What can I do after a hit-and-run motorcycle crash in Las Vegas?

Last updated October 7, 2026.

Report the crash to police right away, get medical care, and open a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage. In Nevada, a driver who leaves an injury crash commits a felony (NRS 484E.010), and when that driver is never found, your uninsured motorist coverage can treat the car as uninsured only if it made physical contact with you or your bike and the crash was reported to police in time (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)).

A hit-and-run leaves a rider hurt and with no one to send the bill to. Nevada auto policies must include coverage built for this, unless a named insured rejected it in writing (NRS 690B.020(1)). This page explains how a hit-and-run fits into a Las Vegas motorcycle accident claim, which agency to call, and what keeps the claim alive.

What should happen after a hit-and-run in Las Vegas, step by step?

Call 911 and get care. Your health comes first. While you wait, or as soon as you can, write down or record everything you remember about the vehicle: color, type, partial plate, damage, direction of travel and anything on it such as a company name.
Report to the right police agency, immediately. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department polices the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. Henderson and North Las Vegas have their own police departments, and LVMPD sends freeway crashes to the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol. Nevada's uninsured motorist statute counts the report only if it is made in the time the crash statutes require, which for an injury crash means "forthwith" (NRS 484E.030(2); NRS 690B.020(3)(f)).
Get the event or crash number. You need it to request the report and to give your insurer. Our guide to getting a Las Vegas crash report covers each agency's process.
Preserve proof of contact. Paint transfer, a bent fender, a scuffed saddlebag or a broken mirror shows the car touched you. Keep the bike unrepaired until it is photographed closely.
Notify your own insurer. Tell your motorcycle insurer about the crash and the hit-and-run, and ask for the uninsured motorist claim forms. Your policy will set its own notice and cooperation terms.
File the DMV report if police did not investigate. If no officer investigated at the scene and someone was hurt, or damage looks like $750 or more, a report goes to the DMV within 10 days (NRS 484E.070). See the SR-1 crash report rules.
Watch the deadline. If the driver is found, an injury lawsuit against that driver generally must be filed within 2 years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)).

Which agency takes the report, and how do you get a copy?

Where the crash happened	Agency	Getting the report
City of Las Vegas, or unincorporated Clark County	Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD)	Online, in person or by mail; Traffic Collision Report $13.00; allow up to 10 business days after it is filed
Freeway	Nevada State Police Highway Patrol (LVMPD directs freeway crashes there)	Request with the crash number starting "NHP," your last name and the date; $10; usually ready 7 to 14 days after the crash
City of Henderson	Henderson Police Department; its Traffic Bureau's Investigative Detail handles hit-and-run investigations	Through Henderson Police records
City of North Las Vegas	North Las Vegas Police Department	The department's records page links to an online vendor for accident reports

For a wider view of the agencies and courts in the city, see our Las Vegas accident attorney page.

Who pays when the driver gets away?

Situation	Coverage that may pay	Rule
Driver never found; the car touched you or your bike; reported in time	Your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage	NRS 690B.020(3)(f)
Driver never found; no contact	UM's unknown-driver rule does not apply; other coverage such as medical payments may	NRS 690B.020(3)(f); NRS 687B.145(3)
Driver found and insured	The driver's liability insurance, then your underinsured coverage if limits are too low	NRS 485.185; NRS 687B.145(2)
Driver found, but no proof of insurance reaches the DMV within 60 days	The vehicle is presumed uninsured, so your UM coverage may apply	NRS 690B.020(6)
Any of the above	Your medical payments coverage, if you bought it, for crash-related medical expenses	NRS 687B.145(3)

Each of these layers is explained in what insurance covers a motorcycle rider in Nevada.

What changes the answer

Physical contact. For an unknown driver, the statute requires that the injury resulted from physical contact of that vehicle with you or with the vehicle you were riding (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)(1)). If a driver ran you off the road without touching you, the unknown-driver rule does not fit. That situation has its own page: when a car forces you off the road without touching your motorcycle.

How fast and to whom you reported. The report must be made within the time the crash statutes require, to the police department of the city where it happened, or in an unincorporated area to the county sheriff or the Highway Patrol (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)(2)). A report made days later, or only to your insurer, gives the insurer a reason to deny.

Whether you rejected UM coverage. UM coverage is part of a Nevada auto policy unless a named insured rejected it in writing on the insurer's form (NRS 690B.020(1)). Check your declarations page before assuming either way.

Whether the driver is found later. Police sometimes identify the driver weeks later through video, parts left at the scene or a tip. Then you can claim against that driver's insurance and, if needed, your underinsured coverage. If your UM insurer already paid, it is entitled to the proceeds of a later recovery from the driver to the extent of its payment (NRS 690B.020(5)).

A criminal case. Leaving an injury crash is a category B felony carrying 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of $2,000 to $5,000, with no probation (NRS 484E.010(3), (4)). If the driver is convicted, the judge may order restitution for each victim (NRS 176.033), and you may speak at sentencing about the impact of the crash (NRS 176.015). A criminal conviction is conclusive evidence of the facts needed to make the person civilly liable for the injury (NRS 41.133). How the criminal and civil cases run side by side is covered in the criminal case and the injury claim in Las Vegas.

Crime victim compensation. Nevada's Victims of Crime Program generally excludes injuries from vehicle crashes, with exceptions that include a vehicle used as a weapon, an injured pedestrian, and an impaired driver (NRS 217.220). A rider hit by a drunk driver who fled may qualify; a rider hit by a sober driver who fled usually would not. See Nevada victims of crime compensation after a DUI crash.

Your own share of fault. If the driver is identified, Nevada's comparative fault rule still applies: your recovery is reduced by your share and barred only if your share is greater than the other side's (NRS 41.141).

For example: a pickup clips a rider in Henderson

Imagine a hypothetical rider named Kenji riding through Henderson in the evening. A pickup changes lanes into him, clips his rear wheel and keeps going. Kenji goes down and fractures his ankle. A witness sees a dark pickup but no plate.

Kenji calls 911 from the curb, and Henderson Police respond and take a report. Our post on what to do when a driver flees the scene covers the general first steps he follows. Before the bike is towed, his sister photographs a long streak of black paint on the rear fender and saddlebag. That paint transfer is his proof of physical contact. He calls his insurer the next morning and opens an uninsured motorist claim.

The driver is never found. Kenji's policy has $50,000 in UM coverage, and suppose, for this example, his medical bills, lost pay and pain and suffering are valued at $70,000. His UM coverage can pay up to its $50,000 limit. His $5,000 in medical payments coverage helps with early bills, subject to his policy's terms. These numbers are invented to show how the pieces fit, not a prediction for any real claim.

Now change one fact: the pickup swerves at Kenji, he lays the bike down to avoid it, and there is no contact. The unknown-driver part of Nevada's UM statute would not cover that crash (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)(1)). The paint streak is what made the difference.

Common mistakes after a motorcycle hit-and-run

Chasing the driver. Following a fleeing car while hurt puts you at more risk and does not help the claim. Note what you can and call 911.
Waiting to report. Riders sometimes ride home and call police the next day. The UM statute ties coverage to a report made in the required time, so call while you are still at the scene if you can.
Washing or repairing the bike. Paint transfer and scrape marks prove contact. Photograph them in daylight, close up and from a distance, before anything is touched.
Not checking for video. Business, home and traffic cameras near the crash may show the vehicle and its plate. Footage is often recorded over, so ask fast.
Assuming you have no coverage. Many riders do not know they carry UM coverage until they read the declarations page. Check before you decide there is no claim; our post on suing for hit-and-run accidents explains the claim routes in general terms.
Giving a recorded statement before you have the report. Your own insurer may ask for one. Get the police report first so your account matches the facts on record.

What to do this week

Confirm a police report exists and write down the event or crash number.
Request the report as soon as it is ready and check that it describes the contact and the vehicle that left.
Photograph every mark on the bike, your helmet and your gear, including any paint that is not yours. Our list of evidence to keep after a motorcycle crash covers the rest.
Go back to the scene, or send someone, to list every camera that faces the road, and ask for footage.
Find your declarations page and note your UM, underinsured and medical payments limits.
Give your insurer written notice of the hit-and-run and keep a copy.
Keep every medical appointment and save each bill and work note.

Frequently asked questions

Is leaving the scene of a motorcycle crash a crime in Nevada?

Yes. A driver who leaves a crash that injured or killed someone commits a category B felony (NRS 484E.010(3)). Leaving a crash that only damaged an attended vehicle is a misdemeanor (NRS 484E.020).

What if the driver is caught after my insurer pays me?

You may still have a claim against that driver for losses your UM payment did not cover. Your UM insurer, to the extent it paid, is entitled to the proceeds of any recovery from the driver (NRS 690B.020(5)), so tell both insurers and the police what you learn.

Does a tiny touch, like a mirror hitting my handlebar, count as contact?

The statute speaks of "physical contact" between the vehicle and you or your bike (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)(1)) and sets no minimum. Any proof of the touch, such as a scuffed grip, a broken mirror or a witness, is worth saving.

Can I claim for my damaged motorcycle after a hit-and-run?

Nevada's UM statute covers bodily injury (NRS 690B.020(1)), so repairs to the bike usually come from your own collision coverage if you carry it, or from the driver if found. The property side is covered in getting paid for a damaged motorcycle and gear.

Can I get help from the Victims of Crime Program?

Usually only in the listed exceptions, such as a crash caused by an impaired driver or a vehicle used as a weapon (NRS 217.220). The program also requires that the crime was reported to police or another proper authority before an application can be approved.

Do I still need an attorney if the claim is only against my own insurer?

Your own insurer is on the other side of a UM claim, and it will look at fault, contact, the report and the value of your injuries just as another driver's insurer would. Many riders choose to have an attorney handle the claim; the choice is yours. For the general rules on underinsured claims, see underinsured motorist claims in Nevada.

If a driver hit your motorcycle and left you on the road in Las Vegas, Henderson or North Las Vegas, attorney Maysoun Fletcher can help you report it correctly and pursue every coverage that applies. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation; the firm is available 24/7.