Hit-and-run crashes in Texas, including Houston

The short answer

In Texas, every driver involved in a crash that injures someone or damages an attended vehicle must stop, give their name, address, registration and insurer, and help anyone injured (Transp. Code §§550.021-.023); leaving instead is an offense. The law also requires each driver involved in a crash that injures someone or disables a vehicle to notify the local police, or outside a city the sheriff or the Department of Public Safety (§550.026). Separately, in Houston HPD takes reports at 9-1-1 or 713-884-3131, and the Texas Department of Insurance says uninsured motorist coverage won't pay for a hit-and-run accident that was not reported to police (TDI). Your own uninsured motorist coverage can apply to a crash with an unknown driver, but the policy must require physical contact between that vehicle and you or your property (Ins. Code §1952.104(3)).

This guide explains those rules in general terms, with the official text linked for each one. It is general informational guidance and is not legal advice. The terms of your own policy control what it covers, and your insurer can tell you what your policy includes.

Key facts (as of 2026-10-22)

• Stop, give information, render aid. Required after a crash that results, or is reasonably likely to result, in injury or death (Transp. Code §550.021, §550.023).
• Leaving the scene is graded by the result. A second-degree felony if a person died, a third-degree felony if a person suffered serious bodily injury (§550.021(c)).
• Immediate notice to police. Required after a crash that injures or kills someone, or leaves a vehicle unable to be normally and safely driven (§550.026(a)).
• Houston: online reporting is limited. HPD accepts online reports only for minor hit-and-run collisions with no injuries, no towing and damage under $1,000 (HPD, Online Reporting).
• Uninsured motorist coverage and an unknown driver. The policy must require actual physical contact (Ins. Code §1952.104(3)), and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says the coverage won't pay for a hit-and-run accident that was not reported to police (TDI, Auto insurance guide).
• PIP does not depend on fault. Personal injury protection benefits are payable without regard to who caused the collision (Ins. Code §1952.155(a)).

Where do the Texas hit-and-run rules apply?

The collision duties in Transportation Code chapter 550 apply on a highway or other public place; on a private access way or parking area a business provides for its clients or patrons, other than private residential property; on the property of a garage or parking lot that charges for storing or parking a vehicle; and on a road owned and controlled by a water control and improvement district (Transp. Code §550.001).

What must a driver do after a crash that injures or kills someone?

The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results, or is reasonably likely to result, in injury to or death of a person must (§550.021(a)):

• immediately stop the vehicle at the scene, or as close to it as possible;
• immediately return to the scene if the vehicle did not stop there;
• immediately determine whether a person is involved and, if so, whether that person requires aid; and
• remain at the scene until the operator has complied with §550.023.

The operator must stop without obstructing traffic more than is necessary (§550.021(b)).

What information must drivers exchange?

Under §550.023, the operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results in injury or death, or in damage to a vehicle that is driven or attended by a person, must:

• give their name and address, the registration number of the vehicle they were driving, and the name of their motor vehicle liability insurer to any person injured or to the operator or occupant of, or person attending, a vehicle involved in the collision;
• if requested and available, show their driver's license to those persons; and
• provide any person injured in the collision reasonable assistance, including transporting, or arranging to transport, the person to a physician or hospital for medical treatment if it is apparent that treatment is necessary or if the injured person requests it.

Is leaving the scene a crime in Texas?

Yes. A person commits an offense if the person does not stop or does not comply with §550.021. The offense is graded by the result of the collision: a felony of the second degree if the collision resulted in a person's death, a felony of the third degree if it resulted in serious bodily injury as Penal Code §1.07 defines it, and, if it resulted in any other injury, punishable by imprisonment or confinement, a fine, or both (§550.021(c)).

What must a driver do after a crash that only damages a vehicle?

When a collision results only in damage to a vehicle that is driven or attended by a person, each operator must immediately stop at the scene or as close to it as possible without obstructing traffic more than is necessary, immediately return to the scene if the vehicle did not stop there, and remain at the scene until complying with §550.023 (§550.022(a)). If the collision happens on a main lane, ramp, shoulder, median or adjacent area of a freeway in a metropolitan area and each vehicle can be normally and safely driven, each operator must move the vehicle as soon as possible to a designated collision investigation site if available, a location on the frontage road, the nearest suitable cross street or another suitable location, to complete the §550.023 requirements (§550.022(b)).

An operator who collides with and damages an unattended vehicle must immediately stop and either locate the operator or owner and give them the name and address of the operator and the owner of the striking vehicle, or leave a written notice with that information and a statement of the circumstances in a conspicuous place in, or securely attached to, the unattended vehicle (§550.024(a)).

Who must a crash be reported to in Texas?

The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results in injury to or death of a person, or in damage to a vehicle to the extent that it cannot be normally and safely driven, must immediately give notice of the collision to (§550.026(a)):

• the local police department, if the collision occurred in a city;
• the local police department or the sheriff's office, if it occurred not more than 100 feet outside a city's limits; or
• otherwise, the sheriff's office or the nearest office of the Department of Public Safety (Transp. Code §541.002(1)).

These duties apply to the operator of every vehicle involved, including yours. TDI's claim tips say to call the police if you were hit by a driver who left the scene (TDI, Auto insurance guide).

How do you report a hit-and-run in Houston?

As of 2026-10-22, the official pages say:

• Inside the City of Houston (HPD). HPD says its website should never be used to report an emergency, a crime in progress or any type of injury: call 9-1-1 for emergencies, and 713-884-3131 for any other situation that requires the response of a police officer. If the collision just occurred, someone is injured, or the situation requires an immediate response, call 9-1-1 (HPD, Online Reporting).
• HPD online reports. Online reporting is limited to minor hit-and-run collisions. HPD lists its requirements as no injuries, a vehicle that did not need to be towed, damage under $1,000, and a collision that is not an emergency; no collision diagram is provided when filing online, and the system asks more questions to decide whether the incident qualifies (HPD, Online Reporting).
• Unincorporated Harris County (HCSO). The Harris County Sheriff's Office says to dial 9-1-1 for serious injuries, and to contact HCSO at 713-221-6000 if any party is injured, a vehicle cannot be removed from the roadway, or a driver does not have a driver's license or proof of insurance (HCSO, Report Crime).
• Suburbs. A crash inside another city is reported to that city's police department (§550.026(a)(1)).

Keep any report or incident number you are given. Our guide on how to get a crash report in Houston explains how HPD, HCSO and nearby cities release crash reports to the people involved, and Houston car accident information covers local offices, courts and roads.

Does uninsured motorist coverage apply when the other driver is unknown?

Texas auto liability policies must include uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage unless an insured named in the policy rejects it in writing (Ins. Code §1952.101(b)-(c)). TDI says uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage also pays if you are in a hit-and-run accident and the other driver can't be found (TDI, uninsured motorist coverage).

When the owner or operator of the vehicle that caused bodily injury or property damage to the insured is unknown, the Insurance Code requires the UM policy form to require that actual physical contact occurred between the vehicle owned or operated by the unknown person and the person or property of the insured, for the insured to recover under the uninsured motorist coverage (§1952.104(3)). TDI also says your uninsured motorist coverage won't pay for a hit-and-run accident if you didn't report it to police (TDI, Auto insurance guide). Your policy states its own terms. Our UM/UIM guide covers the coverage in more detail.

Does PIP pay after a hit-and-run?

Personal injury protection (PIP) benefits are payable without regard to the fault or nonfault of the named insured or the recipient in causing or contributing to the collision (Ins. Code §1952.155(a)). A PIP claim under your own policy does not depend on who caused the crash. Whether your policy includes PIP, and at what limit, is shown on your declarations page. See who pays medical bills after a car accident in Texas.

Were you walking or on a bicycle?

The same duties apply when a driver strikes a pedestrian or a bicyclist. The pedestrian accident guide and the bicycle accident guide cover the Texas rules for those crashes.

What you can gather

While you think about your next steps, it can help to keep these in one place:

• Photos or video of your vehicle, including any damage that shows where it was struck, and of the scene
• Your own notes of what you saw, including anything you noticed about the other vehicle
• The date, time and exact place of the crash
• The name of the police department or sheriff's office you reported the crash to, and any report or incident number they gave you
• Names and contact details of any witnesses who spoke with you at the scene
• Medical bills and records, and records of missed work and pay
• Your auto policy's declarations page, showing whether you have UM/UIM and PIP and at what limits
• Letters or claim numbers from your insurer

About InjuryClaimGuide

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