If the driver who hit you had no insurance, or didn't stop, you might assume you're on your own — but in Ontario you're not. Your own auto insurance policy is built to cover exactly this situation, both for your accident benefits and, in many cases, for a claim over and above them. Here's how that protection works and what to do next.
It feels unfair: you did nothing wrong, and the person responsible either had no insurance or is long gone. But Ontario's auto insurance system doesn't require you to collect from the at-fault driver before you can get help. Your own insurance company owes you accident benefits regardless of who caused the crash or whether that driver was insured at all — and most policies also include coverage specifically for being hit by an uninsured or unidentified driver. You still have to follow the same first steps as after any other crash, including reporting it — see our step-by-step guide to what to do after a car accident for the full rundown.
Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) come from your own auto insurer, and they apply no matter who was at fault and whether the other driver had insurance, fled the scene, or was ever identified. That means coverage for reasonable medical and rehabilitation treatment, income replacement if you can't work, and attendant care if you need help at home is generally available to you the same way it would be after any other crash. If your insurer denies or cuts off a benefit you believe you're entitled to, that denial isn't the final word — our guide on what to do if your accident benefits were denied covers the options for challenging it.
Accident benefits cover your immediate needs, but if you were seriously injured you may also be able to pursue a claim for pain, suffering, and other losses the way you could against any at-fault driver — the kind of claim described in our guide on how much you can claim after a crash. Normally that claim is made against the at-fault driver's insurer. When there is no insurer to claim against, because the driver was uninsured, unidentified, or fled the scene, standard Ontario auto policies include coverage that effectively steps into that gap, letting you pursue your own insurer instead. The details of when this applies and how a claim is handled can get complicated, which is exactly where a free conversation with a lawyer helps clarify where you stand.
Hit-and-run crashes come with an extra layer of urgency: identifying the driver, or documenting that they couldn't be identified, matters for both police and insurance purposes. Report it to police as soon as possible — this is required and also creates the official record your insurer will ask for. Write down anything you noticed, even fragments: a licence plate (even partial), the vehicle's colour and type, or the direction it went. Witnesses and nearby security or dash-cam footage can disappear quickly, so the sooner this information is gathered, the better.
None of this requires you to have all the answers about the other driver — your own insurer's obligations to you don't hinge on that.
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This is general information, not legal advice — timelines and requirements depend on your specific situation.