Hit and runs are more common than we’d like to think. Throughout the country, this type of accident occurs with increased frequency. Between 2009 and 2011, there was a 13.7 percent increase in hit and run accidents. And the problem is more severe in metropolitan areas, especially those with extremely dense traffic. Los Angeles, for instance, suffers greatly from its own hit and run epidemic. According to a 2012 report, nearly half the crashes that occurred in LA were hit and run incidents. Relatedly, an NBC report found that, in 2016, a hit and run happens once every 18 minutes in the city of angels. Relative to the rest of the country, LA is in dire straits. The national average for hit and run incidents is 11 percent.
Why?
Why do people run away after striking another vehicle or pedestrian? Well, there are a number of reasons a person might do such a thing. In an interview with USA Today, Sara Solnick, of the Department of Economics at the University of Vermont, provided an answer: “Drivers are more likely to run if they feel there is a reason to do so. They’re more likely to have high blood-alcohol content, or they’re driving without a license, or they’re very young drivers.”
Pedestrians
By and large, the victims of these accidents are pedestrians. In fact, 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths are the result of hit and runs. And pedestrians account for 60 percent of all hit and run fatalities. It should be noted briefly that a lot of hit and run incidents are victimless. In many cases, a car merely hits another parked vehicle and flees the scene.
Stop and Exchange Information
Hit and run accidents are relatively serious offenses and are illegal in all 50 states. In most states, you aren’t permitted to leave the scene of an automobile accident, even if the collision wasn’t your fault. So, if you find yourself in a car accident, be sure to stop and offer assistance. Assistance can take the form of calling the police or just exchanging insurance information. The bottom line: if you or the other driver flees the scene without exchanging information, a hit and run has most likely occurred.
Finding the Perpetrator
If you’ve been hurt in a hit and run accident, you may be able to obtain compensation for your injuries. However, as you can probably guess, without a known perpetrator, you may have trouble recovering losses directly from the at-fault party. To that end, you may want to put some effort toward interviewing witnesses or nearby neighbors and, of course, you want to file a police report. If you can locate the person who hurt you, then you can file charges and pursue claims against them. Obviously, all of this is made much simpler when an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney is fighting for your rights.
Insurance
However, if you can’t locate the individual, you may be forced to seek compensation from your insurance company. It should be stated that you are not guaranteed coverage from your insurance company. You need to have the right policy to be covered in a hit and run accident. In many cases, you need either personal injury protection or uninsured/underinsured motor insurance. And each state has its own limitations on what can and cannot be covered in such circumstances.
Obtaining Evidence of Your Injuries
Additionally, insurance companies are very often sticklers when it comes to paying maximum compensation for injuries. For this reason, you need to be sure to fill out a detailed police report, and you must be certain to go to a doctor immediately after the accident. This might entail a visit to the emergency room. It’s imperative to get medical attention because, even if you don’t notice any symptoms, you may still be injured. The fact is: some symptoms take time to fully manifest. And if you wait too long to see a doctor, you will have a much harder time proving to your insurance company that your injuries were the direct result of the hit and run accident.
In short, obtaining compensation from your insurance company can be an uphill battle. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a hit and run accident attorney by your side. They can help you figure out the best path forward.
About Sean Lally
