Hit, Stop & Run? Court of Appeals Defines “Hit and Run Vehicle”

Uninsured motorist coverage is optional, so ambiguities are resolved by looking to the language of the policy and its common understanding. In doing so, the Wasik Court defined “hit and run vehicle” as a “vehicle that hits another vehicle and the driver leaves the scene of the accident” at any time before there “is an opportunity to exchange information.” Therefore, in situations where an insured is claiming uninsured motorist benefits on the theory that there was a hit and run, benefits can potentially be denied when the insured had the opportunity to get the other driver’s information but allowed them to leave the scene.

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