hit and run! do rear axles bend easily?

you'll have to pull it apart, occaisionally the caliper will crack where the mounting bolts run through it. It's been my experience that the axle flange, actually bends pretty easily. If the housing is bent, then yeah, your screwed buy the whole thing. You sort of have to troubleshoot it as you go, I presume the wheel is history, so remove it and spin the rear axle and see if the flange is bent, sometimes the wheel will take the hit, bend and hit something behind it, replacing the wheel fixes it all. Good luck with it, You should be allowed to hunt down and kill hit and run drivers.

I just want to say that if you haven't already done so, file a police report immediately! This will ensure that if you file an uninsured motorist claim with your insurance company, it will go smoothly. Most insurers have a clause in the policy where a police report needs to be filed within 24 hours or some other time limit on a hit and run.

This is all assuming you actually have uninsured motorist property damage coverage on your policy. And if you don't, you should get it as it is cheap!