The one thing the insurance company is hoping you never pin down is this: your own UM coverage sets the money ceiling in most Idaho hit-and-run cases.

What should have happened: right after the crash, especially in a Pocatello school zone or near a bus stop, the hit-and-run needed to be reported to Pocatello Police or Idaho State Police right away, and you needed prompt medical care. If there was no plate number, that does not automatically kill the claim. A same-day report, witness names, photos, and medical records matter a lot.

In Idaho, the driver who hit you may have carried only the state minimum: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, and $15,000 property damage. If the driver fled or had no coverage, your uninsured motorist (UM) claim usually stands in their place. So if your policy has $25,000 UM, the case is usually worth up to $25,000. If you bought $100,000 UM, then up to $100,000 may be available. The injury value can be higher than that, but the policy limit is usually the practical cap.

What to do now: get your declarations page and look for UM/UIM bodily injury limits. Ask for the full policy if needed. Request the crash report number, gather every bill, and track what Medicare paid. Medicare can demand repayment from a settlement, so the gross number and the amount you keep are not the same thing.

What comes next: your insurer will value medical bills, future treatment, pain, and how the injury changed your daily life. If the at-fault driver is found later with only minimum coverage, UIM may apply after that liability coverage is used up. If black ice, early dusk, or school-zone traffic around Pocatello complicated the crash, expect the carrier to argue fault percentages. In Idaho, that percentage can reduce what gets paid.