If you were injured in a hit and run accident, you may feel like you have been left to fend for yourself twice. After a hit and run, if no one else was around to call for you, accident victims can go undiscovered for hours or even days, while injuries get worse and they incur additional injuries due to exposure to the elements. Many who could have easily survived the initial injuries, die as a result. Those who survive are then left with the medical bills, lost income and other expenses. But there are ways to recover compensation for hit and run accident injuries. And experienced car crash attorney can help.
Sometimes the Driver Can Be Found
In some cases, the hit and run driver can be found. Your attorney can help with this. Law enforcement may be too busy or simply not motivated to investigate with the same level of thoroughness and tenacity.
Any information that you have can help. As soon as you can, after a hit and run accident, you should write down everything you can remember. That includes things like the make, model and color of the vehicle, what the driver looked like, license plat or even partial license plate number, and anything else you can think of. If you don’t know the make and model of the car, describe what it looked like.
There may be camera footage of the accident. Red light cameras, weather cams, security camera from nearby building, and other sources may be available.
If the Driver is Not Found or Was Uninsured
Finding the driver is always desirable, but it doesn’t always help you get paid. The sad truth is that hit and run drivers often flee the scene simply because they don’t have insurance.
If the driver cannot be found or was not insured, you may still be able to recover compensation from your own insurance company if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Many people do and don’t even know it. Some states require that standard liability policies include UM/UIM coverage. If you do not have UM/UIM coverage, you may be covered by a family member’s policy or another type of policy.
If you have been injured in a hit and run accident, search our directory for an experienced auto accident attorney in your state.
