Who Pays 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.

After a hit-and-run in Granada Hills, the question that keeps you up at night is who is going to pay for your injuries. The driver who hit you is gone. Your car is damaged. You have medical bills piling up. The good news is that multiple sources of compensation may be available to you, even if the hit-and-run driver is never found. Understanding these options is the key to getting the money you need to recover.

Source 1: The Hit-and-Run Driver's Insurance

If LAPD identifies the driver who hit you, their liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Hit-and-run is a crime in California, and the criminal investigation often leads to identification of the driver through surveillance footage, witness descriptions, physical evidence at the scene, and license plate databases.

Your attorney works alongside LAPD's investigation to identify the driver. On Granada Hills streets like Balboa Blvd, Chatsworth St, and Zelzah Ave, businesses with exterior cameras often capture footage of hit-and-run vehicles. Your attorney sends immediate preservation letters to these businesses to prevent footage from being overwritten. If the accident occurred on the 118 freeway, CHP handles the investigation.

Once the driver is identified, you file a claim against their liability insurance just like any other car accident. If the driver was uninsured, which is unfortunately common among drivers who flee the scene, you move to the next source of compensation.

Source 2: Your Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Your own auto insurance policy's uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is the most important safety net after a hit-and-run. UM coverage is designed to compensate you when the at-fault driver is uninsured or unidentified. In California, insurance companies are required to offer UM coverage when you purchase a policy, though you can decline it in writing.

If you carry UM coverage, it pays for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages up to your policy limits. UM limits typically match your liability coverage limits. So if your policy carries $100,000 per person in liability coverage, your UM coverage is likely $100,000 per person as well.

Filing a UM claim is not a simple process. Your own insurer will investigate your claim, request your medical records from Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills and other providers, and attempt to minimize your payout. They may dispute that the hit-and-run happened, question the severity of your injuries, or argue that some of your symptoms are from pre-existing conditions. An attorney handles the UM claim process and negotiates with your insurer for the full value of your damages.

Source 3: Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay)

If your auto insurance policy includes Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage, it pays for your medical expenses regardless of who was at fault. MedPay is a no-fault coverage, meaning it pays out simply because you were injured in an auto accident. Typical MedPay limits range from $1,000 to $10,000.

MedPay can cover your initial medical bills while your UM claim or the investigation into the hit-and-run driver is ongoing. It provides a bridge to help you afford treatment in the critical early weeks after the accident.

Source 4: Health Insurance

Your personal health insurance covers accident-related medical treatment just like any other medical condition. If you need emergency care at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, follow-up appointments with specialists, physical therapy, or surgery, your health insurance pays according to your plan's terms, subject to your deductible and copays.

When your injury claim eventually settles, your health insurer may assert a lien against your settlement to recover the medical costs they paid. Your attorney negotiates these liens to minimize the amount deducted from your recovery.

Source 5: California Victim Compensation Board

If you were the victim of a hit-and-run and do not have adequate insurance coverage, the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) may provide some financial assistance. CalVCB covers medical expenses, lost wages, and mental health treatment for crime victims. Since hit-and-run is a criminal offense, you may qualify for this program. The benefits have limits, but they can help fill gaps when insurance coverage is insufficient.

What If You Do Not Have UM Coverage?

If you declined UM coverage and the hit-and-run driver is never found, your options are more limited. You can use your health insurance and MedPay (if applicable) for medical expenses, and you may qualify for CalVCB assistance. If the driver is eventually identified, you can file a claim against their insurance or pursue their personal assets.

This is why UM coverage is so important. It is relatively inexpensive compared to other auto insurance coverages, and it protects you in hit-and-run situations and against uninsured drivers, both of which are common in Los Angeles County.

Get Help Identifying All Payment Sources

A Granada Hills hit-and-run attorney at L&F Brown will review every insurance policy and payment source available to you. We leave no stone unturned. Our goal is to maximize your total recovery by pursuing every available avenue of compensation. Cases that require court action are filed at the Chatsworth Courthouse. Contact our Granada Hills team 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.