| August 26, 2026 | Maryland Law, Personal Injury

Hunter Duke, Attorney and Chief Operating Officer at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers

By Hunter Duke, Attorney | Chief Operating Officer | WGK Personal Injury Lawyers

A hit-and-run can leave you hurt, scared, and staring at medical bills while the driver who caused it disappears. You still have rights. If you were injured in a hit-and-run in Baltimore, Maryland law often gives you a way to recover your medical bills and lost wages, even when the other driver is never found. Call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers at (410) 837-2144 for a free consultation, or read on for your next steps.

What Counts as a Hit-and-Run in Maryland

A hit-and-run is a crash where a driver who’s involved fails to stop, give their information, and provide reasonable aid. Under Maryland law, any driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must stop at the scene and exchange information. Leaving instead is a hit-and-run, and the State treats it as a crime.1

This duty applies to every driver in the crash, not just the one who caused it. Each of them has to stop, share their information, and help anyone who’s hurt before leaving the scene.

A hit-and-run creates two separate cases that run on parallel tracks. The State can bring criminal charges against the driver who fled, and you, as the injured person, can bring a civil claim to recover your medical bills and lost wages.2 The criminal case can send the driver to jail or fine them, but it can’t order them to pay for your treatment. That’s why your civil claim is the part that actually puts money toward your recovery.

How Common Are Hit-and-Run Crashes?

Hit-and-run crashes are common, and they’re getting more common. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers who fled were involved in about 15% of all police-reported crashes, the highest share on record,3 and in its recent national study the foundation counted more than 900,000 hit-and-run crashes.4 Those crashes injured more than 200,000 people riding in vehicles in a single year.5

Deaths are rising too. Hit-and-run fatalities have climbed for more than a decade and reached nearly 3,000 in a single year at their recent peak, about 7% of all U.S. traffic deaths.5 This isn’t a rare event, and it happens to ordinary people on ordinary roads. That’s why the legal and insurance side of these cases matters as much as the criminal investigation.

Who Gets Hurt Most in Hit-and-Run Crashes

Pedestrians and bicyclists bear the worst of it. More than 70% of people killed in hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians and cyclists, and roughly one in four pedestrians killed in recent crashes were struck by a driver who fled.6 That matters in Baltimore, where pedestrians and cyclists make up a large share of road deaths.7

There’s a pattern to these crashes. Fatal hit-and-runs cluster late at night and in the early-morning dark, when witnesses are few.8 Drivers who are later identified often turn out to be unlicensed and were frequently driving a car that wasn’t registered to them.8 People on foot and on bikes have little protection, so the harm can be severe, including catastrophic injuries.

Can You Recover if the Driver Is Never Found?

Yes, in many cases you can. Uninsured motorist coverage, or UM, is the part of your own auto policy that pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance or can’t be identified. Maryland requires every auto policy to include UM coverage.9 When a hit-and-run driver is never found, the law treats that "phantom" driver like an uninsured driver, so you can file a UM claim with your own insurance company.

This matters in Maryland, where more than one in six drivers are uninsured, higher than the national rate of about one in seven, according to the Insurance Information Institute.10

These UM claims are rarely simple. In our experience, the insurance company on a UM claim often disputes whether a phantom vehicle ever existed, since there’s no contact and no other driver to question.

What if you don’t have an auto policy of your own? Maryland’s Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund can pay up to $30,000 per person to an injured pedestrian or passenger who has no household auto policy, when the at-fault driver is uninsured or unidentified.11 A Notice of Claim must generally be filed with the Fund within 180 days of the crash.12 The fund doesn’t cover the driver who fled.

This content is marketing material and is not legal advice. Every case is unique and laws change frequently. Please contact our office to speak with an attorney about your specific situation before making any legal decisions.

Call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers at (410) 837-2144 to find out what coverage applies to your hit-and-run.

How WGK Builds Your Hit-and-Run Claim

When the other driver is gone, your case is only as strong as the evidence you can lock down fast. WGK starts working the moment you call.

  • We investigate the crash, pull the police report, and track down witnesses while memories are fresh.
  • We find and preserve camera footage from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, and doorbell cameras before it’s erased.
  • We gather your medical records and bills to document the full cost of your injuries.
  • We identify every insurance policy that can pay, including your own UM coverage and the state fund.
  • We build the demand, negotiate with the UM adjuster, and file suit and take the case to trial when the insurance company won’t pay fairly.

After a hit-and-run, your own insurance company assigns an adjuster whose job is to limit what it pays. On a UM claim, that adjuster isn’t on your side, and an early recorded statement or a quick lowball offer can quietly shrink your claim. We handle every conversation with the insurance company so those tactics don’t cost you what your case is worth.

Why the Criminal Case Will Not Pay Your Bills

Catching the driver isn’t the same as getting paid. Even when police investigate, many fleeing drivers are never identified. Regional reporting indicates that investigators charge a driver in fewer than one in five fatal hit-and-run cases.13

Even a conviction won’t put money in your pocket. A criminal court can jail or fine the driver who fled, but it can’t order that driver to pay for your treatment or your lost income.

Your recovery usually doesn’t depend on the criminal case at all. It depends on insurance coverage, your own UM policy or the state fund, and the evidence you preserve early. That’s why moving fast on a car accident claim often matters more than waiting for an arrest.

Maryland’s Fault Rule and Your Claim

Maryland uses a hard fault rule, and a hit-and-run insurer will use it against you. Pure contributory negligence means a person found even 1% at fault for a crash is generally barred from recovering anything. Maryland is one of a small group of places that still applies this rule, alongside the District of Columbia and Virginia.14

On a UM claim, your own insurance company may argue that you share some blame, because shifting even a little fault onto you can end the claim. Strong evidence answers that argument. To see how fault gets decided, read our guide on who is liable in a Baltimore crash.

What to Do After a Hit-and-Run in Baltimore

The steps you take right after a hit-and-run can decide your claim. Move through them as soon as you safely can.

  • Call 911 and get a police report. Officer body-worn camera footage and the written report help establish what happened.
  • Write down or photograph anything about the other vehicle: color, make, direction, and any part of the plate.
  • Get names and numbers from witnesses, and photograph the scene and your injuries.
  • Look for nearby cameras. Businesses, traffic cameras, and doorbell cameras can capture a fleeing car, but footage is often erased within days.
  • See a doctor within a few days. Insurance companies start reducing the case value when treatment is delayed, and a long gap can put the claim at risk.
  • Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own, before you talk to a lawyer.

In our experience, hit-and-run claims are hard to prove without the other driver’s information, so rapid evidence collection is decisive.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a hit-and-run lawyer in Baltimore cost?

Most Maryland personal injury lawyers, including WGK, work on a contingency-fee basis. The standard fee is 33.3% of the recovery before a lawsuit is filed, and 40% if we file suit. You pay nothing up front, and you owe a fee only if we recover money for you.

Is a hit-and-run a crime in Maryland?

Yes. Leaving the scene of a crash that causes injury can result in up to 1 year in jail and a $3,000 fine. Leaving a fatal crash can bring up to five years and a $5,000 fine, rising to a ten-year felony and a $10,000 fine when the driver knew or should have known death might result.1

How long do I have to file a hit-and-run injury claim?

Generally three years from the date of the crash in Maryland.15 The deadline is much shorter when a government vehicle is involved, sometimes as little as one year of written notice, so waiting can bar your claim. Talk to a lawyer early so a deadline never decides your case.

How much is a hit-and-run case worth?

It depends on the available insurance, your injuries, your treatment, lost wages, and any fault dispute. There’s no fixed number. Hundreds of injured Marylanders turn to us every year, and our results include numerous six- and seven-figure settlements.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different. These figures represent aggregated data from cases handled by our firm and are provided for informational purposes only.

Do I still need a lawyer if police never find the driver?

Often, yes. When the driver is gone, your claim shifts to your own insurance company under your UM coverage, and that company isn’t on your side. It can dispute whether a phantom vehicle existed or argue you were partly at fault. A lawyer gathers the evidence and pushes back so the claim holds up; see do I need a lawyer after a hit-and-run.

Next Steps

A hit-and-run is frightening, but you’re not out of options. If you were hurt in a hit-and-run in Baltimore, WGK Personal Injury Lawyers can review your coverage, find the evidence, and handle the insurance company for you.

Most of a hit-and-run case can be handled by phone, so you can focus on recovering. Documents get signed remotely, we deal with the adjuster for you, and the settlement check comes to you when the case wraps up.

Call (410) 837-2144 for a free consultation. There’s no fee unless we win. You can also reach our Baltimore hit-and-run accident lawyers to get started.

Sources

  1. Maryland General Assembly – Statute Text, Transportation Article § 20-102, 2024. Driver duty to stop and remain at the scene of an accident involving injury or death, and criminal penalty tiers for leaving the scene. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=gtr&section=20-102&enactments=false
  2. WGK Personal Injury Lawyers first-party firm data, 2026.
  3. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA Newsroom), 2023. Drivers who fled were involved in about 15% of police-reported crashes, the highest share on record. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2026/03/fatal-hit-and-run-crashes-reach-record-high-aaa-foundation-study-finds/
  4. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (reported by The Southern Maryland Chronicle), 2023. More than 900,000 police-reported hit-and-run crashes nationwide. https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2026/03/11/hit-and-run-crashes-hit-record-15-in-2023-aaa-study/
  5. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2017-2023 research brief. Hit-and-run fatalities reached an all-time high of 2,972 deaths (about 7% of all U.S. traffic fatalities) in 2022, climbing since 2010; roughly 1 in 10 injuries of people inside vehicles occurs in a hit-and-run, over 200,000 vehicle-occupant injuries in a single year. https://aaafoundation.org/understanding-the-increase-in-fatal-hit-and-run-crashes-prevalences-of-crashes-injuries-and-deaths-in-the-united-states-2017-2023/
  6. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2023. More than 70% of people killed in hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians and bicyclists; roughly one in four pedestrians killed were struck by a fleeing driver. https://aaafoundation.org/understanding-the-increase-in-fatal-hit-and-run-crashes-prevalences-of-crashes-injuries-and-deaths-in-the-united-states-2017-2023/
  7. Baltimore City Department of Transportation ‘Toward Zero’ / The Baltimore Banner, 2024. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooter riders make up over half of Baltimore City roadway deaths. https://transportation.baltimorecity.gov/toward-zero
  8. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA Newsroom), 2023. Fatal hit-and-runs cluster late at night; identified fleeing drivers were often unlicensed and driving a vehicle not registered in their name. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2026/03/fatal-hit-and-run-crashes-reach-record-high-aaa-foundation-study-finds/
  9. Md. Code, Insurance § 19-509, 2024. Maryland requires every auto policy to include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=gin&section=19-509&enactments=false
  10. Insurance Information Institute (III), citing the Insurance Research Council, 2023. An estimated 16.9% of Maryland motorists (more than one in six) were uninsured, above the national rate of 15.4% (more than one in seven). https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-uninsured-motorists
  11. Maryland General Assembly, 2026. Insurance § 20-602, maximum amounts payable from the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund: $30,000 for injury to or death of one individual, subject to $60,000 per accident. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gin&section=20-602&enactments=false
  12. Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 14.07.04.04, 2026. Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund: the Notice of Claim must be filed within 180 days of the accident. https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/14.07.04.04
  13. Greater Greater Washington, 2023. Regional reporting that investigators identify and charge a driver in fewer than 20% of fatal hit-and-run cases. https://ggwash.org/view/90367/with-prince-georges-county-leading-the-region-in-traffic-fatalities-bill-seeks-to-codify-safety
  14. Maryland Court of Appeals, Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013). Maryland’s pure contributory negligence rule, upheld with change deferred to the legislature. Official slip opinion (No. 9, Sept. Term 2012). https://www.mdcourts.gov/data/opinions/coa/2013/9a12.pdf
  15. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101 (3-year general personal injury limit) and the Maryland Local Government Tort Claims Act notice requirement (much shorter written-notice deadline when a government entity is involved), 2024. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=5-101