Personal Injury Law

Steps to take after a hit and run accident

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Being in a serious car accident is stressful enough under normal conditions. You are worried about your health and the safety of those riding with you. Then your thoughts wander to how you are going to pay for the damages and what you need to tell the insurance company. Generally, you call the police to have a report written up and then the at-fault driver's liability insurance will take care of many of the expenses arising for the injured party. But what happens when the at-fault driver doesn't stay at the scene? It can be a helpless feeling to be left injured on the side of the road while the other person illegally drives away.

Your first priority should be to ensure your safety and the safety of those riding with you. Get out of the roadway if you can and make sure that emergency responders are notified.

If there are witnesses, make sure to get their information and see if they can give the police a statement. It is incredibly helpful to have additional people corroborate your account of the crash.

Be sure to write down everything you know about the car that hit you. If you got the license number, that's great, but any information is helpful. Knowing the make, model and color can all help track down the person that hit you. Don't rely on your memory at this stressful time. Be sure to write everything down.

Even if authorities never find the at-fault driver, you can file a claim with your own insurance company's uninsured motorist coverage. By law, your plan must include this coverage that protects you should you be involved in a Missouri car crash with a driver that doesn't have insurance or attempts to flee the scene of the wreck.

Unfortunately, insurance companies may still try and not pay the claim even if you followed all the steps above. If this happens to you, contact a Missouri car accident lawyer as soon as possible and he will be able to help you preserve your rights as an accident victim.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on March 25, 2010 (boomark / email).