Hit by an uninsured driver in Nevada: where the money can come from

By InjuryCatch. Not a law firm.
Published and updated . Law and data checked against the linked sources that day.

Look to your own policy first. Nevada auto policies include uninsured motorist coverage unless you rejected it in writing (NRS 690B.020), and insurers must offer UM/UIM at your bodily injury limits (NRS 687B.145). It can pay for injuries the other driver's insurance should have covered. An insured driver may carry only $25,000 per person (NRS 485.185).

The four-question check

See if a firm takes cases like yours.

About a minute. If it is not a fit, we say so here and nothing goes to a law firm.

It costs $0 to check. If it fits, a Nevada law firm may call you, and the number may be one you do not recognize.

  1. 1 When
  2. 2 Hurt
  3. 3 Insured
  4. 4 Accident
  5. Your number

What happens after you send it.

We read your four answers against what firms can actually take. If it is not a fit, the page says so and no firm gets your answers.

You can go back and change any answer.

Question 1 of 4

  1. When was the accident?

  2. Were you hurt?

    Pain from a crash can show up days later. If you are not sure yet, say so.

  3. Was anyone involved insured?

  4. What kind of accident was it?

  5. Where should the firm call you?

    InjuryCatch is not a law firm or a lawyer referral service. You pay InjuryCatch nothing.

    It costs $0 to check.
On this page
  1. What UM and UIM coverage do in Nevada
  2. How to see what you bought
  3. How an uninsured motorist claim starts
  4. If it was a hit-and-run
  5. When the other driver only has $25,000
  6. What happens to the driver with no insurance
  7. Can you sue a driver who had no insurance?
  8. How common uninsured drivers are in Nevada
  9. MedPay and health insurance
  10. If a rideshare car was involved
  11. Terms you will hear
  12. Sources

What UM and UIM coverage do in Nevada

Two Nevada statutes set the rules. The first makes uninsured motorist coverage part of every auto liability policy. The named insured can reject it only in writing, on the insurer's form. The coverage must be at least the state's minimum limits (NRS 690B.020).

The second requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured coverage at the same limits as the bodily injury coverage you buy (NRS 687B.145):

  • The offer comes on a form approved by the Commissioner of Insurance, and each renewal must include a copy.
  • Underinsured coverage lets you recover, up to your own limits, damages beyond the other driver's bodily injury limits.
  • When a claim against a Nevada government body is capped at $200,000 (NRS 41.035), underinsured coverage can reach actual damages above that cap.
  • An insurer that pays under underinsured coverage cannot turn around and sue the underinsured driver for that money.

The Nevada Division of Insurance sums up the purpose. UM/UIM pays the medical costs of you and your passengers when the other driver is at fault and has no insurance, or not enough (Division of Insurance).

Under the statute, "uninsured" is broader than no policy at all. It includes a driver whose insurer denies coverage or is insolvent, and a hit-and-run driver who cannot be found, with conditions (NRS 690B.020).

How to see what you bought

The declarations page is the summary at the front of a policy. It lists lines such as uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist and medical payments, with the limit next to each. The declarations page, or the insurer, shows whether the policy has that coverage and whether a rejection form was signed (NRS 690B.020).

How an uninsured motorist claim starts

A UM claim is a claim on your own policy, so your own insurer handles it. The steps can run in this order:

  1. The police report. In Las Vegas that is LVMPD, or the Nevada Highway Patrol on a freeway. Keep the event or crash number.
  2. Notice to your insurer. Your policy's notice terms set how and when your own company hears about the crash. Each claim gets a claim number.
  3. The other driver's coverage. The insurer checks whether the other driver had a policy. The DMV may give a person in the crash, or their insurer, the other person's insurer and policy number (NRS 484E.070(6)).
  4. Records and bills. Medical records, bills and proof of missed work go to your insurer.
  5. A decision. For a claim on your own policy, the insurer has 30 working days after proof of loss to accept or deny. Once it accepts, it has 30 days to pay (NAC 686A.675).

Nevada's regulation also requires your insurer to fully disclose the benefits and coverage that apply to your claim (NAC 686A.660). Our guide on what happens when an insurance adjuster calls covers the other time limits insurers must meet.

If it was a hit-and-run

Leaving the scene of a crash that hurt or killed someone is a category B felony in Nevada. The penalty is 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of $2,000 to $5,000 (NRS 484E.010).

Nevada's uninsured motorist law covers a hit-and-run only when two conditions are met (NRS 690B.020):

  • the injury came from physical contact between the hit-and-run vehicle and you, or the vehicle you were in;
  • the crash was reported to police within the time Nevada's crash-reporting statutes require.

Those statutes set a short clock. With no officer present, an injury crash must be reported forthwith to the nearest police office or the Nevada Highway Patrol (NRS 484E.030). Our guide on how to get a Las Vegas police report explains how to get a copy once it exists.

When the other driver only has $25,000

Nevada's minimum liability insurance is $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more people in one crash, and $20,000 for property (NRS 485.185). That is the least a Nevada-registered vehicle must carry.

When injuries cost more than the other driver's limit, underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy is built for that gap (NRS 687B.145).

What happens to the driver with no insurance

Nevada treats driving without insurance as an offense, and it checks coverage electronically. None of this pays your bills. It is how the state enforces the insurance rule:

  • Driving a Nevada-registered vehicle without the required insurance is a misdemeanor with a fine (NRS 485.187).
  • The DMV verifies insurance for every registered vehicle. If it cannot, it asks the owner and then suspends the registration (NRS 485.317).
  • The DMV says Nevada has no grace period. It says a vehicle may not be driven on a suspended registration, and officers confiscate the plates and may impound it (Nevada DMV).
  • At a crash, an officer checks each vehicle's registration. If it was suspended for insurance and the plates were not turned in, the officer issues a citation and has the vehicle towed (NRS 484E.060).
  • After a crash with an injury, or property damage over $750, the DMV can hold a hearing on request. It can then suspend the license and registrations of an owner or driver who has not been released from liability or posted security (NRS 485.190).

Can you sue a driver who had no insurance?

Nevada's general two-year limit for injury lawsuits applies whether or not the other driver was insured (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). A firm confirms which deadline applies to a specific case.

Collecting a judgment from a driver with no insurance depends on the driver's own money. If a judgment from a crash goes unpaid for 60 days, the person owed can send a certified copy to the DMV (NRS 485.301).

Nevada's small claims process covers money claims of $10,000 or less, and an injury case may be filed in the township where the injury happened (NRS 73.010). For a crash in Las Vegas, that is the Las Vegas Justice Court at 200 Lewis Avenue, which takes small claims filings online through efilenv.com (Las Vegas Justice Court).

How common uninsured drivers are in Nevada

The Insurance Research Council estimated 11.1% of Nevada drivers were uninsured in 2023, 35th of 51 states and D.C. The national rate was 15.4% (III). Nevada's rate is below the national one. An insured driver can still carry only the $25,000 minimum.

MedPay and health insurance

Nevada insurers must also offer medical payments coverage of at least $1,000 for reasonable and necessary medical costs from a crash (NRS 687B.145). It pays only if you bought it. The Division of Insurance says it pays without regard to fault (Division of Insurance).

Health insurance pays under its own terms. Our guide on who pays medical bills after a car accident in Nevada explains the order.

If a rideshare car was involved

Nevada's rideshare insurance statute lists uninsured motorist coverage as optional (NRS 690B.470(6)). The Division of Insurance says a rideshare company's commercial policy likely does not include such optional coverages (Division of Insurance, TNC FAQ). Our guide to Uber and Lyft accidents in Las Vegas covers the coverage tiers.

Terms you will hear

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM)
Pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance, if you have it.
Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM)
Pays for injuries beyond the at-fault driver's limits, up to your own limits.
Rejection form
The insurer's written form a named insured signs to turn down uninsured motorist coverage (NRS 690B.020).
Declarations page
The summary page of your policy that lists each coverage and its limit.
Proof of loss
The papers an insurer asks for to show what the loss was, such as bills and records.
MedPay
Medical payments coverage on your own auto policy, if you bought it.

Sources

Law and data on this page were checked against the linked sources. Each line shows when it was last checked. Statutes, regulations and court rules were read at leg.state.nv.us.

  1. NRS 690B.020 (Uninsured and hit-and-run vehicle coverage). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  2. NRS 687B.145 (UM/UIM and medical payments offers). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  3. NRS 485.185 (Minimum auto insurance). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  4. NRS 41.035 (Limit on awards against government). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  5. NRS 484E.070 (Driver's crash report to the DMV). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  6. NAC 686A.675 (Claim decisions and time limits). Nevada Division of Insurance regulations (Nevada Administrative Code), NAC as posted by the Legislative Counsel Bureau. Checked September 18, 2026.
  7. NAC 686A.660 (Claim disclosures and releases). Nevada Division of Insurance regulations (Nevada Administrative Code), NAC as posted by the Legislative Counsel Bureau. Checked September 18, 2026.
  8. NRS 484E.010 (Duty to stop at an injury crash). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  9. NRS 484E.030 (Duty to give information and render aid). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  10. NRS 485.187 (Driving without insurance). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  11. NRS 485.317 (Insurance verification and registration suspension). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  12. NRS 484E.060 (Impound at a crash for a suspended registration). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  13. NRS 485.190 (Security after a crash). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  14. NRS 11.190 (Periods of limitation). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  15. NRS 485.301 (Reporting an unpaid crash judgment). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  16. NRS 73.010 (Small claims limit and venue). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  17. NRS 690B.470 (Rideshare insurance minimums). Nevada Legislature, NRS as revised through the 2025 session. Checked September 18, 2026.
  18. Automobile Insurance. Nevada Division of Insurance, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  19. Insurance requirements and verification. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  20. Small Claims. Las Vegas Justice Court (Clark County Justice Court), page as read. Checked September 18, 2026.
  21. Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists. Insurance Information Institute, citing the Insurance Research Council, 2023 data. Checked September 18, 2026.
  22. TNC and Insurance FAQ. Nevada Division of Insurance, revised January 2020 (page as read). Checked September 18, 2026.