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Is a hit and run considered an accident to state farm insurance?

Is a hit and run considered an accident to state farm insurance?

Yearly, the USA experiences more than 7 million car accidents of which at least 700,000 crashes are hit-and-runs. According to hit-and-run statistics, more than 2,049 deaths occurred in 1,980 car accidents in the last year.

There are many car accidents that are covered by insurance and a plethora of others that are not covered. For instance, collisions, hitting a deer or animal, fire, theft, and liabilities are all covered by auto insurance. 

The question is, is a hit and run an accident or an offense, and it is considered an accident and covered by State Farm insurance company? Well, this article explores exactly the above scenarios and goes the extra mile to explain everything you ever need to know about hit and runs.

Page Contents

What is a hit and run accident?-h2

A Hit-nd-run is a type of crime committed by a person who fled the accident scene without stopping-by to share his/her contact information, or rendering some help to the injured.

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Whether you caused an accident or not, it’s required by law here in the USA to stop at the accident scene or stop at the nearest safe point and observe the above-mentioned legal obligations, or else, be ready to face the law of the land.

Definition of a hit and run accident

Depending on the angle you view it, a hit and run is both an accident and an offense or crime. This accident occurs if you hit another person, a car, an object, etc, but you decided to flee the accident scene.

Types of hit and run accidents

There are many types of hit-and-runs depending on the circumstances of the accident. Types of hit and run accidents include the following.

1. Vehicle-vehicle hit and runs. An example here is one vehicle rear-ends you pushing you off the road, and the driver chooses to flee the accident scene without sharing his contact information.

2. vehicle-pedestrian hit and runs. An example here is a car knocking down a pedestrian and the driver flees the accident scene without sharing his information nor rendering help to the injured.

3. Vehicle motorcyclist hit and runs. An example is a motorcyclist that is knocked down by a car but the driver of the car flees and refuses to stop and offer help.

4. property hit and runs. An example is a driver hitting a property like a fence, parked car, or any stationary object but the driver chooses to run away without sharing his contact information.

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Coverage for hit and run accidents by State Farm insurance

Coverage of hit and run accidents by state farm insurance companies depends on the fact that you are the victim or the driver behind a hit-and-run. 

If you are the driver that committed a hit and run, sorry, state farm does not cover you! In actual sense, your liability policy procured from state farm should cover you if the caused accident, rather than a hit and run. 

Liability insurance does not cover hit-and-run crimes and at worst, state farm may consider canceling your policy. This implies that, the hit-and-run driver pays fines from their own money or savings.

If you are the victim of a hit and run, state farm offers a couple of insurance policies that compensate hit and run victims. For example, a hit-and-run victim could file his/her settlement compensation claim through his collision insurance policy. 

Another insurance policy that compensates hit and run victims is a policy known as an uninsured/underinsured motorist policy. 

Whereas collision insurance policy only caters to your car, uninsured/ underinsured motorist insurance coverage compensates the driver by coving personal injuries and any property damages.

Types of coverage provided by State Farm Insurance

There are several car insurance coverages provided by State Farm insurance companies. These include:

1. Collision car insurance. This only compensates the driver by paying for the costs of repairing his damaged car, or replacing his/her totaled car. It does not cover bodily injuries. 

2. Comprehensive car insurance coverage. This pays the cost to repair your damaged car if your car is not damaged in a collision accident. It also helps you get a replacement if your car is totaled.

3. Rental car insurance. State Farm also sells rental car insurance. This reimburses you if you hired a replacement car when your car is still being repaired in the shop.

4. Liability insurance coverage. If you caused an accident, this coverage will help you to pay those people who got injured or whose property got damaged due to your negligence. It does not cover you if you committed a hit and run.

5. Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage. If the other driver fled the accident scene and you do not have his information, the only option is to file a claim through your own insurance company. This policy helps to compensate you if you are the hit-and-run victim.

6. Other insurance policies offered by State Farm insurance company are medical payments coverage, rideshare driver coverage, and emergency road service coverage.

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The conditions for making a claim in a hit and run case

You do not wake up in the aftermath of a hit and run accident and file a car accident settlement claim with State Farm insurance company. To successfully get compensated, you must meet the following criterion.

1. You must have bought either Collision or Underinsured/Uninsured motorist coverage policies. You also must have adequate policy limits. 

For example, if the hit and run accident caused you injuries that require $50,000 as medical bills, you must have procured a policy with limits above $50,000. State Farm or any other company pays up to the limit of your policy.

2. You should have reported the accident to the police. It’s required by law across the USA to report all car accidents that caused injuries, property damages, or deaths. 

Make sure you invite the police to the accident scene to complete a car accident report. This police crash report contains opinions and facts about the accident and helps you during the claim settlement process.

3. You must have reported the accident to the State Farm insurance company. Make sure you provide any evidence you collected like photos of injuries, car damages, witness statements, car accident footage, and others.

4. You must cooperate with State Farms claim adjusters. State Farms may want to carry out independent investigations to ascertain the facts and assess the damages. You must provide the required information and any documentation asked.

The amount of coverage provided by State Farm insurance for hit and run accidents

Just like any other insurance company, State Farm pays up to the limit of your policy. Here is an example to drive my points home. 

Assume you have a collision policy limit of $10,000 but the damages you incurred in the hit and run cause damages worth $12,000 in repairs. State Farm will cut you a check worth $10,000 less by your deductible. 

You will need to pay the remaining $2,000 towards the repair of your from your own pockets. In this case, you must produce $2,000 plus your deductible towards the repair of your car that was damaged in the hit-and-run.

The limitations of coverage for hit and run accidents by State Farm Insurance

Yes, State Farm provides coverage for hit and run victims. There are some instances where this coverage is limited. Below are limitations of coverage for hit and run accidents by State Farm.

1. Policy limits. What you are going to receive as a compensation payout depends on the limit of your policy. I already explained a scenario in the last section. 

2. Deductible. Insurance policies like collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, and underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage require payment of a deductible. 

Here is an example. If you chose $1,000 as your deductible and your car needs $5,000 as its repair costs, the insurance company will pay you $4,000. You must top it up with $1,000- the deductible you chose while purchasing the policy.

3. Coverage requirements. You must have reported the accident to the police and State Farm in the required period of time. For example, your claim will be outright denied if you filed it 2 years after the hit-and-run accident.

4. Rigtful coverage policy. You must have the right policy. For instance, your personal injuries will not be covered by a collision insurance policy.

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Reporting a hit and run accident to State Farm insurance

There is no time limit in which you must report an accident to State Farm but you must report the car crash as soon as possible. You do not want the company to think you are faking the claim just because you delayed notifying them of the accident.

There are many ways of reporting a hit and run car accident to State Farm, ie

  • You could file the claim online
  • Use State Farm Mobile App
  • Call State Farm 800-SF-CLAIM (1-800-732-5246)

Steps to take after a hit and run accident

Steps you should take after a hit and run accident varry from one accident to another. Some steps are also specific to the state you live in. 

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But all in all, the following are steps you should take after a hit and run accident.

1. Personal injuries. Your safety and the safety of all people involved take the first priority. If there are any injuries involved make sure you call 911 or arrange to seek medical attention right away.

2. Report the auto accident. Most states in the USA require you to report to the police any accident where there are bodily injuries, deaths, or property damage.

It is the duty of all the drivers involved to call and invite the police to the accident scene and ensure a car accident report is completed. You can also complete the car accident report by walking over to the police station or by visiting your department of motor vehicles (DMV)

3. Exchange information. All states here in the USA require drivers to stop by and share their contact information. You have a right to know more about the other driver’s name, address, contact, insurance company, insurance policy number, license plate number, and others.

4. Gather evidence. Each driver should try as much to document the accident. Make sure you have taken photos showing injuries, car damages, and the surrounding areas in relation to the accident.

You should also talk to eyewitnesses, and walk around to see if any security camera or any dash cam captured the car accident footage.

5. Contact your insurance company. Though different companies have different policies, make sure you notify the insurance company preferably within 24 hours or within 30 days.

6. Cooperate with authorities. Most likely, police will be invited to the accident scene. Each driver has a legal obligation of providing the correct information to the police. 

7. Seek legal advice. Statistics have shown that only 5% of car accident settlements are done out of court. Despite that, you still need an experienced car accident attorney to help you negotiate with tough insurance companies for your compensation.

Information to provide when reporting a hit-and-run accident to State Farm Insurance

You were involved in a car accident and now you think of filing a settlement claim with State Farm insurance company. Below is the information you should provide when reporting a hit-and-run accident to the State Farm insurance company.

  • Your state Farm’s policy number and your bio-data.
  • The date and time of the car crash
  • Description of the hit and run accident
  • Details and description of the other driver
  • Eyewitness contact information
  • Police report and 
  • Hit-and-run car accident photos and any footage.

Well, this depends on the policies of your insurance company. To some companies, your rates will raise if you filed a claim settlement irrespective of being at-fault for the accident or not. 

For other companies, your insurance rates will only rise if you caused the accident. Other companies may not give rise if it’s your first time causing an accident.

I recommend you speak to your insurance company or broker if you want to know if your insurance rates will rise after a hit and run claim. What I am sure of is that most companies will not give you a rise.

Does insurance cover hit and run parked car?

Yes, insurance covers hit-and-run accident for parked cars. The policies that provide coverage for hit-and-run parked cars are collision insurance policies and underinsured/uninsured motorist policies.

Since statistics state that 20% of car accidents involve parked cars, I recommend buying adequate coverage to protect yourself and your car against parked car hit and run accidents.

Can you make a claim with State Farm insurance if you were at fault in a hit and run accident?

Well, this depends on the state you live in, since State Farm serves many states across the USA. 

You can make a claim with State Farm insurance if you were at fault for a hit-and-run accident but only if you live in a comparative negligence state.

Remember, the other driver could not have caused the accident but will still be charged with a hit-and-run if he/she fled the accident scene. This implies that, you are free to file for compensation after a hit and run whether you caused an accident or not.

What qualifies as a hit and run crime is the fact that the driver fled the accident scene without sharing his contact information, and or leaving the accident without offering help to the injured.

What happens if the hit and run driver is caught?

What happens if the hit and run driver is caught depends on the state in which the crime occurred and the circumstances of hit and run accident.

The other driver that committed a hit and run, once caught will face criminal, civil, and administrative penalties. Make sure you inform your insurance company if the hit-and-run driver is caught.

This will help you in getting compensated depending on the losses or injuries you suffered from. You are also required to cooperate with the police to ensure you receive the required justice.

How will a hit-and-run accident affect your insurance rates?

If you are the hit and run victim, your insurance rates will not be affected because you did not drive negligently. But on the other hand, your rates will be raised if you drove negligently and caused an accident. 

If you committed a hit and run, there is a high likelihood, your policy will be canceled or suspended, or you may get more than a 50% raise on your insurance rates.

Conclusion

Is a hit and run considered an accident to state farm insurance? Yes, a hit and run are considered an accident by State farm insurance, and the company sells both collision insurance coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to help the victims.