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Get medical attention, call 911, and report the crash right away. Those three steps protect your health and your claim.
Knowing what to do after a hit-and-run in Chicago matters even when the other driver is never found. Illinois treats an unidentified driver as an uninsured motorist, which means your own policy may still cover your injuries. Evidence also disappears quickly in a dense city, so the hours right after the crash carry real weight.
Our attorneys at Conboy Law handle hit-and-run accident claims for injured people throughout Chicago. Call 312-726-9000 for a free case evaluation.
What to Do After a Hit and Run in Chicago, Step by Step
The sequence below reflects what tends to matter most in a Chicago hit-and-run accident claim.
At the Scene
- Call 911 and request police and medical response. Dispatchers log the time and location, which creates an early record.
- Do not chase the fleeing vehicle. The Illinois State Police specifically advise against following an offending driver and ask you to gather details instead.
- Write down everything you remember about the vehicle. Color, make, body style, direction of travel, and even two or three plate characters can narrow a search.
- Ask nearby witnesses for their names and phone numbers before they leave. Bystanders often see the plate more clearly than the person who was struck.
- Photograph the damage, the roadway, debris, and any nearby cameras mounted on buildings or poles.
Within the First 24 Hours
- See a doctor even if you feel functional. Concussions, soft tissue injuries, and internal bleeding often present hours or days later.
- Notify your own auto insurer and open a claim. Most uninsured motorist provisions require prompt notice.
- Ask nearby businesses to preserve their surveillance video. Many systems overwrite footage within days.
- Save every receipt, discharge instruction, and out-of-pocket cost tied to the crash.
In the Weeks That Follow
Keep treating and follow through on referrals. Gaps in medical care give an adjuster room to argue your injuries were minor or unrelated.
Track missed work, reduced hours, and tasks you can no longer handle at home. Written notes made close to the events carry more weight than a recollection months later.
How to Report a Chicago Hit and Run and Get the Crash Report
A police report anchors nearly every hit-and-run claim, and insurers frequently condition uninsured motorist coverage on prompt reporting.
Reporting the Crash
Call 911 when anyone is hurt, when the wreck blocks traffic, or when a driver leaves the scene. If no officer responded and you need to file after the fact, contact the Chicago Police Department directly rather than waiting.
Crashes on Chicago expressways fall under Illinois State Police jurisdiction. The agency accepts hit-and-run crashes as in-person Desk Reports at several area police departments, generally within 10 days of the crash.
Requesting Your Traffic Crash Report
Chicago Police Department Records handles traffic crash report requests, and the department publishes current fees, hours, and locations through its traffic crash report page. Bring the date, approximate time, and location of the crash, plus the report number if an officer gave you one.
For an expressway crash, request the report through the Illinois State Police crash report process instead.
Illinois Hit and Run Laws That Affect Your Case
Leaving the scene is a criminal offense in Illinois, and the criminal file often produces evidence that supports a civil claim.
The Duty to Stop and Report Under 625 ILCS 5/11-401
Under 625 ILCS 5/11-401, a driver involved in a crash causing injury or death must stop at the scene, or as close to it as possible, and remain there. The statute defines personal injury as an injury requiring immediate professional treatment at a medical facility or doctor's office.
A driver who fails to stop must still report the crash at a police station or sheriff's office within one-half hour. That reporting window is short, and prosecutors use it often.
Duty to Give Information and Render Aid Under 625 ILCS 5/11-403
Illinois separately requires drivers to exchange information after a crash. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-403, a driver must give a name, address, vehicle registration number, and the owner of the vehicle, show a license on request, and render reasonable assistance to anyone injured.
Reasonable assistance includes arranging transportation for medical treatment when treatment is clearly needed or the injured person asks for it.
Property Damage Crashes Under 625 ILCS 5/11-402
Not every hit-and-run involves an injury. 625 ILCS 5/11-402 covers crashes that damage only an occupied vehicle and requires the same stop-and-exchange duties.
Someone who clips a parked and unoccupied car has different obligations under a related section of the Vehicle Code.
Penalties a fleeing driver can face
The current penalty structure under Section 11-401 is heavier than many older sources suggest:
- Failing to stop at a crash involving injury or death is a Class 4 felony.
- Failing to make the required half-hour report is a Class 2 felony when no one dies.
- Failing to make that report when the crash results in death is a Class 1 felony.
- The Illinois Secretary of State must revoke the driving privileges of anyone convicted under this section.
Who Pays When the Hit-and-Run Driver Is Never Found?
Compensation usually comes from your own coverage, not from a stranger who drove away.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Illinois requires auto liability policies to carry uninsured motorist coverage, and 215 ILCS 5/143a governs how that coverage works. A hit-and-run driver who cannot be identified is generally handled as an uninsured motorist.
This is a claim against your own carrier. Adjusters still investigate it like an adverse claim, and they frequently question how the crash happened.
The Physical Contact Requirement
Uninsured motorist claims tied to an unidentified driver typically turn on actual contact between the vehicles. A phantom vehicle that forced you off the road without touching you creates a much harder claim.
That distinction alone decides some cases, which is why an early call matters more here than in an ordinary collision.
Other Coverage Worth Reviewing
Collision coverage can pay for vehicle repairs regardless of who caused the crash. A household member’s policy or other available coverage may also apply, depending on the policy terms and the injured person’s status.
If police later identify the driver, a claim against that driver's liability insurance may open alongside your uninsured motorist claim.
Illinois Filing Deadlines and Fault Rules
Two rules shape the value and viability of nearly every Illinois injury claim.
The 2-Year Filing Deadline
735 ILCS 5/13-202 gives most injured people 2 years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Claims involving a government entity, such as a transit agency or a municipality, can carry a significantly shorter deadline.
Waiting rarely helps. Footage is overwritten, witnesses move, and memories fade well before the deadline arrives.
The 51% Fault Bar
Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, an injured person is barred from recovering anything if a jury assigns them more than 50% of the fault. At 50% or less, damages are reduced in proportion to that share.
Insurers understand this rule well; therefore, they often push a fault theory early in a hit-and-run file where the other driver cannot contradict them.
Damages Available After a Chicago Hit and Run
What a claim can pursue depends on the injuries, the treatment record, and the coverage available.
Economic Damages
- Emergency treatment, hospital stays, imaging, and follow-up visits
- Physical therapy, prescriptions, and assistive equipment
- Future medical costs tied to a lasting injury
- Lost wages and reduced earning ability
- Vehicle repair or replacement
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of a normal life
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement or scarring
- Loss of consortium for a spouse
When a hit-and-run causes a death, Illinois wrongful death law allows surviving family members to pursue a separate set of losses.
Evidence That Can Identify a Hit and Run Driver in Chicago
Dense urban blocks work in your favor here. Cameras sit on nearly every corridor, and Chicago drivers rarely flee unobserved.
Camera and Video Sources
- City traffic and red-light cameras near the intersection
- Business, residential, and parking garage systems facing the street
- Doorbell cameras on nearby residential blocks
- Dashcams in vehicles that were stopped behind or beside you
- Transit and rideshare vehicle cameras operating on the same route
Physical and Witness Evidence
Paint transfer, broken trim, headlight fragments, and mirror housings left behind can identify a make and model. Body shops in the area sometimes receive a matching vehicle within days.
Our team sends preservation requests quickly because most of this material has a short shelf life.
How Conboy Law Handles Chicago Hit and Run Claims
We open an investigation immediately, request available footage, and contact witnesses while their memory is fresh. Our attorneys also review every policy that could apply, including household and non-owned vehicle coverage.
Communication with the insurer runs through our office, so recorded statements and early offers do not undercut the claim. Conboy Law handles injury cases on a contingency fee basis, and our fee terms are explained in writing before any representation begins.
Founding attorney Joseph M. Conboy was selected to Rising Stars from 2019 through 2022, a peer designation given to a limited number of attorneys in each state.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicago Hit and Run Accidents
Investigation depends on the severity of the crash and the quality of the information available. Cases with serious injuries, a partial plate, or usable video receive more attention. Independent investigation by your attorney often develops leads that a busy district cannot pursue.
Partial plates remain useful. Combined with vehicle color, make, body style, and a time and location, a partial plate can narrow a database search considerably.
This is a claim under your own coverage rather than a liability claim against you, and Illinois law limits how insurers may treat drivers who were not at fault. Your specific policy and carrier still control the outcome.
A claim against that driver's liability insurance may become available. Uninsured motorist coverage can still apply if the driver turns out to be uninsured or carries limits too low to cover your losses.
Contact Our Chicago Hit and Run Accident Lawyer at Conboy Law
If you are trying to figure out what to do after a hit and run in Chicago, you do not have to sort through the insurance questions alone. Our attorneys at Conboy Law investigate these crashes, identify every policy that may respond, and handle the claim while you focus on treatment.
Call 312-726-9000 to schedule a free case evaluation with a Chicago hit-and-run accident lawyer. We will review what happened, explain the options available under Illinois law, and outline the next steps in your case.
Joseph M. Conboy is the founding attorney of Conboy Law and represents victims and families in serious personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases throughout Illinois. He has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar results and has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star. As the firm’s primary litigator, he works closely with clients to build strategies tailored to the facts of each case.
