Do I Need a Lawyer After a Hit and Run in Agoura Hills?

Curt Brown, Esq. — Founding Partner

Local Agoura Hills Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Curt Brown is a founding partner at L&F Brown. He grew up in Thousand Oaks, just east of Agoura Hills along the 101, attended Thousand Oaks High School, graduated from UCLA Law School, and has spent his career representing injured residents throughout the Conejo Valley.

Being the victim of a hit and run accident in Agoura Hills is especially frustrating. Not only were you injured through no fault of your own, but the driver responsible fled the scene without accepting accountability. You may feel like you have no recourse. The good news is that you likely have more options than you think, and a lawyer is the key to accessing them.

Why Hit and Run Cases Require a Lawyer

Hit and run cases are fundamentally different from standard car accident claims. When the at-fault driver is unknown or has fled, you cannot simply make a claim against their insurance. Instead, recovery depends on your own insurance coverages, investigative work to identify the driver, and sometimes claims against government entities if road conditions contributed to the crash. Navigating these alternatives requires legal knowledge that most accident victims simply do not have.

How You Can Still Recover Compensation

Even if the hit and run driver is never identified, several sources of compensation may be available:

• Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage: If you have UM coverage on your own auto policy, it can cover your injuries in a hit and run, even when the driver is unknown. California requires insurers to offer UM coverage, though drivers can decline it in writing.
• Medical payments (MedPay) coverage: This covers medical expenses regardless of fault and can apply in hit and run situations.
• Collision coverage: For vehicle damage in a hit and run, your own collision coverage may apply, subject to your deductible.
• Identifying the driver: Law enforcement investigation may identify the driver after the fact. The CHP handles US-101 hit and runs; the LASD Lost Hills Station handles surface road incidents in Agoura Hills. Surveillance footage from businesses along Agoura Road, Kanan Road, or near Whizin's Market Square may capture the vehicle. If the driver is later identified, you can pursue them directly.

The Importance of Acting Immediately

Time is critical in hit and run cases. Surveillance footage is overwritten quickly. Witnesses forget details. Tire tracks and physical evidence at the scene disappear. Police investigation efforts are strongest immediately after the incident. The sooner you involve a lawyer, the better your chances of preserving evidence and identifying the driver.

What a Hit and Run Lawyer Does

A hit and run lawyer in Agoura Hills will contact your own insurer to initiate a UM claim, coordinate with law enforcement to assist the investigation, send evidence preservation notices to businesses near the scene, help you through all medical treatment documentation, and pursue all available recovery paths. If you needed care at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, those records will be central to your damages claim.

Cases are handled in LA County through the Chatsworth Courthouse when litigation is needed.

Visit our Agoura Hills personal injury page to contact L&F Brown for a free consultation after your hit and run accident.