One in Seven Crashes Involves a Driver Who Fled the Scene
AAA Says Hit-And-Run Crashes Are A Growing Crisis On Pittsburgh Roads
New research is putting hard numbers behind something Pittsburgh drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists already know: some crashes don’t end with accountability. They end with the at-fault driver disappearing before help arrives.
A recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study found that 15 percent of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene. AAA described that as the highest percentage recorded in any recent year.
For someone left on the side of the road with injuries, vehicle damage, and no clear answer about who’ll pay, that statistic isn’t abstract. It’s the beginning of a complicated claim, and it’s exactly the kind of situation that makes a Pittsburgh hit-and-run accident lawyer so important.
At Romanow Law Group, our team helps crash victims in Pittsburgh and throughout Western Pennsylvania deal with the legal and insurance problems that come after a driver flees. Even if the driver isn’t found right away, you may still have options.
Who Flees The Scene After A Crash?
AAA’s research identifies common patterns among drivers who leave fatal crash scenes and are later identified. Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40 percent didn’t have a valid driver’s license, and more than half were driving vehicles they didn’t personally own. AAA also found that most identified hit-and-run drivers were young men who crashed close to home.
Those patterns matter because they can make an injury claim harder. A driver without a valid license may also have no insurance. A vehicle registered to someone else can create disputes over who owned the car, who had permission to drive it, and which insurance policy applies.
Even when police identify the driver later, the victim may still face a messy insurance fight. The driver’s insurance may deny coverage. The vehicle owner’s insurer may point elsewhere. Your own insurer may step in through uninsured motorist coverage, then still challenge how badly you were hurt.
Pedestrians And Cyclists Face The Highest Risk
AAA found that pedestrians and cyclists are hit especially hard by this trend. In 2023, 1 in 4 pedestrians killed in crashes, and nearly as many cyclists killed in crashes, were hit by a driver who fled the scene.
That risk matters in Pittsburgh, where people walking or biking often share tight streets, busy intersections, steep hills, bridges, and roads with limited visibility. A pedestrian accident or bicycle accident can already cause catastrophic injuries. When the driver leaves, the injured person may be left without help during the most important minutes after impact.
AAA also found that hit-and-run deaths often happen late at night or early in the morning, when it’s dark and witnesses are less likely to be nearby. That makes fast evidence collection even more important.
Leaving The Scene Is A Serious Crime In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania law requires a driver involved in a crash that causes injury or death to stop at the scene, return if necessary, and remain there until they’ve fulfilled the legal duty to give information and render aid. Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3742, leaving the scene of an injury crash can be a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the harm caused.
Drivers also have a duty to give their name, address, registration number, driver’s license information, and financial responsibility information. They’re required to render reasonable help to an injured person when medical treatment is needed or requested.
A criminal case can punish a fleeing driver, but it doesn’t automatically pay your medical bills, lost income, car repairs, or pain and suffering. The injury claim still needs to be built separately.
Your Own Insurance May Become Part Of The Claim
Hit-and-run cases often involve uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Pennsylvania insurers must offer UM and UIM coverage, though drivers can reject it in writing. If you have that coverage, it may protect you when the driver who hit you can’t be identified or doesn’t have enough insurance.
That doesn’t mean your own insurance company will make things easy. In a UM claim, your insurer may still dispute the crash facts, your medical treatment, the seriousness of your injuries, or the value of your losses. The company may act friendly, but it’s still trying to limit what it pays.
That’s why you should be careful before giving a recorded statement after a car accident. Something said while you’re hurt, shaken, or missing key facts can be used later to reduce your claim.
Evidence Can Identify The Driver Or Support Your Insurance Claim
The minutes and days after a hit-and-run matter. Physical evidence can disappear, surveillance footage can be erased, and witnesses can become harder to find. The stronger the evidence, the harder it is for an insurance company to pretend there’s not enough proof.
Helpful evidence may include:
- Vehicle Details: Color, make, model, body type, damage location, stickers, direction of travel, or even a partial plate can help police narrow the search.
- Scene Photos: Photos of vehicle damage, debris, skid marks, road conditions, traffic signals, and injuries can preserve facts that may disappear quickly.
- Witness Information: Nearby drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, workers, or residents may have seen the vehicle before or after impact.
- Dashcam Footage: A dashcam may capture the fleeing car, direction of travel, license plate, or the impact itself.
- Surveillance Camera Footage: Nearby businesses, homes, buses, traffic cameras, and parking lots may have video that helps identify what happened.
- Medical Records: Prompt treatment connects the injuries to the crash and helps show the full impact of the collision.
Knowing what to do after a hit-and-run can protect your health and your claim. But you shouldn’t have to gather everything alone while you’re injured and trying to recover.
What Compensation Can A Hit-And-Run Victim Recover?
The driver’s decision to flee shouldn’t leave the victim stuck with the cost of the crash. Depending on the facts and available insurance, compensation may cover:
- Medical Expenses: Emergency treatment, ambulance bills, surgery, hospitalization, medication, therapy, follow-up care, and future treatment.
- Lost Income: Paychecks missed during recovery and reduced earning capacity if the injuries affect future work.
- Vehicle Damage: Repair or replacement costs, towing, rental expenses, and other property losses.
- Pain and Suffering: Physical pain, emotional distress, sleep problems, anxiety, and disruption to daily life.
- Long-Term Care: Serious injuries may require rehabilitation, in-home help, medical equipment, or ongoing specialist care.
- Wrongful Death Damages: Families may have a claim if a loved one was killed by a driver who fled.
A hit-and-run claim’s value depends on the injuries, insurance coverage, available evidence, and whether the driver is later identified. The insurance company’s first offer isn’t the final word on how much a car accident claim is worth.
Romanow Law Group Helps Pittsburgh Hit-And-Run Victims Fight Back
If a driver hit you and disappeared, you’re likely dealing with pain, bills, uncertainty, and frustration. You may not know whether police will find the driver. You may not know whether your own insurance applies. You may not know whether the insurer is treating you fairly.
That’s where we step in. Attorney David Romanow built this firm around serious injury work, tough insurance fights, and direct advocacy for crash victims. We look for video, track down witnesses, review insurance coverage, push back against lowball offers, and prepare every case as if the insurance company needs to be forced to take it seriously.
We’ve recovered major results for crash victims. In one case, our team secured a $1,099,500 recovery for a single-passenger car accident. In hit-and-run claims, that kind of preparation matters because the case may depend on uninsured motorist coverage, missing-driver evidence, and pressure on an insurer that’s trying to limit what it pays.
You don’t pay us anything unless we win your case, and your first conversation costs nothing. Contact us today for a free consultation and let us start working on the compensation you deserve.
"Thanks to their hard work, knowledge, and commitment, my case resulted in a successful settlement. I am deeply grateful to the entire team at Romanow Law Group. If you are looking for attorneys who combine legal expertise with genuine care for their clients, I highly recommend them." - Michael H., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐