A hit and run can leave you on the side of the road with a damaged vehicle and no one to pay. In Mississippi, leaving the scene of a car accident can result in a fine between $100 and $5,000. Even so, hit and runs happen, leaving the injured party wondering if and how their car insurance will pay for the damage. 

To understand how your car insurance covers a hit and run and make sure you're adequately protected, a Mississippi independent insurance agent can help. Agents can answer your questions about coverage and help you purchase coverage if you need it.

Who Pays for the Damage If I’m in a Hit and Run Accident?

If you're involved in a hit-and-run accident that is not your fault, you can file a claim with your car insurance for the damage. To file a claim, you'd want to contact your independent insurance agent immediately or directly call your car insurance carrier to report the incident. 

If you were able to receive any information about the vehicle that hit you, your insurance would want to know that. This includes everything from car make and model to license plate number or even driver descriptions.

What Does Car Insurance Cover in Mississippi?

Mississippi car insurance includes mandatory coverage and additional policies you can choose to add to your coverages. By law, every driver in Mississippi must carry liability insurance which includes bodily injury protection and property damage protection. 

Standard coverages included in Mississippi car insurance

• Bodily injury liability: Pays for medical costs for the other driver in an accident when you're the at-fault driver. It will also pay for legal fees if the other driver sues you.
• Property damage liability: Pays for any property damage you cause with your vehicle. This includes buildings, fences, and the other person's vehicle.
• Uninsured motorist coverage: Not required by law in Mississippi, but this helps pay for personal damage and injuries if you're in an accident with a driver who does not have insurance or is underinsured. Uninsured motorist coverage is often used in hit-and-run cases.

Additional coverages available for Mississippi car insurance

• Collision coverage: This covers the cost to repair or replace your vehicle if it is damaged or totaled in a collision, regardless of fault. 
• Comprehensive coverage: This covers the cost to repair or replace your vehicle if it is damaged or totaled by a non-collision event such as a hailstorm or theft. 
• Medical payments coverage:  Pays for personal injuries in an at-fault accident or after a hit-and-run.

A Mississippi independent insurance agent can work with you to understand your coverage options and select policies that protect you against your risks.

Which Coverage Protects Me after Hit-and-Run Accidents?

After a hit and run, the first place insurance will look for coverage is in an uninsured motorist policy. In the uninsured motorist policy, there is a provision requiring two things to happen to file a hit-and-run claim.

• Another driver must have actually hit you and/or your car.
• You must call the police immediately after the accident.

If you're driven off the road and you hit a tree, or if you do not immediately call the cops, you would need to file a claim under your collision coverage instead of your uninsured motorist coverage.

If you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, you can file a claim under your collision policy, but the deductibles for collision coverage are typically much higher than uninsured motorist deductibles. 

What Is No-Fault/PIP Coverage, and Is Mississippi a No-Fault State?

Whether you live in a "fault" or "no-fault" state matters when it comes to vehicle accidents. Mississippi is a fault state, which means that the at-fault driver's insurance company pays for the damage in an accident. In no-fault states, an injured driver can file a claim with their insurance after an accident, regardless of who was at fault. 

Often, no-fault states will offer drivers personal injury protection (PIP) to help pay for personal injuries that occur in an accident. PIP is not offered in Mississippi. Instead, companies offer medical payments insurance. Like PIP, this coverage will help pay for any personal medical and hospital bills you incur in an accident. 

If you're involved in a hit-and-run accident, medical payments coverage can help with any injuries to you and your passengers.

If It’s Not My Fault, Will My Insurance Rates Still Increase?

Unfortunately, who is at fault does not usually factor into insurance rate increases. Rates increase because of the size of the claim and how much the company has to pay toward damage. 

Every car insurance company will have its policies on increases after an accident. You can ask your agent about the specific laws in Mississippi and with your carrier.

Are Uninsured Motorists and Hit-and-Run Accidents Common in Mississippi?

Mississippi continually has the highest rate of uninsured drivers in the US. The most recent data showed that 29.4% of drivers do not have adequate or any coverage at all. This is significantly higher than the national average of about 13%. 

While there are no specific stats on hit and runs in Mississippi, accident data shows that having full protection is a more reliable way to get coverage on your vehicle for any unexpected events.

Mississippi auto accident stats

What Happens If the Police Find the At-Fault Driver?

If you flee the scene of an accident you caused in Mississippi and then you're caught, the penalties grow substantially. If the driver in an accident that resulted in injury is caught, they can spend 30 days to a year in jail. In addition, they could be fined between $100 and $5,000.

If the hit-and-run driver caused catastrophic injuries or even death to the other driver, they could face felony charges and spend between 5 and 20 years in jail. The fines increase from $1,000 to $10,000, and they could lose their driver's license. 

How Can a Mississippi Independent Insurance Agent Help?

Any car accident can leave you feeling shaken up and unsure of your next steps. When a driver leaves the scene, you're left alone to deal with the damage. A Mississippi independent insurance agent is there to prepare you for these situations and help get you through them if they occur. 

Agents will speak with you, free of charge, to learn about your needs and assess your coverage. If you need car insurance, they'll shop multiple carriers to pull your quotes and guide you in selecting a policy that fits your risks and your budget.