The short answer
Alabama law requires a driver involved in an accident to stop, exchange information, and render reasonable aid. Leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death is a felony. Leaving the scene of a property-damage accident is a misdemeanor. So yes, a hit and run driver can absolutely face criminal charges. The wrinkle is in the phrase "press charges": crime victims report offenses and cooperate, but the decision to prosecute belongs to law enforcement and the district attorney, not the victim. Your job is to report it promptly and preserve everything that helps identify the driver.
What to do in the first hours
- Call the police at the scene and get a report number. A prompt report matters for both the criminal case and your insurance claim.
- Preserve what you saw. Any fragment of a plate, the vehicle's color and damage, the direction it fled, and the names of witnesses.
- Look for cameras. Nearby businesses and doorbell cameras record over their footage quickly, sometimes within days.
- Get medical care even if you feel mostly fine. Some injuries surface late, and a gap in treatment becomes the insurer's favorite argument.
Getting paid when the driver is caught, and when they aren't
If the driver is identified, you have a civil claim against them like any other wreck, and the criminal case runs alongside it. If the driver is never found, many victims are still covered and don't realize it: uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy typically treats an unidentified hit and run driver as an uninsured driver. That claim has its own notice requirements and its own fights, because your insurer becomes the adversary the moment you make it. Alabama's two-year statute of limitations applies to injury claims, and the practical deadlines, camera footage and witness memories, are far shorter.
If you're accused of leaving the scene
The firm defends these charges too. Panic, confusion about whether contact occurred, and medical events behind the wheel are real and they matter. Leaving-the-scene cases turn heavily on what can actually be proven about knowledge and intent, and an early defense shapes everything.