Hit and run accidents are both tragic and all-too-common. They can cause physical harm to innocent victims, as well as a sense of betrayal and injustice. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a hit and run, you may be wondering what legal options are available to you. In this episode, we'll discuss the different options available to hit and run victims and what you can do to protect your rights.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Call The Police To Report And Document The Hit and Run Accident
02:49 First Party Claims- No Fault Side of Benefits
03:52 Underinsured/ Underinsured Motorist Coverage
04:23 Hit and Run Accidents Involving Cyclist or Pedestrian
04:59 Hit and Run Accidents Involving Uninsured Individuals
05:16 MVAC Fund- Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund
07:23 Outro
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Hit and run accidents are unfortunate accidents where a motor vehicle gets into an accident with another vehicle and then they subsequently flee the scene.
The first thing that you should do is always call the police so that they can come onto the scene to obtain a motor vehicle accident report documenting that you were involved in a hit and run accident. A hit and run accident starts off as an unidentified driver, unidentified vehicle accident. Even though it starts off as a hit and run accident or an unidentified vehicle accident. There could be clues to help identify who owned the vehicle or the driver.
You want the police out there so they can speak to witnesses and look for physical evidence on the scene of the accident. Sometimes what starts off as a hit and run leads to the police identifying the driver or at least identifying the vehicle.
A lot of people think that if a car fled the scene and is never located, that they're out of luck, but in many instances you actually still have a lot of rights to seek compensation for your injuries through insurance companies.
First Party Claims- No Fault Side of Benefits
No fault side of the benefits entitled you to certain medical rehabilitation benefits and income replacement benefits. And all of those rights also remain the same even if you are found to be at fault or if you're not at fault as well. So those are available to everyone, with few exceptions, irrespective of how the accident happened. Ordinarily if an at fault driver was identified. You would have a claim against them, and that would be defended and paid for by their insurance company.
UIM- Underinsured or Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
Now if that car flees the scene and is never found. The good news is you could still, in many instances, have a claim against insurance. And that's a really unique coverage referred to as UIM- Underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage. In a UIM coverage situation, your own insurance company would act as the at fault party's insurance company and therefore you would seek damages and compensation through your own insurance company instead.
Hit and Run Accidents Involving Cyclist or Pedestrian
Even if it's a cyclist or a pedestrian, their own insurance company, their own auto insurance company would still cover them. The no fault insurance that we talked about earlier. As well as if the other driver fled the scene. Their own insurance company would also step in as a UIM carrier or in underinsured or uninsured motorist insurance policy.
There are many different types of benefits and coverage available to you as a victim of a hit and run accident. This is the reason why it's very important for you to hire a lawyer from the outset in a motor vehicle accident to get the compensation you deserve.
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This material is provided for informational use only, and is in no way intended to constitute legal advice. Nothing in this website is intended to be, and should not be construed as, legal advice or the formation of a lawyer-client relationship. You should not act on information contained in this podcast or video. If you have a legal question or issue, you should seek the advice of a lawyer. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results and the amount recovered and other litigation outcomes will vary according to the facts in individual cases.