Hit and run in Dallas: what police need, how insurance works, and finding a hit and run attorney

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a hit and run in Dallas, call 911 and have an officer make the report.1 If you leave first, Dallas Police says its detectives cannot investigate.2 To use uninsured motorist coverage in Texas, the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.3 A lawsuit is generally due in two years.4

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Road map of Dallas showing streets on the city's High Injury Network, including Buckner Boulevard and Ledbetter Drive
Dallas hit and run: stay, call 911, or detectives cannot investigate. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What do I do right after a hit and run in Dallas?

  1. Stay where you are and call 911. Dallas Police says to have an officer make the state and local reports.1
  2. Do not chase the other car. Your safety, and the report, come first.
  3. Write down what you saw right away: color, make, partial plate, which way it went and any damage on it.
  4. Look for people and cameras. Get names of witnesses. Note any store, gas station or doorbell camera nearby.
  5. See a doctor the same day, even if you feel okay. Dallas has three Level I trauma centers: Parkland, Baylor University Medical Center and Methodist Dallas.567
  6. Tell your own insurer about the crash soon, and stick to the facts.

What if I already left the scene of a hit and run in Dallas?

Go now, do not wait. Dallas Police says that if you leave without making the proper reports, you have also violated state law, and its detectives will not be able to investigate your offense.2 That is hard news to read, but you still have a path for your insurer.

Go to the nearest Dallas Police substation for two papers: a State of Texas Blue Form and a City of Dallas Individual Accident Report.8 Mail the blue form as it says on the form. Return the other to any substation, where it gets a service number and stays on file as your report for your insurance company.9 Ask for that number before you leave.

Who investigates a hit and run in Dallas?

Serious injury or death cases go to the Dallas Police Traffic Unit.10 For questions about a crime involving a vehicle, or a death, call the Vehicle Crimes Unit at (214) 670-5817.11 Have your service number handy.

A freeway hit and run is different after a recent change. A city memo says the county highway traffic agreement ended effective August 28, 2026, and Dallas Police is taking over freeway crash investigations in the city.12 If yours was on a Dallas freeway before then, try the Sheriff's accident report line at 214-712-5039.13 If it happened in an unincorporated part of the county, deputies patrol those areas.14

Have a tip about the driver? The Dallas Police site lists a tip hotline at 1-877-373-TIPS.15

How do I get my hit and run report in Dallas?

A copy costs $6 from Dallas Police, by mail or at 1400 Botham Jean Blvd.1617 It is usually ready 5 to 7 working days after the crash.18 Questions about the report can go to 214-670-6954 or 214-670-6955 on weekdays, and it helps to have the service number or the investigator's name or badge number.19

If you want more than the crash report, like photos or video that police collected, those open records requests now go through the City Secretary's Office.20 We could not find a published count of hit and run crashes for Dallas alone, so we cannot tell you how often one is solved.

Does insurance pay for a hit and run in Dallas?

Your own policy is usually where the money comes from if the driver is never found. The Dallas numbers show why it matters: 24,677 crashes in the city in 2025, with 1,065 people seriously hurt.21 Here is how the Texas rules work.

Coverage questionWhat Texas law says
Do I have uninsured motorist coverage?You only lose it if a named insured rejected it in writing, so check your policy22
Does it apply to an unknown driver?Only if the other car actually touched you or your property3
What if the car ran me off the road without touching me?That contact rule can block this coverage, so get advice fast and find witnesses

Your health insurance or medical payments coverage may also help with bills in the meantime. If a driver is found later, a claim against that driver is still possible within the deadline.

Is leaving the scene a crime in Dallas?

Yes, under Texas law. A driver in a crash that hurts someone, or is likely to, must stop right away.23 The driver must give a name, address, vehicle registration number and insurer, and help anyone who is hurt.24 Leaving is a third-degree felony if someone is seriously hurt, and a second-degree felony if someone dies.25

A criminal case against the driver does not pay your bills. It runs separately from a claim for money, and Dallas Police calls those claims a civil matter.26

How long do I have after a hit and run in Dallas?

Generally two years to file a lawsuit.4 Your insurance policy may have its own earlier notice rules, so read it or ask your agent now. If a City of Dallas vehicle was involved, written notice goes to the Office of Risk Management within six months after the injury.2728

What should I ask a hit and run lawyer in Dallas?

  • Does my policy cover this, and did anyone reject that coverage in writing?
  • Can we prove the other car touched mine?
  • Will you look for traffic and store video before it is erased?
  • What happens if police find the driver later?

Questions

What do I do after a hit and run in Dallas?

Call 911, stay there and have an officer make the report.1

Does Texas uninsured motorist cover a hit and run?

Yes, if you have the coverage and the unknown car actually touched you or your property.3

Is a hit and run a felony in Texas?

Yes when someone is seriously hurt or killed.25

What is a blue form in Dallas?

A state crash form you can pick up at a Dallas Police substation if you left the scene.8

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Sources

  1. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Division FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “call 911 and have a Dallas Police Officer make the proper state and local reports”
  2. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Division FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “if you leave the accident location without making the proper reports with the Dallas Police Department, you have also violated State Law, and our detectives will not be able to investigate your offense”
  3. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3), checked 2026-11-08. “require that, for the insured to recover under the uninsured motorist coverage if the owner or operator of any motor vehicle that causes bodily injury or property damage to the insured is unknown, actual physical contact must have occurred between the motor vehicle owned or operated by the unknown person and the person or property of the insured.”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 7/1/2028 E DALLAS 75235”
  6. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 4/1/2028 E DALLAS 75246”
  7. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “METHODIST DALLAS MEDICAL CENTER 12/1/2027 E DALLAS 75203”
  8. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Division FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need to pick up two items: a State of Texas Blue Form and a City of Dallas Individual Accident Report.”
  9. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Division FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “A Dallas Police service number will be assigned to it and kept on file serving as your accident report for your insurance company”
  10. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “The investigation of serious injury or death related to vehicular crashes.”
  11. Dallas Police Department, Public Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Questions pertaining to traffic fatalities or offenses involving a vehicle, contact the Dallas Police Department's Vehicle Crimes Unit (214) 670-5817.”
  12. City of Dallas memo, Transition of Freeway Traffic Enforcement and Crash Response Services, checked 2026-11-08. “DPD will expand its Traffic Unit to assume responsibility for freeway traffic enforcement, crash investigations, and High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane enforcement within the City of Dallas.”
  13. Dallas County Sheriff, Contact Us, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident Report Information 214.712.5039”
  14. Dallas County Sheriff, Enforcement Bureau, checked 2026-11-08. “These deputies also patrol the unincorporated areas of Dallas County.”
  15. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “Hotline: 1-877-373-Tips”
  16. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “There is a $6.00 fee for the accident report if requested through the mail or if picked up in person.”
  17. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “you may request it through the mail or in person at our customer service window located at 1400 Botham Jean”
  18. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Reports are usually available 5 to 7 working days after the accident.”
  19. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Division FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “Please call 214-670-6954 or 214-670-6955”
  20. Dallas Police Department, Public Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Effective Thursday, October 21, 2026, all open records requests will be processed by the City Secretary’s Office.”
  21. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “DALLAS 165 172 883 1,065 3,778 5,158 4,040 7,024 14,744 46,742 1,067 5,790 24,677”
  22. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(c), checked 2026-11-08. “The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”
  23. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results or is reasonably likely to result in injury to or death of a person shall: (1) immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the collision or as close to the scene as possible;”
  24. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.023, checked 2026-11-08. “(1) give the operator's name and address, the registration number of the vehicle the operator was driving, and the name of the operator's motor vehicle liability insurer [...] (3) provide any person injured in the collision reasonable assistance”
  25. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(c), checked 2026-11-08. “(A) death of a person is a felony of the second degree; or (B) serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, to a person is a felony of the third degree;”
  26. Dallas Police Department, Public Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Claims arising from vehicle accidents are civil matters.”
  27. Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “within six months after the injury was received”
  28. City of Dallas, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “OFFICE OF RISK MANAGEMENT 1500 MARILLA 6A SOUTH DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 214-671-9458”

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