Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Hit-and-Run Accident Documentation in Tennessee
When the other driver leaves, the evidence they left behind is what remains: broken parts, paint transfer, tire marks and whatever nearby cameras recorded. DCD documents that evidence for vehicle owners, attorneys and insurers. We do not pursue or confront anyone.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
A hit-and-run leaves one party with damage or injury and no identified counterpart. The claim may proceed under the injured party's own coverage, and the carrier may ask for evidence that another vehicle was involved and how the contact occurred. That evidence exists in three places: on the struck vehicle or property, on the ground where the collision happened, and in recordings made by cameras along the routes away from the scene.
DCD sends a licensed private investigator to collect and record what the departing vehicle left: fragments of lamp lenses, mirror housings and trim, paint transfer and its height, and tire marks showing the direction of departure. We canvass for cameras and for people who saw or heard the collision. Identification of the driver is a matter for law enforcement, and anything we find that may assist is documented for the requesting party to pass on.
After the other driver has left
- A parked vehicle was struck overnight on a street or in a driveway and fragments from the other vehicle are still on the ground.
- A driver was sideswiped or struck and the other vehicle continued without stopping, leaving paint transfer and a partial plate recollection.
- An insurer handling an uninsured motorist claim wants independent documentation that the damage is consistent with contact by another vehicle.
- A pedestrian or cyclist was struck and the attorney wants the area canvassed for video before recordings are overwritten.
- A property owner found a fence, mailbox or building corner damaged by a vehicle that left the scene.
Evidence the departing vehicle leaves behind
- Parts left by the departing vehicle
- Lamp lens fragments, mirror caps, grille pieces and trim photographed in place, then close up to capture part numbers, manufacturer marks and color.
- Paint transfer color and height
- Foreign paint on the struck vehicle or object recorded with color reference and height above ground, indicating the contacting surface on the other vehicle.
- Direction of departure
- Tire marks, fluid drips and scattered debris trailing away from the impact area, photographed and mapped to show the route the vehicle took.
- Cameras along escape routes
- Cameras on the block and at the next intersections in each direction, including businesses, residences and fuel stations, with owner contacts.
- Neighbor and bystander canvass
- Names and contact details of people who saw or heard the collision or saw a damaged vehicle nearby, with a summary of what each volunteered.
- Struck vehicle position and exposure
- Where the struck vehicle was parked or travelling, its distance from the curb or lane line and the lighting at that location.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
Small fragments can narrow the description of a vehicle
Vehicle parts carry more information than their size suggests. Lamp housings, mirror caps and trim pieces are often molded with part numbers and manufacturer marks that correspond to a particular make and a range of model years. Paint transfer shows color, and its height indicates whether the contacting surface was a bumper, a fender or a mirror. None of this identifies a driver, but it can narrow the description of the vehicle considerably.
We photograph fragments where they lie before anything is moved, then individually with scale. If the requesting party wants items collected, we bag and label them and record who held them from collection to delivery. Street sweeping, rain and foot traffic disperse this material quickly, so hit-and-run scenes are commonly requested at the Emergency tier. If the police have already collected fragments, the report notes that and documents what remains.
What a private investigator does and does not do afterward
The criminal investigation belongs to law enforcement. DCD does not replace it, and our investigators do not confront suspected drivers, enter private property to inspect a vehicle or obtain protected records by pretext. If our canvass turns up video, a witness or a vehicle description, that information is documented and delivered to the requesting party, who can provide it to the investigating agency. Methods are limited to observation from public places and voluntary cooperation.
For the insurance claim, the documentation serves a different purpose. A carrier evaluating an uninsured motorist or collision claim may look for physical evidence that a second vehicle was involved. Photographs of foreign paint, fragment locations and tire marks provide that evidence in a form an adjuster can review. DCD does not determine coverage and does not advise policyholders on their claim. The record is neutral and describes only what was found.
On this assignment Delator field personnel record what is physically present: photographs, video, measurements and factual notes. They do not adjust, appraise or value the loss, do not determine coverage, cause or fault, and do not represent any party to the claim.
Delator Claims Division is not a law firm, an insurer or an engineering firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Common questions about this service
Can you find the driver who hit me?
Identifying and charging a driver is the role of law enforcement. We document physical evidence, locate cameras and speak with willing witnesses. If that work produces a plate number, a vehicle description or video, it is reported to you or your attorney so it can be given to the investigating agency. We do not promise an identification.
Is this service for policyholders or for insurers?
Both can request neutral documentation of a hit-and-run scene and the damaged vehicle. For policyholders and claimants, DCD documents only. We do not adjust, value or negotiate the claim or determine coverage. Carriers that want a broader claim investigation can ask about the separate carrier-side services described elsewhere on this site.
How quickly do the fragments and marks disappear?
It varies with traffic, weather and street cleaning, and we cannot predict it for a given location. Light debris on a busy street may be gone within hours. Emergency deployment places an investigator on site in 30 minutes to 4 hours, with an average metro response under 60 minutes.
Will you collect the parts or only photograph them?
By default we photograph items in place and leave them. On request we collect, bag and label fragments and document the chain of custody to the person who receives them. If law enforcement is still working the scene or has asked that items be left, we follow that instruction.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.