Your own policy as the source
New York auto policies carry uninsured motorist coverage, and many drivers also carry supplementary coverage that can apply when the other driver's insurance is too small. No-fault benefits, also paid under your own policy, typically cover basic medical expenses and some lost earnings regardless of who caused the crash, and they are a separate claim from uninsured motorist claims. For pain and suffering, New York generally requires that the injury meet a serious injury threshold, and that requirement usually carries into uninsured motorist claims as well. In hit-and-run cases, whether there was physical contact with the other vehicle is often an issue. If you have no auto policy of your own, a fund set up under state law may be available in some situations.
Notice comes quickly
Uninsured motorist coverage usually requires prompt notice to your insurer, and hit-and-run accidents often must be reported to the police within a short time. These conditions are enforced and can defeat a claim if they are missed. Collect the police report number, photographs of the vehicles and the scene, the names of witnesses, and any information about the other driver or vehicle, even a partial plate. Keep all medical records and bills and a copy of your no-fault application, which has its own early deadline. You owe your own insurer cooperation, but talk with a lawyer before giving a recorded statement or sitting for an examination under oath.
How these claims are usually resolved
Because the claim is against your own insurer, the relationship differs from a standard injury claim: your carrier owes you coverage but also evaluates your claim from the other side of the table. In New York, many uninsured motorist claims are decided in arbitration rather than in a lawsuit, and the insurer may dispute whether the other driver was in fact uninsured. In a first conversation we review your policy, the police report, the notices already given, and your medical picture. We then confirm which coverage applies and which deadlines remain, and we discuss whether a demand, arbitration, or another proceeding comes next.
