DANIEL B REINFELD, PA
Hollywood Personal Injury & Car Accident Attorneys
Serving Clients Throughout South Florida Since 1999
Hollywood Hit and Run Accident Lawyer
Over 25 Years of Experience • Former Insurance Defense Attorney
Jury Trial-Tested • Millions Recovered for Clients
Daniel B Reinfeld, PA is a Hollywood, Florida personal injury law firm representing hit-and-run car accident victims throughout South Florida in personal injury, car accident, uninsured motorist, and hit-and-run accident claims. We represent victims injured by hit-and-run drivers who leave the scene of an accident, cannot be identified, are uninsured, or are later located and held responsible for the crash. Our Hollywood hit and run accident lawyers, personal injury attorneys, and car accident attorneys investigate hit-and-run accidents, preserve evidence, identify available insurance coverage, pursue uninsured motorist claims, and seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, permanent injuries, and other damages. Free consultations are available.
Hollywood Hit and Run Injury Claims and Uninsured Motorist Compensation
Hit-and-run accidents can leave injured drivers facing medical bills, lost income, vehicle damage, and uncertainty about recovering compensation when the person at fault flees the scene. Daniel B Reinfeld, PA represents hit-and-run personal injury clients throughout South Florida in claims involving unidentified drivers, uninsured motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers and passengers injured in car accidents. A Florida hit and run accident claim may involve uninsured motorist coverage, bodily injury liability coverage if the fleeing driver is identified, and other potential sources of compensation. Our Hollywood hit and run attorneys and car accident lawyers investigate how the crash occurred, identify the responsible driver when possible, determine what insurance coverage applies, document injuries and damages, and pursue responsible parties and insurance companies for compensation available under Florida law.
An Unknown Fleeing Driver Is Not the End of the Claim
An unidentified hit-and-run driver creates proof problems, but it does not automatically eliminate compensation. A Florida hit-and-run victim may have access to personal injury protection benefits, uninsured motorist coverage, resident-relative UM coverage, coverage on the occupied vehicle, health insurance, medical-payments coverage, or collision coverage for property damage. If investigators identify the driver, additional recovery may be available through the driver’s bodily-injury liability insurance, the vehicle owner’s insurance, an employer’s commercial policy, or another legally responsible party.
Each source of payment serves a different purpose. PIP may pay a portion of covered medical expenses and lost income regardless of fault. UM coverage may compensate an insured for bodily-injury damages caused by an uninsured, underinsured, or unidentified driver. Collision coverage may pay for damage to the insured vehicle regardless of whether the fleeing driver is located. Health insurance may pay medical providers subject to deductibles, copayments, reimbursement rights, and plan terms. Identifying every applicable policy is often as important as identifying the fleeing driver.
Florida uninsured motorist coverage can apply when an unknown or “phantom” vehicle negligently causes bodily injury. The claimant must still prove that the vehicle existed, its driver was negligent, and that negligence caused the crash and injuries. Florida does not permit an insurer to deny an otherwise valid phantom-vehicle claim solely because there was no physical contact. The Florida Supreme Court rejected that restriction in Brown v. Progressive Mutual Insurance Co., 249 So. 2d 429 (Fla. 1971).
Wrongful Death
Fatal crashes, family claims, lost support, loss of companionship
Florida Hit-and-Run Experience From Investigation From the Start
Daniel B Reinfeld has handled hit-and-run and Leaving the Scene of an Accident (LSOA) cases before juries from both sides of the courtroom, with experience dating to his years as a public defender and extending through investigation, jury trial, verdict, and appeal. This experience provides a distinctive understanding of how fleeing drivers are identified, how knowledge and willful flight are proven, how defense lawyers challenge identification and causation, and how that evidence affects liability, punitive damages, and uninsured motorist claims arising from Florida hit-and-run accidents.
Our Hollywood hit and run accident lawyers investigate crashes involving motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and wheelchair users, using surveillance video, dash-camera footage, witnesses, 911 recordings, vehicle debris, event data, and police reports to identify fleeing drivers and prove fault. We pursue liability insurance, PIP benefits, uninsured motorist coverage, punitive damages, and other available compensation when a driver leaves the scene or cannot be identified.
What to Do After a Florida Hit-and-Run Accident
The steps taken immediately after a Florida hit-and-run accident can determine whether the fleeing driver is identified and whether an insurance claim succeeds. Call 911, report the crash, and request emergency medical assistance when anyone may be injured. Photograph the crash scene, vehicle damage, debris, paint transfer, skid marks, traffic signals, nearby businesses, and visible injuries. Obtain the names and contact information of witnesses and ask whether anyone recorded the collision or saw the fleeing vehicle’s license plate, color, make, model, or direction of travel. Identify nearby surveillance cameras immediately because businesses and homeowners may overwrite video within days.
Preserve the damaged car, wheelchair, bicycle, motorcycle, helmet, clothing, and other physical evidence until each item can be photographed and inspected. Seek prompt medical care and describe accurately how the collision occurred. Report the hit-and-run accident to every potentially applicable insurance carrier, but avoid speculation about fault, injuries, speed, or the identity of the unknown driver. A recorded insurance statement can be used to challenge negligence, causation, injury severity, uninsured motorist coverage, or the existence of a phantom vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions in Florida Hit-and-Run Claims
What if I obtained only part of the license plate?
A partial plate can still be valuable. Investigators may combine it with the vehicle’s color, make, model, damage, location, travel direction, surveillance footage, license-plate-reader information, and witness accounts.
What happens if police never identify the driver?
The civil investigation and insurance claim may still continue. A claimant may pursue applicable PIP, UM, health-insurance, medical-payments, or collision benefits while using independent evidence to prove that an unknown driver caused the crash.
Will insurance pay if the hit-and-run driver is never found?
Potentially. Uninsured motorist coverage may treat an unidentified hit-and-run or phantom vehicle as uninsured. PIP, health insurance, medical-payments coverage, and collision coverage may also apply, depending on the loss and policy terms.
Do I need a criminal conviction to recover compensation?
No. A civil personal injury or uninsured motorist claim does not require a criminal conviction. The victim must prove the applicable civil and insurance elements under a different burden of proof. We make our client aware that the criminal prosecution is separate from the personal injury and insurance claims for compensation.
How quickly should surveillance video be requested?
Immediately. Many businesses, homes, traffic systems, and private cameras overwrite recordings within days or weeks. Preservation requests should identify the date, time, location, and relevant camera views as specifically as possible. Do not wait to preserve critical evidence. Retain a hit-and-run accident lawyer as early as possible to investigate the crash, secure surveillance video and other time-sensitive evidence, and work to identify the fleeing driver while you focus on your medical treatment and recovery.
Florida Pedestrian Accident Knowledge Center
Every pedestrian accident presents different legal, medical, and insurance questions. The Florida Pedestrian Accident Knowledge Center provides focused information about right-of-way laws, comparative fault, PIP and uninsured-motorist coverage, hit-and-run accidents, serious injuries, wrongful death, compensation, settlement, and trial.
Selected Topics:
-
Immediate Action, Investigation, and Evidence
-
Right of Way, Crosswalks, and Comparative Fault
-
Driver Conduct and Collision Causes
-
Dangerous Locations and Property Conditions
-
Vehicles, Businesses, and Additional Responsible Parties
-
PIP and Other Insurance Coverage
-
Injuries and Medical Consequences
-
Compensation and Case Value
-
Wrongful Death and Vulnerable Pedestrians
-
Deadlines, Settlement, and Litigation
Knowledge Center Table of Contents
What Compensation Can a Florida Hit-and-Run Victim Recover?
A person injured in a Florida hit-and-run accident or leaving-the-scene-of-an-accident claim may pursue compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, permanent injury, disability, disfigurement, pain and suffering when the applicable legal threshold is met, loss of consortium, wrongful-death damages, and property damage. Recoverable losses may also include rehabilitation, assistive equipment, wheelchair repair or replacement, accessible transportation, household services, and medical care expected after the case concludes. Leaving the scene does not automatically establish negligence in causing the collision. The injured person must still prove duty, breach, causation, and damages. A criminal conviction is not required to bring a civil personal injury claim, and the civil case applies a different burden of proof. Evidence of flight may nevertheless become significant when it identifies the responsible vehicle, corroborates the driver’s knowledge, explains delayed emergency treatment, demonstrates an effort to conceal evidence, or supports another legally relevant issue.
Who Pays When a Hit-and-Run Driver Cannot Be Found?
When a hit-and-run driver cannot be found, an injured victim may still recover compensation through uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, PIP benefits, health insurance, medical-payments coverage, or collision coverage, depending on the accident and available insurance policies. An unidentified hit-and-run or phantom driver may qualify as an uninsured motorist, allowing the victim to pursue a Florida uninsured motorist claim for injuries and damages even when police never identify the fleeing driver.
Can Leaving the Scene Support Punitive Damages?
Punitive damages punish and deter exceptionally wrongful behavior. They are not automatic merely because a driver left a crash. Under Florida Statute § 768.72, a claimant generally cannot plead punitive damages at the beginning of a lawsuit. The claimant must first make a reasonable evidentiary showing that provides a legal basis for punitive damages, and the court must grant permission to amend the complaint. At trial, punitive damages require clear and convincing evidence of intentional misconduct or gross negligence. Intentional misconduct requires actual knowledge that the conduct was wrongful and highly likely to cause injury or damage, followed by intentionally pursuing that conduct. Gross negligence requires conduct so reckless or lacking in care that it demonstrates a conscious disregard or indifference to the life, safety, or rights of others. A driver’s departure may support a punitive-damages proffer when combined with evidence that the driver knowingly abandoned a visibly injured person, delayed lifesaving treatment, attempted to conceal or destroy evidence, drove while severely impaired, or engaged in other exceptionally reckless conduct. The departure alone does not guarantee that punitive damages will reach a jury. Florida courts reserve punitive damages for truly culpable conduct. In Glade v. Govey, No. 4D2026-0218 (Fla. 4th DCA July 8, 2026), the Fourth District erased a one-million dollar verdict that a traffic violation and ordinary negligence, without evidence establishing the necessary heightened misconduct, do not support a punitive-damages claim. Punitive awards are subject to the limitations and exceptions in Florida Statute § 768.73. In an ordinary case, the presumptive limit is the greater of three times the compensatory damages or $500,000. Different limits—or no statutory cap—may apply in circumstances specified by the statute.
Florida Hit-and-Run Accidents Statistics
FLHSMV reported 97,519 Florida hit-and-run crashes for 2024. Of those, 81,205 were classified as property-damage crashes, 779 involved serious bodily injury, and 238 people were killed. The figures show why LSOA is not a narrow criminal-law issue: tens of thousands of victims are left with damaged vehicles, interrupted medical treatment, missing insurance information, and no immediately identifiable defendant. Florida’s volume also means insurers process these claims repeatedly and know how to challenge an unknown vehicle, question causation, dispute whether physical contact occurred, and search for policy exclusions. Current and finalized figures should be verified through the FLHSMV Crash Dashboard and the department’s Annual Traffic Crash Facts Reports; preliminary dashboard figures should never be combined with finalized annual totals.
Why Do Drivers Flee the Scene of an Accident?
Drivers may flee an accident scene for many reasons, including alcohol or drug impairment, a suspended or revoked license, lack of insurance, outstanding warrants, possession of a stolen vehicle, involvement in another crime, fear of losing a job or professional license, or concern about publicity or reputation. Other drivers may leave because they panic, are distracted, are in a hurry, or fear the consequences after causing a serious injury. In some cases, the driver later claims not to have known that a collision or injury occurred. The reason for fleeing can become important evidence in a Florida hit-and-run claim, particularly when determining the driver’s identity, knowledge, liability, insurance coverage, concealment of evidence, or potential punitive damages.
What Must a Driver Do After a Florida Crash?
Under Florida Statute § 316.062, a driver involved in a crash causing injury, death, or damage to attended property must provide the driver’s name, address, and vehicle-registration number. The driver must also display a driver’s license or permit when requested and available. When someone is injured, the driver must render reasonable assistance. That duty can include taking the injured person—or arranging for the person to be taken—to a physician, surgeon, or hospital when medical treatment is apparently necessary or when the injured person requests transportation.
A momentary stop is not necessarily enough. Asking whether someone is all right and then driving away may still violate Florida law if the driver fails to exchange the required information, remain at the scene, report the crash, or provide reasonable assistance. A driver should stop safely, call 911 when anyone may be injured, provide accurate identifying information, cooperate with investigating officers, and avoid obstructing traffic more than necessary.
Pedestrians and Wheelchair Users Face Greater Danger
A pedestrian has no vehicle frame, seat belt, airbag, or crumple zone to absorb an impact. Florida therefore treats pedestrians and certain wheelchair users as vulnerable road users under § 316.027. Florida Statute § 316.1303 provides additional protection when a mobility-impaired pedestrian is crossing with a wheelchair, walker, crutch, orthopedic cane, guide dog, or visibly identified service animal. An approaching driver must stop before the intersection and take the precautions necessary to avoid injury. When that driver strikes the pedestrian and disappears, the legal fight expands beyond ordinary negligence to vehicle identification, evidence preservation, criminal duties, vulnerable-road-user protections, UM coverage, and potentially punitive damages.
Can a pedestrian use uninsured motorist coverage?
A pedestrian may qualify for UM benefits through the pedestrian’s own policy, a resident-relative policy, or another applicable policy, depending on insured status, household residency, policy language, and the circumstances of the collision.
Can an At-Fault Hit-and-Run Driver Lose Their License or Go to Jail?
Yes. Police and prosecutors handle the criminal investigation and any prosecution of a hit-and-run driver, which may result in jail, license revocation, fines, or other penalties. For an injured victim, however, the criminal case is separate from the Florida hit-and-run personal injury claim. Daniel B Reinfeld, PA focuses on recovering compensation for injured victims by investigating liability, preserving evidence, identifying insurance coverage, and pursuing personal injury and uninsured motorist claims, regardless of whether the fleeing driver is arrested or convicted.
The Four Criminal Levels of Leaving the Scene in Florida
Property Damage
Leaving a crash involving only damage to an attended vehicle or other attended property is a second-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute § 316.061. The driver must stop at or near the scene, remain there, and provide the information required by § 316.062. A conviction carries up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500, and the court may order restitution. When the damaged vehicle or property is unattended, § 316.063 requires the driver to locate the owner or leave the required identifying information and notify law enforcement without unnecessary delay. A driver does not satisfy Florida law by looking at the damage and driving away.
Bodily Injury
Willfully leaving a crash involving bodily injury other than serious bodily injury is a third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 316.027. The offense carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. The driver must remain, provide identifying and vehicle information, and render reasonable assistance under § 316.062. An ambulance ride is not required to establish injury. Documented pain, bruising, strains, fractures, or other physical harm may support an injury classification. A driver who asks whether the victim is all right and then leaves has not necessarily completed the statutory duties.
Serious Bodily Injury
Leaving a crash involving serious bodily injury is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Section 316.027 defines serious bodily injury as a condition creating a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily member or organ. Traumatic brain injuries, amputations, spinal injuries, significant fractures, permanent neurological damage, and other catastrophic conditions may satisfy that definition depending on the medical evidence. A conviction also generally triggers driver-license revocation for at least three years. When the victim is a statutorily protected vulnerable road user, including certain pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchair users, the offense receives an increased sentencing ranking.
Death
Willfully leaving a crash involving death is a first-degree felony carrying up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and a four-year mandatory minimum prison term under § 316.027. The statute permits a limited request for departure from that minimum in certain non-DUI cases, but no such departure is available when the violation was committed while the driver was under the influence. A fatal LSOA case can also produce a wrongful-death action seeking funeral expenses, lost financial support, lost parental or spousal companionship, mental pain and suffering, and other damages authorized by Florida law. Criminal prosecution punishes the driver; it does not compensate the family or replace the need for a civil and insurance investigation.
Hit and Run Cases Require Real Trial Preparation
The firm's courtroom experience includes representing injured people in pedestrian cases through trial. Those cases demand more than proving that a vehicle made contact with a person. Counsel must be ready to explain the pedestrian's movements, the driver's opportunity to perceive and react, sightlines, signal phases, impact mechanics, medical causation, future limitations, and any allegation that the pedestrian contributed to the crash.
Daniel B Reinfeld, PA was recognized by TopVerdict for obtaining one of Florida’s Top 10 Pedestrian Accident Verdicts in 2024. The firm secured a $1.6 million unanimous jury verdict. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every pedestrian case depends on its facts, available evidence, applicable law, insurance and assets, injuries, and damages.
If you or a family member was struck while walking, early legal work can protect evidence and insurance rights that may otherwise be lost. Daniel B Reinfeld, PA can review the crash, identify immediate preservation steps, evaluate potential defendants and coverage, and explain the deadlines that apply to the particular claim.
📞 Call Today. Discuss Your Hit and Run Accident Directly With Dan
If you or a family member was struck while walking, early legal work can preserve evidence, protect insurance rights, identify liable parties and coverage, and prevent important deadlines from expiring. You will speak directly with Dan—not a call center or intake department. Dan is a trial-tested personal injury lawyer with more than 25 years of experience and former insurance-defense knowledge. He personally evaluates and handles every case accepted by the firm. You do not need to travel to the Hollywood office to begin your case. Consultations may be available by telephone, Zoom video conference, hospital visit, or home visit when appropriate.
Talk With Dan For Free
No attorney’s fee unless a recovery is obtained • Evening and weekend appointments available
Evidence can disappear and legal deadlines can expire. Contact Dan promptly to protect your rights.
CALL TODAY to speak with Dan: 📞 (954) 923-6110
DANIEL B REINFELD, PA
2450 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 706
Hollywood, Florida 33020
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice regarding any particular matter. Viewing or using this website, submitting a contact form, sending an email, or otherwise communicating with Daniel B Reinfeld, PA does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship; such a relationship is established only after the firm agrees to undertake the representation. Please do not submit confidential or sensitive information unless and until an attorney-client relationship has been established. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Not all results are provided, and the results shown are not necessarily representative of results obtained in other cases. Every case is different and must be evaluated based on its own facts and circumstances. Awards, ratings, memberships, and professional recognitions referenced on this website are conferred by the identified third-party organizations and do not guarantee or predict future results.