidemic.
Surveillance footage from businesses, traffic cameras, red-light cameras, residential doorbell cameras, and dashcams can capture the hit-and-run vehicle, its license plate, and sometimes the driver. This footage can identify the at-fault driver, establish the speed and manner of driving, show the severity of the impact, and confirm your version of events. However, many camera systems automatically overwrite footage after days or weeks. Contacting an attorney immediately is critical so that evidence preservation letters can be sent before footage is lost. Anand Desai Law acts quickly to preserve this vital evidence.
If the hit-and-run driver was operating a stolen vehicle, the vehicle's owner is generally not liable for your injuries unless they were negligent in securing the vehicle. In this situation, your primary source of recovery would be your own uninsured motorist coverage. The driver of the stolen vehicle can be sued personally, though collection may be difficult. In some cases, if the vehicle was stolen from a commercial lot or dealership, the business may share liability for negligent security. Attorney Anand Desai explores all potential sources of recovery in hit-and-run cases.
The statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit from a hit-and-run accident in California is two years from the date of the accident under Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. However, if a government entity is involved, you must file an administrative claim within six months. For your UM claim, you should report the accident within 24 hours. Even though you have two years to file a lawsuit, it is critical to begin the investigation immediately. Surveillance footage, witness memories, and physical evidence degrade rapidly. Contact Anand Desai Law at (833) 270-7800 as soon as possible after a hit and run.
Anand Desai Law handles all hit-and-run accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront — no consultation fee, no retainer, and no hourly charges. We advance all investigation and litigation costs. We only collect a fee if we successfully recover compensation for you through an insurance claim, settlement, or verdict. If we do not recover compensation, you owe us nothing. This means anyone can afford quality legal representation after a hit-and-run accident. Call (833) 270-7800 for a free consultation.
Anand Desai is a dedicated personal injury attorney serving Glendale and the greater Los Angeles area. A graduate of Loyola Law School with an undergraduate degree from USC, Anand has been a member of the California State Bar (#249768) since 2007, bringing 20+ years of legal experience to every case he handles.
Anand specializes in personal injury law, with particular expertise in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and catastrophic injury cases. His deep understanding of California personal injury law, combined with his tenacious negotiation skills, has helped him secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients.
What truly sets Anand apart is his commitment to his community. His firm is one of the only law offices in Glendale that offers services in 11 languages, including Spanish, Armenian, Hindi, Gujarati, Korean, Tagalog, Farsi, Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese, and English — reflecting the rich diversity of the communities he serves.
“I fight for every client like they’re family. When you hire me, you’re not just getting a lawyer — you’re getting someone who genuinely cares about your recovery and your future.”
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