What to Do If You Are Hit by a Driver Who Flees – Building a Strong Hit-and-Run Injury Claim

If you have been injured in a hit-and-run collision, you may experience unique and confusing insurance and liability issues. The investigation and preservation of evidence for these types of claims are very time-sensative. It is important to take all the right steps to ensure you protect yourself and your injury claim.

Finding the Responsible Driver

In order to have the best chance of finding a hit-and-run driver, you should always call the police to report the crash and seek assistance as soon as possible. Other actions that increase the likelihood of finding the driver include:

• Take photographs of the scene of the crash and of your car;
• Getting witness contact information and speaking to those witnesses;
• Obtaining traffic or surveillance camera videos and analyzing them for evidence; and
• Working with a forensic examiner to collect physical evidence and analyze it.

Taking all of these precautionary measures cannot guarantee that the driver will be found. In many of these cases, the hit-and-run driver may never be identified. In that scenario, you could still have options for seeking compensation for your injuries.

What Insurance Applies?

The type of insurance claim you make is dependent on whether the hit-and-run driver can be located or not. If the driver is found and they have auto insurance, you can pursue a claim for damages with the driver’s insurance company under their liability coverage. If the driver cannot be found, or if they are found and don’t have auto insurance, you may be able to make a claim under your own auto insurance coverage. If you have “Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage” or “UIM” coverage under your own auto policy, you can make a claim under that coverage for the damages you sustained due to your injuries.

You are not automatically entitled to compensation just because the other driver left the scene of the collision or just because you were injured. The same rules apply as any other type of car collision claim. You must still prove that the other driver was negligent and caused the collision and your injuries. Some insurance companies also require that you report the crash to the authorities and to the insurance company within a short period of time in order to pursue a claim.

Proving Liability

Sometimes proving that a hit-and-run driver was negligent and caused the crash can be difficult. That is why it is so important to take all necessary steps to investigate quickly and preserve all evidence related to the crash. You can use the following information to help prove liability in a hit-and-run collision:

• Testimony from witnesses who saw the crash;
• The police report and investigation;
• Physical evidence from the scene of the crash
• Photographs;
• Video camera footage; and
• The opinions of an accident reconstruction expert.

Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in Washington

The aftermath of a hit-and-run collision can be daunting and overwhelming. Speak to one of our car accident attorneys at Schauermann Thayer to help answer your questions and walk you through this process. You can schedule a free initial consultation by visiting our website or by calling us today at (360) 695-4244.