Hit-and-run laws and what to do in Alabama

Getting hit by a driver who then takes off is one of the worst versions of a bad day. You may be hurt, your car may be wrecked, and the person who caused it is already gone. Alabama treats leaving a crash as a real crime, and the rules that apply here are specific. Here is what state law requires, what the driver who fled is facing, and how you can still recover when the other car disappears.

What Alabama law requires after a crash

The duty to stop lives in Title 32, Chapter 10 of the Alabama Code. Any driver involved in a crash that injures or kills someone, or that damages a vehicle, has to stop right away at the scene or as close to it as possible, and stay there until the legal duties are met.¹ When someone has been hurt or killed, the vehicles cannot even be moved until a law enforcement officer directs it.¹

Stopping is only the start. Section 32-10-2 says the driver has to give their name, address, and vehicle registration number, show a driver's license on request, and render reasonable assistance to anyone injured, including arranging a ride to a doctor or hospital when treatment is obviously needed or the injured person asks for it.² Clip a parked, unattended car and the duty is lighter but still real: find the owner, or leave a note with your name and address.³

Alabama also imposes a reporting duty. If a crash causes injury or death, the driver must notify police immediately by the quickest means available, the local department inside city limits, or the county sheriff or state troopers everywhere else.⁴ A driver who leaves has skipped every one of these steps, which is why the conduct is charged as its own offense instead of a routine traffic ticket.

Criminal penalties, and a major change for 2026

Section 32-10-6 sets the punishment, and the level tracks how bad the crash was. As the law reads through September 2026, a hit-and-run that involved only property damage is a Class A misdemeanor, while one that involved injury or death is a Class C felony.⁵ A Class C felony carries a prison term of one year and one day up to ten years⁶ plus a fine as high as $15,000.⁷ Even the misdemeanor version can mean up to a year in jail⁸ and a fine up to $6,000.⁹

That structure changes on October 1, 2026. The Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act, passed as SB169 and enacted as Act 2026-64, rewrites the penalty statute into three tiers.¹⁰ Property-damage-only cases stay a Class A misdemeanor. A crash that caused physical injury is a Class C felony. A crash that caused serious physical injury or a death jumps to a Class B felony,¹⁰ which means two to twenty years in prison⁶ and a fine up to $30,000.⁷ For the worst cases, the possible prison time roughly doubles.¹¹ The act is named for two young people killed in Mobile County crashes, and it adds that anyone who suffers a loss from one of these violations is a victim entitled to restitution.¹⁰ The same law also toughened Alabama's DUI-death penalties, so a driver who was drunk and then ran can now face charges on both fronts.¹⁰

One more consequence has nothing to do with jail time. Section 32-10-1 directs the state to revoke the driver's license of anyone convicted under it.¹ A judge has no discretion to skip it.

What to do if a driver hits you and runs

Your first job is your own safety, then the same call the law would have demanded from the other driver. Get to a safe spot and phone 911 or the local police.⁴ Don't chase the car that left; a plate number matters far more than closing the distance. An officer's report becomes the official record of the crash, and in Alabama that report is filed with and available from the state (you can read how to pull one on our Alabama crash reports page).

While the details are fresh, write down or photograph anything that identifies the other car: a full or partial plate, the make, model, and color, the direction it went, and any damage you saw. Look for witnesses and get names and numbers. Nearby doorbell and business cameras sometimes catch what you missed. Then get medical attention, even if you feel fine, and keep every record. Injuries from a collision often surface a day or two later, and a documented timeline matters if you make a claim.

How you recover money when the driver got away

Here is the part that surprises people: you can often be paid even if the other driver is never found. Alabama requires uninsured motorist coverage to be part of every auto liability policy unless you rejected it in writing, and a hit-and-run driver is treated as uninsured.¹² That coverage is usually the main route to compensation after a fleeing-driver crash.

You might assume your car had to be physically struck for this to work. It does not. In State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Lambert, the Alabama Supreme Court threw out the physical-contact requirement in a hit-and-run UM clause as contrary to the state's uninsured motorist statute.¹³ So a run-off-the-road caused by a phantom car that never touched you can still support a claim, though you carry the burden of proving that unidentified driver caused the wreck, through your own testimony, witnesses, or physical evidence.

This coverage matters because Alabama's required liability limits are modest, 25/50/25, meaning $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries plus $25,000 for property damage.¹⁴ A driver who runs is often uninsured or never identified, so your own UM coverage is what does the real work. For the damage to the car itself, including any loss in its resale value, see our Alabama diminished value guide.

Deadlines that can end your claim

Alabama gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit.¹⁵ Property damage claims get longer, six years.¹⁶ Those deadlines apply to uninsured motorist claims too, so a hit-and-run does not pause the clock. Waiting also lets evidence fade and memories blur, which hurts a phantom-vehicle claim more than most. If police identify the driver weeks or months later, the criminal case runs on its own track and does not extend your civil filing deadline.

If you were hurt and want to understand your options, you can find an Alabama attorney through our legal directory. Many take these cases on contingency, so a first conversation usually costs nothing.

This article is general information about Alabama law, not legal advice for your specific situation.

Sources

1. Ala. Code § 32-10-1, Duties of driver involved in motor vehicle accident. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-10-1

2. Ala. Code § 32-10-2, Duty to give information and render aid. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-10-2

3. Ala. Code § 32-10-3, Duty upon striking unattended vehicle. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-10-3

4. Ala. Code § 32-10-5, Immediate reports of accidents. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-10-5

5. Ala. Code § 32-10-6, Penalty for violation of Sections 32-10-1 through 32-10-5. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-10-6

6. Ala. Code § 13A-5-6, Sentences of imprisonment for felonies. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=13A-5-6

7. Ala. Code § 13A-5-11, Fines for felonies. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=13A-5-11

8. Ala. Code § 13A-5-7, Sentences of imprisonment for misdemeanors and violations. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=13A-5-7

9. Ala. Code § 13A-5-12, Fines for misdemeanors and violations. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=13A-5-12

10. Alabama SB169, the Devinee Rooney and John Wesley Holt Safe Streets Act (Act 2026-64), amending Ala. Code § 32-10-6, effective Oct. 1, 2026. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/SB169-int.pdf

11. WSFA 12 News, Alabama hit-and-run penalties increase under new state law (July 26, 2026). https://www.wsfa.com/2026/07/26/alabama-hit-and-run-penalties-increase-under-new-state-law/

12. Ala. Code § 32-7-23, Uninsured motorist coverage. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=32-7-23

13. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Lambert, 291 Ala. 645, 285 So. 2d 917 (Ala. 1973). https://law.justia.com/cases/alabama/supreme-court/1973/285-so-2d-917-1.html

14. Ala. Code § 32-7-6; Alabama Department of Revenue, Mandatory Liability Insurance. https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-types/mandatory-liability-insurance/

15. Ala. Code § 6-2-38, two-year statute of limitations for personal injury. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-2-38

16. Ala. Code § 6-2-34, six-year statute of limitations for property damage. https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-2-34