A hit and run in Seattle is a crime whose severity tracks the harm done: leaving the scene after hitting a parked car is a misdemeanor, while fleeing a crash that kills someone is a Class B felony punishable by up to ten years in prison. Every tier also costs the driver their license for a year. If you were the one hit and the other driver took off, Washington law puts a safety net under you: every auto policy issued in the state must include hit-and-run coverage unless you waived it in writing.
What the Law Requires at the Scene
If you’re involved in a collision that injures someone, kills someone, or damages an occupied vehicle, you must stop immediately at the scene or as close to it as you can safely get. Moving your car out of traffic is allowed, but you have to come right back.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.52.020 – Duty in Case of Personal Injury or Death or Damage to Attended Vehicle or Other Property – Penalties
Once stopped, you have to give the other driver or any injured person your name, address, insurance company, policy number, and license plate number, and show your driver’s license on request. You also owe reasonable help to anyone hurt, which can mean arranging transport to a hospital if they clearly need care or ask for it.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.52.020 – Duty in Case of Personal Injury or Death or Damage to Attended Vehicle or Other Property – Penalties
Hit an unattended car, a fence, a mailbox, or any fixed property, and the duty still applies. Stop, try to find the owner, and if you can’t, leave a written note with your name and address somewhere visible on what you struck.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.52.010 – Duty on Striking Unattended Car or Other Property – Penalty
How to Report a Hit and Run
Call 911 if anyone is injured or if the other driver is still fleeing. If the driver is gone, no one was hurt, the damage is only to property, and you don’t know who the other driver was, the Seattle Police Department lets you file the report online.3Seattle Police Department. Web Incident Reporting If your situation doesn’t fit all of those conditions, call the SPD non-emergency line at 206-625-5011 and file through a dispatcher.4Seattle Police Department. Online Crime Reporting
Before you file, write down everything you can remember: the other vehicle’s make, model, color, and any part of the plate; a description of the driver; the exact time and location; and the names and numbers of any witnesses. A partial plate is still useful. If a police officer responds and tells you they’ll write their own report, you don’t need to file a separate state collision report; otherwise, Washington requires one for any crash causing injury or at least $1,000 in property damage to any one person.5Washington State Patrol. Collision Reports The Washington State Patrol takes those online and issues a report number on the spot.6Washington State Patrol. Online Motor Vehicle Collision Reporting
Criminal Penalties by Tier
Washington sorts hit-and-run offenses into four tiers tied to what happened in the crash. Every tier also triggers a one-year revocation of the driver’s license.7Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.20.285 – Offenses Requiring Revocation
Unattended Vehicle or Property
Hitting a parked car or fixed property and leaving without providing your information is a misdemeanor. Maximum penalty: 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.52.010 – Duty on Striking Unattended Car or Other Property – Penalty
Property Damage to an Attended Vehicle
When the other car has someone in or near it and the damage is purely to property, fleeing becomes a gross misdemeanor. Jail runs from 30 days to 364 days, and fines from $300 to $5,000. Both the 30-day jail term and the $300 fine are mandatory minimums; a judge cannot suspend either one.8Washington State Legislature. Washington Revised Code 46.52 – Accidents and Reports
Injury to Any Person
If anyone is physically injured in the collision and the driver flees, the offense becomes a Class C felony. Maximum penalty: five years in a state correctional facility and a $10,000 fine.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 9A.20.021 – Maximum Sentences for Crimes Committed July 1, 1984
Death of Any Person
A hit and run resulting in death is a Class B felony, the most serious tier Washington applies to this offense. Maximum penalty: ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.52.020 – Duty in Case of Personal Injury or Death or Damage to Attended Vehicle or Other Property – Penalties
If You Were the Victim
Washington requires every auto policy issued or renewed in the state to include coverage for hit-and-run, uninsured, and underinsured motorists. You can reject the coverage, but only in writing. If you never signed a written rejection, you have it.10Washington State Legislature. RCW 48.22.030 – Underinsured, Hit-and-Run, and Phantom Vehicle Coverage
For bodily injury, the coverage amount matches your liability limits unless you chose less. For property damage, your insurer can apply a deductible, but state law caps it at $300.10Washington State Legislature. RCW 48.22.030 – Underinsured, Hit-and-Run, and Phantom Vehicle Coverage That cap matters when a vanished driver has left you with thousands in repairs.
If you want to sue rather than just file an insurance claim, Washington gives you three years from the date of the collision to bring an action for property damage or personal injury.11Washington State Legislature. RCW 4.16.080 – Actions Limited to Three Years The clock starts on the crash date, not the date the driver is identified, so a long police investigation can eat into your window without you noticing.