If your vehicle or other property was damaged in a hit-and-run accident and you are unable to identify the owner or driver who caused the accident, the SAAQ could compensate you for the property damage you sustained.
1 What you should know
Eligibility Criteria
You can file a claim for compensation if all of the following conditions are met:
The accident occurred in Québec.
You are the owner of the damaged vehicle or property (a fence or a bicycle, for example).
You are not entirely responsible for the accident.
Your insurance policy does not cover hit-and-run accidents.
Your insurance policy includes civil liability coverage of at least $50,000.
You reported the hit-and-run to the police no later than 48 hours after it occurred.
You filed your claim with the SAAQ no later than 60 days after the accident.
You did not sell or discard your vehicle nor have repairs made to your vehicle or property before the SAAQ assessed the damage.
Your driver’s licence is valid and was not under suspension at the time of the accident.
Your vehicle is registered and its registration is valid.
Your vehicle or other property sustained more than $500 in damage (minus a 10% deductible of the vehicle’s value with a $500 minimum; the maximum amount of compensation is $10,000).
Please note that the SAAQ may request to have the damage assessed by an accredited appraiser at any point before rendering a decision on the eligibility of a claim for property damage to a vehicle or other property in the event of a hit-and-run.
Exclusions
You cannot file a claim for compensation if you are in any one of the following situations:
Your insurance policy covers the property damage you sustained.
You were driving your vehicle while your licence was under suspension or was not valid.
You did not hold civil liability insurance covering property damage to another party.
Your vehicle was not registered or your registration fees had not been paid.
You are claiming compensation for objects being carried in the damaged vehicle.
The vehicle or other property sustained less than $500 in damage.
You are an insurer, a legal person (company or business), a partnership, a government body or an agent or mandatary of the government.
The property damage was caused by a vehicle that was taking part in a race, competition, show, trial, demonstration or exhibition on a track or area temporarily or permanently closed to all other automobile traffic, or inside a building.
2 Claim for compensation in the event of a hit-and-run
Documents to provide
For a thorough analysis of your file, please submit the following:
The Claim for Property Damage form completed and signed by the owner
The Authorization to Obtain and Disclose Personal Information in the Case of Property Damage form completed and signed by the owner
A copy of the page in your automobile insurance policy in effect at the time of the accident indicating your civil liability coverage, the deductibles, the vehicle model, the term of the insurance contract and the name of the person insured
A repair estimate from a mechanic including the mechanic’s name and business (tax) numbers, detailed costs of parts and labour as well as the hourly rate
Colour photos of the front, back and both sides of the vehicle and the odometer
A police report or proof that you contacted the police within 48 hours
f you cannot provide one of the above documents, please contact us by email or phone. You can:
Once we have received your claim for property damage, we will begin analyzing your file as soon as possible. If necessary, a compensation officer will contact you. We could ask you to provide additional documents.
