Kathleen Gallagher · August 13, 2026 · 7‑min read · Leer en español
If a driver hit you in Las Vegas and left, call 911 if anyone is hurt and the police non-emergency line if no one is, because a hit and run is a crime in Nevada and the police report starts everything else. This guide covers what the law requires after a crash, how to report a hit and run to each Las Vegas valley agency, what the police do with your report, the penalties the driver faces, the deadlines that apply to you, and what a lawyer does next. If you were injured, our Las Vegas hit and run accident lawyers page explains what we do to find the driver and get your injuries paid for.
Need your hit-and-run report followed up? If we represent you for your injury claim, we will obtain the report, the other driver’s insurance information and any available footage for you. Call (702) 381-3770 or contact Gallagher & Lipshutz before the trail goes cold. Our Las Vegas hit and run accident lawyers page explains what we do.
What does Nevada law require after a hit and run?
Every driver in a crash has to stop, and a driver who leaves has broken the law even if the crash itself was an accident. Under NRS 484E.010, a driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone must stop at the scene right away and stay there. A driver in a crash with only property damage must also stop, under NRS 484E.020, after moving the car out of traffic if it is blocking the road. Every driver then has to give their name, address and vehicle registration number, show their license on request, and get help for anyone who is hurt, under NRS 484E.030. A driver who hits a parked car has to find the owner or leave a note with their name and address, under NRS 484E.040.
The same chapter puts one duty on you. If the police did not investigate at the scene, each driver has to send the DMV a crash report on form SR-1 within 10 days when anyone was hurt or the damage looks like $750 or more, under NRS 484E.070, and the DMV can suspend a license for up to a year for skipping it. When an officer writes a report at the scene, that report takes its place.
How do I report a hit and run in Las Vegas?
Call the agency that covers the spot where it happened, because each one keeps its own reports, and a hit and run is reported by phone or in person, not through the online forms. If anyone is hurt, call 911 first. Otherwise:
- Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County (the Strip, Summerlin, Spring Valley, Enterprise, Sunrise Manor): the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department online system does not accept traffic collisions or hit-and-run damage, or any report where you know the plate or have video, so call the non-emergency line at (702) 828-3111 or go to any area command
- Henderson: call Henderson Police at (702) 267-5000; its online system does not take reports when the other driver can be identified
- North Las Vegas: call North Las Vegas Police at (702) 633-9111; crash reports are not taken online
- Interstates and state highways (I-15, US 95, I-215 and I-11): dial *NHP (*647) from a cell phone, which rings the nearest Nevada Highway Patrol station at no charge
Before you call, write down everything you remember about the other vehicle: the plate or any part of it, the make, model and color, the damage you saw, and which way it went. Ask the dispatcher for the event number before you hang up; that number is how you find the report later and how your insurance company ties you to the crash. Photograph your car, the debris and the location, and ask nearby businesses whether a camera faces the street. About ten business days later, order the report itself; our guide on how to get your Las Vegas crash report covers each agency.
How do Las Vegas police investigate a hit and run?
The report gets an event number the day you call, and what happens next depends on how badly anyone was hurt and what leads exist. Within the LVMPD, the Traffic Bureau handles crash investigations, and hit and runs with serious injuries go to its Collision Investigation Section, which has a Fatal Detail for crashes that kill someone. Those investigators canvass for cameras, pull surveillance video, put out a description of the vehicle, and ask the public for help through Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555, which takes anonymous tips; the Collision Investigation Section takes information directly at (702) 828-3595.
A property-damage hit and run with no plate and no video usually does not get a detective. The report still matters: your insurance company requires it, your uninsured motorist coverage applies only if the crash was reported to police, and it is what lets you or your lawyer ask the DMV for the other vehicle’s insurance if a plate turns up later. If you find a witness or a camera after you file, call the same agency with your event number and add it to the report.
What is the penalty for a hit and run in Nevada?
Leaving a crash that hurt someone is a felony; leaving one that only damaged property is a misdemeanor. Under NRS 484E.010, a driver who leaves the scene of a crash involving injury or death commits a category B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of $2,000 to $5,000, with a separate charge for each person hurt or killed, and the court cannot suspend the sentence or grant probation. Leaving a property-damage crash, failing to give your information, or hitting a parked car without leaving a note is a misdemeanor under NRS 484E.020, .030 and .040.
The criminal case and your injury claim are separate. The prosecutor decides whether to charge the driver, and a conviction does not pay your medical bills; your claim is against the driver’s insurance company if the driver is found, and against your own uninsured motorist coverage if not.
How long do I have to report a hit and run, and how long does the case stay open?
Report it the same day. Nevada law requires the report right away, your insurance policy usually requires it promptly, and your uninsured motorist coverage applies to an unidentified driver only if you reported the crash to police, under NRS 690B.020.
The case itself stays open longer. Prosecutors have three years from the crash to charge a felony hit and run and one year to charge a misdemeanor, under NRS 171.085 and 171.090. You have two years from the crash to file an injury lawsuit under NRS 11.190, whether or not the driver has been found; our page on Nevada injury claim deadlines explains the exceptions. If you were on foot when a driver hit you and left, the Nevada Victims of Crime Program can help with medical bills, counseling and lost income when the crash was reported to police; the Las Vegas office is at (702) 486-2740.
Does insurance cover a hit and run?
Yes, in most cases. If the driver is identified, their liability insurance pays. If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries, as long as the other vehicle actually hit you or your car and you reported the crash to police, and your collision coverage repairs the car. Nevada law bars your insurer from raising your rates or dropping you over a crash that was not your fault. Our post on whose insurance to call after someone hits your car explains the rest, including the DMV request for the other driver’s insurance when you have a plate.
What does a lawyer do next?
A lawyer works the search and the claim at the same time, so neither waits on the other. For a client, we obtain the police report, follow up with the investigating officer on any plate or camera lead, contact businesses and agencies with cameras pointing to where the crash happened before the footage is recorded over, request the DMV insurance record when a plate exists, and open your uninsured motorist claim right away so your medical care is covered while the driver is being looked for. If the driver is found, the claim goes against their insurance instead, and if either insurance company refuses to pay what the claim is worth, we file the lawsuit inside the two-year deadline. That is the work a Las Vegas car accident lawyer does in a hit-and-run case, and the earlier it starts, the more of the evidence is still there.
This post is general information, not legal advice. For guidance on your specific facts, consult experienced personal injury counsel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Las Vegas police investigate a hit and run?
The report gets an event number the day it is filed. Crashes with serious injuries or deaths go to the LVMPD Traffic Bureau’s Collision Investigation Section, whose detectives look for cameras, pull video, put out a description of the vehicle and take tips through Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555. A property-damage hit and run with no plate and no video usually is not assigned to a detective, but the report still supports your insurance claim. If new evidence turns up, call the agency with your event number and add it.
Is it worth suing for a hit and run?
The claim is usually made against an insurance policy, not by suing the driver personally: the driver’s liability insurer if the driver is found, your own uninsured motorist coverage if not. A lawsuit is filed when an insurance company will not pay what the claim is worth, and it must be filed within two years of the crash. If you were injured, the claim is worth pursuing, because medical bills and lost work add up fast; if the damage is minor and below your deductible, report it anyway so the record exists if symptoms show up later. Either way, it is worth talking with us: even if you do not have the other driver’s insurance information or cannot find the driver, our private investigators can run deeper searches than a police report or a DMV request.
What is the penalty for a hit and run in Nevada?
Leaving a crash that injured or killed someone is a category B felony under NRS 484E.010, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a $2,000 to $5,000 fine, with a separate count for each person hurt and no probation or suspended sentence. Leaving a crash with only property damage, or hitting a parked car without leaving a note, is a misdemeanor. The criminal penalty does not pay your claim; insurance does.
Do police care about minor hit-and-runs?
They take the report, and the report is what protects you. A minor hit and run is a misdemeanor, and without a plate, a witness or video there is little to investigate, so an officer usually does not come out for a property-damage crash. File it anyway by phone or in person, get the event number, and bring the police any footage or plate you find later. Your insurance company will ask for the report, and your uninsured motorist coverage requires it.
Someone hit my parked car and there were no witnesses. What do I do?
Photograph the damage, the spot and any paint or debris, and check for the note Nevada law required the other driver to leave. Ask nearby businesses and neighbors the same day whether a camera faces the spot, because many systems record over themselves within days. Report it by phone to the police agency for that location, then to your insurance company. Without a plate, the repair comes out of your collision coverage, and your rates should not go up for a crash that was not your fault.
Is a hit and run a felony in Nevada?
It is a felony when anyone was injured or killed and a misdemeanor when the only damage was to property. The felony carries 2 to 20 years in prison under NRS 484E.010, with a separate charge for each person hurt. Prosecutors have three years to charge the felony and one year to charge the misdemeanor.
Need your hit-and-run report followed up? If we represent you for your injury claim, we will obtain the report, the other driver’s insurance information and any available footage for you. Call (702) 381-3770 or contact Gallagher & Lipshutz to talk about your crash.