Car Accident Claims in Ohio

Ohio's hit-skip statute does not set a general dollar threshold for calling police. A driver must give their name, address, owner information and plate number to any police officer at the scene. If an injured person cannot understand and record the driver's information, the driver must notify the nearest police authority of the crash location and their name, address and plate number, and stay at the scene until an officer arrives (unless taken away by an ambulance or emergency vehicle).

Anyone involved in a crash (a driver, a property owner, or an injured person) may, within six months, send the Registrar of Motor Vehicles a written report on the Registrar's form claiming that another driver or owner was uninsured. The Registrar then mails a notice to the accused driver and owner, who must send proof of financial responsibility (insurance) within 30 days.

A driver who knows of a crash with persons or property on a public road must stop immediately and stay until they have given their name and address (and the owner's, if different) and the vehicle's registered number to any injured person, to the driver, occupant or owner of any damaged vehicle, and to any police officer at the scene. For an unoccupied vehicle, the driver must securely attach this information in writing to it. Failure to stop is a first-degree misdemeanor; a fifth-degree felony if someone suffers serious physical harm (fourth-degree if the driver knew); a third-degree felony if someone dies (second-degree if the driver knew). In every case the court must also impose a class five license suspension (the first six months cannot be suspended).

Ohio requires proof of financial responsibility of at least $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Ohio is not a no-fault state: the Department of Insurance describes liability coverage as paying when you are at fault, and medical payments coverage, which pays regardless of fault, is optional.

Modified comparative fault (51% bar). An injured person can recover as long as their own fault was not greater than the combined fault of all other persons; damages are reduced by the injured person's percentage of fault. A person found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.

An action for bodily injury must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, which is generally when the injury occurs. For injuries from exposure to certain substances (such as hazardous chemicals, prescription drugs or medical devices, or asbestos), the clock starts when the person learns, or reasonably should have learned, that the injury is related to the exposure.

Two years for an action for injuring personal property, such as a car. Four years for trespass on real property and for recovering or wrongfully taking personal property.