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

Arya Firoozmand, Esq.

Local Granada Hills Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Arya Firoozmand is the founding partner at L&F Brown. He attended nearby El Camino Real High School, graduated from UCLA Law School, and has spent his career representing injured clients across the north Valley communities including Granada Hills.

A hit-and-run accident in Granada Hills leaves you dealing with injuries, vehicle damage, and the added frustration of not knowing who hit you. The driver who caused your crash fled the scene, and you are wondering whether you can still recover compensation and whether hiring a lawyer will make a difference. The answer is that hit-and-run cases are among the most complex personal injury claims, and you absolutely need an attorney to navigate them.

Why Hit-and-Run Cases Require a Lawyer

Hit-and-run accidents are fundamentally different from standard car accidents because the at-fault driver is missing. In a normal accident on Balboa Blvd or Chatsworth St, you exchange insurance information with the other driver and file a claim against their policy. In a hit-and-run, that process is disrupted because the responsible party is unknown.

This creates several challenges that only an experienced attorney can handle effectively. First, finding the driver. Your attorney works with LAPD, which handles hit-and-run investigations on Granada Hills streets, to identify the fleeing driver. This involves reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses, analyzing traffic camera data, canvassing the area for witnesses, and examining physical evidence like paint transfer and vehicle debris left at the scene.

Second, filing the correct insurance claim. When the hit-and-run driver is unidentified, your compensation typically comes from your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Filing a UM claim against your own insurer is not as straightforward as it sounds. Your own insurance company will still investigate, challenge the circumstances, and try to minimize your payout. An attorney ensures your UM claim is handled properly.

Third, meeting legal deadlines. California Vehicle Code Section 20002 (property damage only) and Section 20001 (injury or death) make leaving the scene of an accident a crime. If the driver is identified, criminal penalties may apply, and you can also pursue a civil claim. Your attorney ensures all deadlines are met regardless of when the driver is found.

How Your Attorney Finds the Driver

Even when a driver flees the scene, identification is possible in many cases. Your attorney sends preservation letters to businesses near the crash site requesting that surveillance footage be saved before it is overwritten. In Granada Hills, businesses along Chatsworth St, Balboa Blvd, and Zelzah Ave often have exterior cameras that capture passing traffic.

Your attorney coordinates with LAPD's hit-and-run unit and, if the accident occurred on the 118 freeway, with CHP. Physical evidence from the scene, including paint chips, vehicle parts, and tire marks, can identify the make, model, and sometimes color of the fleeing vehicle. Witness descriptions and partial license plate numbers are cross-referenced against DMV records.

If the driver is identified, your attorney files a claim against their liability insurance. This is the ideal outcome because it provides a clear source of compensation and holds the responsible party accountable.

Recovering Compensation When the Driver Is Not Found

If the hit-and-run driver is never identified, you are not out of options. Your own auto insurance policy's uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is designed for exactly this situation. UM coverage compensates you for bodily injury caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver.

However, your own insurer does not simply write you a check. The company will investigate, request your medical records from Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills or wherever you received treatment, take your recorded statement, and evaluate your claim just as if you were filing against another driver's insurance. Your insurer may dispute the severity of your injuries, challenge whether the hit-and-run actually happened, or argue that your pre-existing conditions are responsible for your symptoms.

An attorney handles all communication with your insurer, prevents you from making statements that hurt your claim, and negotiates for the full value of your damages.

What UM Coverage Typically Provides

Uninsured motorist coverage in California matches your liability coverage limits unless you specifically chose lower UM limits. If your policy carries $100,000 in liability coverage per person, your UM coverage is likely $100,000 per person as well. Some policies carry higher limits. Your attorney reviews your policy to determine the available coverage.

UM coverage compensates you for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages, just like a claim against the at-fault driver's insurance would.

Steps to Take After a Hit-and-Run in Granada Hills

Call 911 immediately. Getting LAPD on scene quickly increases the chances of locating the fleeing driver. Provide whatever details you can about the vehicle, including color, make, model, size, direction of travel, and any portion of the license plate you observed.

Photograph everything. The crash scene, your vehicle damage, any debris left by the fleeing vehicle, skid marks, and your injuries. Get contact information from any witnesses. Note the locations of nearby businesses that might have cameras.

Seek medical treatment promptly. Your medical records linking your injuries to the hit-and-run are critical for your UM claim. Do not delay treatment.

Contact L&F Brown After a Granada Hills Hit-and-Run

Time is critical in hit-and-run cases. Surveillance footage gets overwritten within days, witnesses move on, and physical evidence at the scene is cleaned up. Contact a Granada Hills hit-and-run attorney at L&F Brown immediately. We will begin the investigation, coordinate with LAPD, and pursue every avenue of compensation. We work on a contingency fee basis. Visit our Granada Hills page or call today for a free consultation.

What to Do Immediately After a Hit-and-Run in Granada Hills

A hit-and-run on Balboa Blvd, Chatsworth St, Zelzah Ave, and Rinaldi St requires fast action. If you are physically able, try to note as much detail about the fleeing vehicle as possible: make, model, color, license plate (even a partial plate helps), and the direction the vehicle traveled. If there are witnesses, ask them what they saw and get their contact information.

Call 911 immediately. LAPD handles hit-and-run investigations on city streets, while CHP handles incidents on the freeways. A police report is essential for both the criminal investigation and your civil claim. California Vehicle Code Section 20002 makes leaving the scene of an accident a criminal offense, and law enforcement takes these cases seriously.

Seek medical attention at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills even if you think your injuries are minor. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours after a crash. The medical record from your first visit establishes the connection between the accident and your injuries, which is essential for your insurance claim.

Even if the hit-and-run driver is never identified, you may still have options for compensation. Your own auto insurance policy likely includes uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, which applies to hit-and-run accidents. California requires insurers to offer UM coverage, and most drivers carry it. An attorney can help you file and negotiate the UM claim, which involves dealing with your own insurance company, not a friendly process despite what you might expect.

Contact a Granada Hills personal injury attorney at L&F Brown for a free consultation. We handle hit-and-run accident cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Call us today.