Hit and run in Fort Worth: how to report it and who pays if the driver is gone

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a hit and run in Fort Worth, call 911 if anyone is hurt. Non-emergencies can go to Fort Worth Police at 817-392-4222 or its online form, unless it happened on a state freeway.12 To use uninsured motorist coverage in Texas, the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.3

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Road map of Fort Worth showing I-35W and nearby city streets, where Fort Worth Police takes hit-and-run reports
Texas uninsured coverage needs real contact with the unknown car. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How do I report a hit and run in Fort Worth?

Your situationWhat to do
Someone is hurt, or the driver is still closeCall 911. Texas says a crash with injuries must be reported right away by the fastest means.4
Not an emergency, on a city streetCall 817-392-4222, or use the online report for a Hit and Run accident.15
On a state freewayDo not use the online form. The system says it is only for incidents that were not on a state freeway.2 Call police instead.
Outside city limits, in Tarrant CountyThe online form is for Fort Worth only.6 The Sheriff's Office may handle it.7

An online filing gives you a case number and a copy you can print for free, which your insurer may ask for.89 Police review what gets filed and may contact you.10 If you were hurt, do not rely on the form alone. An officer's crash report is the one insurers usually want, and Fort Worth Police sends people to TxDOT's CRIS site for those.11

To follow up later, the Traffic Division is at 1100 Nashville Ave., 817-392-4850.12 Have your report number in hand when you call.

What happens to the driver who left in Fort Worth?

Leaving is a crime when someone is hurt. Texas tells any driver in a crash that injures someone, or probably did, to stop on the spot.13 That driver must give a name, address, vehicle registration number and insurer, and help anyone injured.14

Fleeing becomes a third-degree felony if someone is seriously hurt and a second-degree felony if someone dies.15 Criminal charges are separate from your money claim, though. A conviction does not pay your hospital bill. Even so, keep in touch with the investigator, since a named driver opens the door to that driver's insurance.

Who pays if the hit and run driver is never found in Fort Worth?

Usually your own policy. Two Texas rules decide whether it works.

  • There must be real contact between the unknown car and you or your property.3 A driver who ran you off the road and never made contact is a much harder claim.
  • You lose uninsured motorist coverage only if a named insured rejected it in writing.16 Ask your agent for the signed form. If there is none, the coverage may be there even if you never noticed it.

Tell your insurer quickly and be exact. Say where the contact was and show the damage. Look for paint transfer on your car, and keep any piece of the other vehicle left on the road, such as a mirror or part of a bumper. Those small items prove there was contact, and they can help identify the car.

Is there state money for Fort Worth hit and run victims?

Yes, and many people never hear of it. The Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation program lists hit and run as a covered crime.17 It does not help with regular car accidents, so the hit and run part matters.18

  • The application is free and you do not need a lawyer to file it.19
  • Apply within 3 years of the crime, unless you can show good cause for waiting.20
  • The crime must have been reported to police within a reasonable time.21
  • Call the program toll free at (800) 983-9933.22

How can I help police find a hit and run driver in Fort Worth?

  1. Write down everything now: color, make, a partial plate, the direction it went and any damage it would have.
  2. Knock on nearby doors and ask gas stations and stores to save their video. Many record over footage within days.
  3. Share tips with Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477 if someone in your neighborhood knows something.23
  4. Check whether your own car was towed. Police tows can be found through AutoReturn at 817-349-4022.24

How common are hit and runs in Fort Worth?

We could not find a published hit-and-run count for Fort Worth from the city or TxDOT. For context, TxDOT counted 15,680 crashes of every kind in Fort Worth in 2025, and 112 people died.25 Fort Worth Police says it investigated 15,673 crashes that year.26

Where do I get medical records after a hit and run in Fort Worth?

JPS and Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth are the city's Level I trauma centers.2728 Request records from JPS by fax at 817-702-5700, or from Texas Health through Versima.2930 Tell the first doctor you see that a car hit you and left. That note can support both your insurance claim and a victim fund application.

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

If the driver is found, you generally have 2 years to sue.31 Your insurance policy may set its own notice rules, so read it the same week. If the vehicle turns out to be a City of Fort Worth car, written notice is due within 180 days, unless you show good cause.32

What should I ask a hit and run lawyer in Fort Worth?

  • Does my policy still have uninsured motorist coverage, and how do you check?
  • How do we prove contact if my car shows little damage?
  • Should I apply to the state victim fund as well as my insurer?
  • If I have been charged with leaving a scene, do I need a criminal defense lawyer instead?

Questions

Can I report a hit and run online in Fort Worth?

Yes, for non-emergencies inside city limits that did not happen on a state freeway.562

Is a hit and run a felony in Texas?

Yes, when someone is seriously hurt or killed.15

Will my insurance cover a hit and run in Fort Worth?

Uninsured motorist coverage can, if the unknown car touched you or your property and no named insured rejected it in writing.316

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Fort Worth

Hit and run

Texas

Sources

  1. Fort Worth Police, Contact, checked 2026-11-08. “To report a non-emergency 817-392-4222”
  2. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “This did not occur on a state freeway?”
  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. Transp. Code § 550.026(a), checked 2026-11-08. “shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the collision to the:”
  5. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Hit and Run accident”
  6. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “This incident occurred within the Fort Worth Police Department city limits?”
  7. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by Investigating Agency, checked 2026-11-08. “TARRANT COUNTY 2 2 20 23 111 151 29 43 291 789 25 65 478 SO”
  8. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Be assigned a police report case number.”
  9. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Using this online citizen police report system allows you to submit a report immediately and print a copy of the police report for free.”
  10. Fort Worth Police, File a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “All cases filed using the Citizens Online Police Reporting System will be reviewed.”
  11. Fort Worth Police, Get a Copy of My Accident Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Effective December 15, 2024, requestors should use the website below to request an accident report(s)”
  12. Fort Worth Police, Contact, checked 2026-11-08. “Traffic Division 817-392-4850 1100 Nashville Ave., 76105”
  13. 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;”
  14. 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”
  15. 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;”
  16. 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.”
  17. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “Hit and run”
  18. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “The CVC Program cannot help with identity theft, regular car accidents, and property crime.”
  19. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “The application is free, and you don't need a lawyer.”
  20. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “You're applying within 3 years of the crime (unless good cause can be shown for the delay).”
  21. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “The crime was reported to law enforcement within a reasonable time frame”
  22. Texas Attorney General, Crime Victims' Compensation Eligibility, checked 2026-11-08. “Toll Free: (800) 983-9933”
  23. Fort Worth Police, Contact, checked 2026-11-08. “Crime Stoppers Hotline 817-469-8477”
  24. Fort Worth Police, Auto Pound, checked 2026-11-08. “customer service at 817-349-4022”
  25. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “FORT WORTH 109 112 475 562 2,665 3,568 2,296 3,616 9,533 32,368 602 2,351 15,680”
  26. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by Investigating Agency, checked 2026-11-08. “FORT WORTH PD 107 110 468 555 2,668 3,567 2,314 3,643 9,519 32,438 597 2,356 15,673”
  27. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “JOHN PETER SMITH HOSPITAL 11/1/2028 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  28. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “TEXAS HEALTH HARRIS METHODIST HOSPITAL FORT WORTH 1/1/2029 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  29. JPS Health Network, Patient Records, checked 2026-11-08. “You can fax a written request to 817-702-5700.”
  30. Texas Health, Request Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Texas Health has partnered with Versima”
  31. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  32. Fort Worth City Charter, Chapter XXVII, Section 25, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty (180) days after the same has been sustained, unless good cause is shown”

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