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Last updated: August 16, 2024

What to Do After a Hit-And-Run in Mississippi

If you leave the scene of an accident in Mississippi, you could face fines and jail time.

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Hit-and-run accidents are when at least one person doesn’t provide any or insufficient information or aid to the other involved party at the scene of a crash before leaving. Anyone involved in a car accident — including hitting a parked, unoccupied vehicle — who fails to report the incident properly could face a hit-and-run charge.

If your vehicle is involved in an accident where the other party flees the scene or fails to provide enough information, you should attempt to find the identity of the other driver to make a third-party claim with their insurance company or file a first-party claim with your car insurance provider. It’s best to try to locate the other driver to avoid filing a first-party claim, which could trigger higher rates even if you weren’t at fault in the accident.

Do’s and Don'ts of What to Do After a Hit-And-Run in Mississippi

Do’s

If someone hits your car and then immediately leaves the scene, follow these steps:

  1. Seek medical attention if you’re injured. 911 should be your first call if you’re hurt.
  2. Gather evidence at the scene. You’ll need to jot down as much information as possible about the other vehicle and driver. Data to collect includes:
    • Make and model of the other car
    • License plate number and state
    • Direction the vehicle was going
    • Photos of the accident scene, such as damage to your vehicle and any glass or other debris on the roadway, etc.
  3. Talk to any witnesses. Get contact details about anyone who saw what happened and record their statements about the other driver and vehicle. Request permission to pass along their name to the police and insurance company.
  4. Contact the police. Like many states, Mississippi requires drivers to report an accident that involves a fatality, injuries, or property damage of more than $500.
  5. Call your insurance company. To file an insurance claim, you’ll need to do so within three years of the hit-and-run accident for both a personal injury claim and a property damage claim in Mississippi.1

If you discover damage to your parked vehicle, you should follow the same steps.

Don’t

Here’s what you shouldn’t do after a car accident:

  1. Neglect to phone the police. Remember, Mississippi requires you to inform the police of any accident involving death, injuries, or more than $500 of property damage. Also, a record of the incident will help when filing with your insurance company.
  2. Skip filing a claim. If you don’t contact your insurance company, you’ll be on the hook to pay for all related expenses, such as repairs and doctor bills.
  3. Try to stop the driver from fleeing the scene. Besides being dangerous to you, you could miss vital witnesses, who might not wait for your return.
  4. Vacate the scene yourself too soon. You should stay at the scene until you’ve contacted the police and talked to potential witnesses.

TIP:

You could use your phone’s recording app to capture witness statements and your own thoughts after the incident.

How to Recover Damages

The best-case scenario to recover damages in a hit-and-run accident is to locate the driver who hit you, then file a third-party claim with their insurance company. You also could file a personal injury lawsuit. However, since Mississippi is a fault state based on tort liability, each party involved in an accident is required to pay for damages tied to their at-fault degree. However, if one party doesn’t agree with the amount, they may file a lawsuit to recover uncompensated damages.

If you aren’t able to discover the identity of the other driver, you’ll need to go through your own insurance provider with a first-party claim to recover any damages related to the accident.

Does Car Insurance Cover Hit-and-Runs?

Your car insurance will cover hit-and-runs only if you have the following types of auto insurance in Mississippi:

  • Collision coverage: Collision coverage will pay for damage to your vehicle no matter who causes the accident.
  • Medical payments (MedPay) coverage: MedPay will cover bills related to injuries to you and your passengers.
  • Uninsured motorist coverage: Uninsured motorist coverage will pay for your injuries and damages if the other driver doesn’t have insurance or flees the scene of an accident.

NOTE:

Mississippi requires only property damage and bodily injury liability coverage, so you’ll need extra coverage, like collision, medical payments, and uninsured motorist, to cover any damages related to you and your vehicle as a result of a hit-and-run.

How Hit-and-Runs Affect Car Insurance

Your insurance rates could rise if you file a first-party claim for a hit-and-run with your insurance company. To avoid paying more, file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance provider, if you can find out who they are.

Hit-and-Runs in Mississippi Statistics

The number of fatal hit-and-run accidents per 100,000 Mississippi residents came in at 0.33 in 2016. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Motor Vehicle Crash Data, between 2017 and 2021, hit-and-run accidents in the Magnolia State caused more than 100 fatalities.

Year Fatal crashes in Mississippi involving a hit-and-run
2011 2
2012 2
2013 10
2014 9
2015 22
2016 10
2017 10
2018 23
2019 19
2020 30
2021 27

Overall, according to NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in traffic crashes in 2021 occurred between 3 percent and 50 percent of the time, depending on vehicle type, in Mississippi.2

Vehicle type Fatal crash percentage
Passenger car 50%
SUV 25%
Pickup 22%
Vans 3%

Hit-and-Run Laws in Mississippi

In Mississippi, you are legally required to report the accident if it results in death, injury, or property damage of more than $500, and you must do so within 10 days of the incident. Failure to do so could result in license suspension.

Penalties

The penalties for hit-and-runs in Mississippi are tied to the severity of the incident. Here is a general guide to how the state determines those penalties. For hit-and-runs involving a fatality or severe injuries, the state often will assign felony charges to the driver.

Failure to stop at the accident scene Failure to stop at accident with fatality or severe injuries
Fine between $100 and $5,000 Fine between $1,000 and $10,000
Jail time between 30 and 365 days Jail time between 5 to 20 years

Recap

Remember, it’s always best to remain at the scene of the accident until police come or you exchange information with the other driver for minor fender benders. Keep your own car insurance up to date to ensure you have full protection. Full coverage, unlike the minimum insurance requirements in Mississippi, will cover your and your passengers’ injuries and damages, even if you don’t know who hit you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does uninsured motorist insurance cover hit-and-runs in Mississippi?

Yes, uninsured motorist insurance will cover a hit-and-run in Mississippi. The uninsured motorist property damage coverage may be used to repair or replace your vehicle after a hit-and-run accident. Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage will pay for medical bills if you are injured in such an accident.

How do I get an accident report online in Mississippi?

You can obtain a car accident report online in Mississippi, as well as by mail and in person. Here’s how:

  • Online: To purchase ($20) a copy of your accident report, contact https://www.ms.gov/dps/crash_reports.
  • Mail: To buy ($15) a copy of your crash report by regular mail:
    • Driver Records Division/Reinstatement
    • P.O. Box 1459
    • Canton, MS 39046

    To purchase your copy via express mail:

    • Driver Records Division/Reinstatement
    • 1900 E. Woodrow Wilson Dr.
    • Jackson, MS 39216
  • In person: To buy an accident report ($15) written by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, visit one of the district stations, which can be found here: https://www.dps.ms.gov/highway-patrol/district-offices. To get a copy ($15) of a crash report written by other law enforcement officers, visit the appropriate agency.

How long does an accident stay on your driving record in Mississippi?

An auto accident generally stays on your driving record for approximately five years in Mississippi before you would return to a clean driving record.

Are accident reports public record in Mississippi?

Car accident reports are not public record in Mississippi, as the state requires all such reports and supplemental material to be for the confidential use of the appropriate state department. However, the department may provide the accident report to any person involved in the accident, along with the spouse or next of kin of that person, upon written request, either in person, online, or via the mail.

Aliza Vigderman
Written by:Aliza Vigderman
Senior Writer & Editor
A seasoned journalist and content strategist with over 10 years of editorial experience in digital media, Aliza Vigderman has written and edited hundreds of articles on the site, covering everything from plan coverages to discounts to state laws. Previously, she was a senior editor and industry analyst at the home and digital security website Security.org, previously called Security Baron. She has also contributed to The Huffington Post, SquareFoot, and Degreed. Aliza studied journalism at Brandeis University.

Citations

  1. Car Accidents: Statutes of Limitations. Enjuris. (2024).
    https://www.enjuris.com/car-accident/statutes-of-limitations/

  2. Passenger Vehicles. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2023, Jun).
    https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813474