Denver Hit-and-Run Accident Attorney

Scott O’Sullivan knows that a driver leaving the scene creates a second crisis for someone already hurt. You may be dealing with an ambulance ride, a damaged vehicle, and missed work while wondering whether anyone will find the person responsible.

You may also assume that without the other driver’s name or insurance information, you can’t recover compensation. That is not necessarily true.

After nearly 30 years representing injured Coloradans, Scott approaches these cases by looking at both sides of the problem: what evidence can establish how the crash happened, and what insurance or other sources of recovery may be available.

If you were injured by a driver who fled in Denver, call The O’Sullivan Law Firm at (303) 388-5304 or contact us online for a free consultation. A Denver hit and run accident lawyer can help you understand your options even when the driver has not been identified.

Why Scott O’Sullivan Looks Beyond Finding the Driver

Scott’s background representing insurance companies and corporations taught him how closely insurers examine a claim before agreeing to pay. In a hit-and-run case, that scrutiny can extend to whether another vehicle was involved, who caused the collision, and whether the injured person has coverage.

Finding the driver can matter, but your claim shouldn’t sit untouched while you wait for an arrest.

An investigation may need to move forward on several fronts:

• Preserving evidence of the fleeing vehicle.
• Documenting the circumstances that caused the crash.
• Reviewing available automobile insurance policies.
• Establishing the connection between the collision and your injuries.
• Calculating the financial and personal consequences of those injuries.
• Identifying deadlines that apply to each potential claim.

Scott graduated from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1996. His professional memberships include the Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and National Academy of Motorcycle Injury Lawyers.

At The O’Sullivan Law Firm, clients have direct access to their attorney. Staff members may assist with a case, but attorneys handle your legal questions and important decisions.

What Should You Do After a Hit-and-Run in Denver?

Scott’s approach to traffic injury claims begins with protecting the injured person and preserving what can still be documented. Trying to chase the fleeing driver can expose you to another collision and leave injured passengers without help.

Call 911 when someone is injured, or there is an immediate danger. Move to a safer location if you can do so without worsening an injury, and tell responding officers that the other driver left.

If your condition allows, useful steps include:

• Writing down the vehicle’s color, make, model, and distinguishing features.
• Recording any portion of the license plate you remember.
• Noting which direction the driver traveled.
• Taking photographs of vehicle damage, debris, and the surrounding roadway.
• Getting names and contact information from witnesses.
• Saving dashcam footage before the device records over it.
• Identifying nearby businesses or residences that may have cameras.
• Obtaining the police report number.
• Promptly notifying your automobile insurer.

A crash near the I-25 and I-70 interchange may require different investigative steps from a pedestrian collision on Colfax Avenue or a sideswipe on South Broadway. The precise location, time, and direction of travel can help narrow the search for evidence.

Seek medical care promptly and describe your symptoms accurately. Some injuries become more apparent after the initial shock wears off.

How Can a Denver Hit and Run Accident Lawyer Preserve Evidence?

Scott’s insurance-defense experience informs how he evaluates proof. A description of the fleeing vehicle matters, but the claim also needs evidence showing what that driver did and how it caused your injuries.

Surveillance footage can be especially valuable in areas such as LoDo, Capitol Hill, RiNo, and Cherry Creek. One business camera may show the collision, while another farther down the street may capture the vehicle leaving.

However, a camera’s presence does not guarantee useful footage. Some systems do not record, some have limited viewing angles, and others automatically overwrite recordings.

Looking for the Vehicle and Its Route

Scott’s review of a crash includes the details that may connect an unidentified vehicle to the scene. A partial plate, damaged headlight, company logo, unusual paint color, or piece of debris may help investigators distinguish it from similar vehicles.

Depending on the circumstances, evidence may include:

• Witness accounts.
• Business or residential surveillance recordings.
• Dashcam video.
• Photographs taken immediately after the collision.
• Vehicle fragments or transferred paint.
• Police observations and investigative records.
• Available vehicle data.

Your attorney can coordinate with law enforcement and pursue available civil evidence. The attorney does not control whether police identify or charge the driver.

Showing How the Collision Happened

Scott also examines the events before the driver fled because leaving the scene does not answer every question about fault. The evidence still needs to establish whether the driver ran a light, failed to yield, changed lanes unsafely, or committed another act that caused the crash.

For example, a turning collision on Federal Boulevard may require examining sight lines, traffic signals, and the positions of everyone involved. A highway crash may depend more heavily on witness accounts, dashcam footage, and vehicle damage.

Preserving that information early can help prevent the case from becoming an unsupported disagreement about what happened.

Can You Recover Compensation If the Driver Is Never Found?

Scott reviews insurance early because an unidentified driver does not automatically eliminate an injury claim. Depending on the coverage available and the evidence, your own automobile policy may provide a path to recovery.

Different coverages serve different purposes. Having insurance does not mean that every loss will be paid under the same part of the policy.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage for Injuries

Scott’s assessment includes whether uninsured motorist coverage applies to the person injured. This coverage can pay bodily injury damages caused by a hit-and-run driver, subject to applicable law, policy terms, and coverage limits.

Potential covered losses may include medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. You still need to establish the other driver’s fault and the extent of your damages.

Colorado automobile policies generally include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless you reject it in writing. Do not assume you declined it simply because you do not remember discussing it with your agent.

Medical Payments Coverage for Treatment

Scott separates immediate medical expenses from the broader injury claim so clients understand what may help while the case develops. Medical payments coverage, often called MedPay, can pay covered medical expenses regardless of fault.

Colorado automobile policies generally include $5,000 in MedPay unless the coverage is rejected, although exceptions apply to certain vehicle types. Some policyholders purchase higher limits.

MedPay does not pay for vehicle repairs or replace a claim for lost wages and pain and suffering. Its benefits may also be exhausted before treatment ends.

Collision Coverage for Vehicle Damage

Scott’s policy review distinguishes damage to your vehicle from injuries to you or your passengers. Collision coverage may pay for covered repairs or a total loss after a hit-and-run, usually subject to a deductible.

The bodily injury portion of uninsured motorist coverage does not pay to repair your car. Other property damage coverage may apply in certain circumstances, so review the policy.

What Changes If Police Identify the Hit-and-Run Driver?

Scott re-evaluates the available recovery options once a driver is identified. Learning the driver’s name can open additional avenues, but it does not guarantee adequate insurance or a collectible settlement.

If the driver had applicable liability insurance, a claim may be pursued against that policy. If the driver was uninsured or carried insufficient coverage, your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may still be important.

The investigation may also reveal that the driver was working at the time. A delivery vehicle leaving a collision near Union Station, for example, could raise questions about employment, vehicle ownership, and commercial insurance.

Those questions require evidence. A business logo or delivery app does not, by itself, establish that a company is legally responsible.

Does a Criminal Hit and Run Case Pay Your Injury Claim?

Scott’s focus on civil recovery helps clients understand why a police investigation and an injury claim can proceed separately. Colorado drivers involved in injury crashes generally must stop, provide required information, and render reasonable assistance.

Leaving the scene can result in criminal charges, with the seriousness of the offense depending on the circumstances. However, a criminal prosecution does not automatically produce compensation for all of your losses.

A civil claim addresses the harm caused to the injured person. It can involve different procedures, legal standards, and deadlines from the criminal case.

When a Denver civil lawsuit is appropriate, it may proceed in Denver District Court at the City and County Building on Bannock Street, depending on jurisdiction and venue. Waiting for the criminal case to finish can jeopardize civil deadlines or allow evidence to disappear.

Why Pedestrian and Bicycle Hit-and-Runs Require Careful Investigation

Scott’s work representing people injured outside passenger vehicles informs his attention to roadway conditions and the injuries these crashes can cause. A pedestrian or cyclist may have little opportunity to see a license plate before being struck.

Colorado’s pedestrian safety figures show how serious that exposure is.

The Colorado Department of Transportation reports that:

• 591 pedestrians were killed on Colorado roads between 2021 and 2025, a 36% increase over the previous five-year period.
• 78 pedestrian fatalities occurred in darkness in 2024, accounting for 65% of that year’s pedestrian deaths.
• 81 pedestrian fatalities occurred outside crosswalks in 2024, representing 68% of the annual total.

These figures describe pedestrian fatalities generally, not only hit-and-run crashes. They underscore why visibility, lighting, crossing locations, and driver behavior deserve close attention.

A collision near a bus stop on East Colfax presents different factual questions from one involving a cyclist on Speer Boulevard. Scott examines the specific setting rather than assuming that being outside a crosswalk or riding after dark resolves responsibility.

What Compensation May Be Available After a Hit and Run?

Scott’s evaluation extends beyond the bills that have arrived by the first consultation. A serious injury can affect your ability to work, care for your family, drive comfortably, or manage everyday activities long after the vehicle is repaired.

Depending on the claim and available coverage, recoverable damages may include:

• Emergency transportation and hospital treatment.
• Surgery, rehabilitation, and follow-up care.
• Future medical treatment supported by medical evidence.
• Income lost during recovery.
• Reduced earning capacity.
• Pain and suffering.
• Permanent impairment or disfigurement.
• Covered property damage through the appropriate claim.

The available recovery depends on liability, evidence, insurance limits, and other case-specific factors. No attorney can responsibly promise a specific result before examining those issues.

Talk With Scott About Your Next Step After a Denver Hit and Run

Scott O’Sullivan understands that you may have more questions than answers after a driver leaves you injured. You don’t need to identify the driver or determine which insurance provision applies before seeking legal help.

The O’Sullivan Law Firm can examine the evidence, review potential coverage, and explain what pursuing a claim would require. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe attorney fees only if we recover compensation, subject to the representation agreement.

Call (303) 388-5304 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation with a Denver hit and run accident attorney. Bring the information you have, and let us help you decide what to do next.