How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help You After a Hit and Run

Why would I need a hit and run injury lawyer? Hit and run accidents are those brutal and tragic ones that can have life-altering effects on a person’s life. It is a case where one of the drivers involved in the accident runs away after a collision to avoid the consequences. This can leave the other person frustrated, along with mental and physical injury. Additionally, there are many other losses that the victim has to bear, including financial distress.  

Injuries in a hit and run accidents vary depending upon the severity of the clash. However, the frustration remains the same as the driver who fled the accident scene cannot easily be traced. There is no identification information or any other detail about them, which makes it difficult to file insurance claims. Moreover, filing a civil lawsuit is difficult because there is no contact information about the driver who ran away. Even if there’s minimum physical injury, irritation, and inability to find the person responsible causes intense mental trauma.  

This is where hiring a hit-and-run accident lawyer can help the victim get their justified rights. The legal team can track down the driver using their contacts and resources. They can access confidential data that is not accessible to the common people. An attorney can also help file insurance claims for the injured person to help them get the rightful compensation for their loss.  

Types of Physical Injuries  

The type of injury one has to bear after a hit-and-run accident is completely conditional. However, some of the common hit-and-run accident injuries are:

Head and Spine Injuries: These are some major ones that can have a life-altering impact on the person. Trauma to the head or spine can lead to failure of major body functions, concussions, brain injuries, paralysis, extensive damage, etc.  

Broken Bones: It is a very common type of injury. A collision causes a heavy impact on the bodies of people sitting in the car leading to breaking bones. Also, broken bones are the most common injury among pedestrians who get hit by cars because of direct impact. 

Whiplash: A sudden accident jerk can lead to an injury in the neck muscles. This is called Whiplash. Such neck injuries usually heal with time. However, sometimes they require a neck brace or other treatments if the injury gets severe. 

Bruises and Cuts: These are also very common as a collision naturally causes some or the other bruises and cuts on the body. They can be because of the seat belts, hitting any part of the car, broken pieces of the car such as glass, etc.  

Damages To Claim After a Hit and Run Accident  

The person injured in a hit-and-run accident can have a traumatizing impact. Several areas get affected after an accident, including mild (or severe) physical injuries, mental stress, financial burden, etc. Hence, the victim can file a claim for the following damages to compensate for the loss they had to bear as a result of the accident: 

Medical Expenses: The injuries in an accident require immediate medical attention. Sometimes, the expenditure for long-term treatments, medicines, therapies, etc., can be a financial burden for people who cannot afford such expenses on short notice. Thus, they can file a claim for these expenses and receive compensation for their treatment costs.  

Loss of Income Source: In cases of severe injuries, a person has to take treatments that can last for weeks or even months. This results in absence from work for a long time and, eventually, loss of their job. Losing the source of income can lead to financial distress in the victim’s life. They can claim monetary compensation for this duration.  

Permanent Disabilities or Impairment: A tragic thing about accidents is that no one knows what kind of injury they’ll face. Some catastrophic collisions can end up making a person permanently disabled. This makes them lose their quality of life and ability to do everyday tasks normally. For this, they can claim lifelong compensation through legal procedures.  

Property Damage: For instance, in a car hit-and-run accident, even the car and other personal things within the car can get damaged or destroyed in an accident. The victim has to bear the expenses for repairing and maintenance. They can also claim this expense by providing relevant evidence to support the case.  

Penalties to the Convicted Driver 

A hit-and-run driver is difficult to trace but can be caught if professionals investigate the case. Police and lawyers can easily access the resources to track down the responsible driver, who faces the following penalties after getting convicted:  

Fines: Almost all drivers convicted in a hit and run accident cases have to pay a certain amount as a fine. The amount varies according to the intensity of the accident and the injury caused. It ranges from a few hundred to a thousand dollars or even more in case of serious injury or death.

Probation: Under probation, the driver must attend counseling or special classes and complete some specified hours of community service. They may face additional penalties or jail if they do not follow the probation terms.   

License suspension: After conviction, the driver’s license is temporarily suspended, meaning they cannot drive for that specific duration. The duration of the suspension also depends upon the accident’s severity and damage.  

How can a hit and run injury lawyer Help You?  

An attorney is well-experienced and helps the victim receive a justified settlement for their loss. Having a hit and run accident lawyer St Petersburg can be quite beneficial in the following ways:

Prove Liability: A personal injury lawyer helps prove liability if the driver involved in a hit-and-run gets caught. Even when the driver is convicted, the victim must prove liability for their case. In such cases, a lawyer can guide the victim through the process and establish the legally required evidence to prove the other driver’s fault in the hit-and-run accident. This particular proof is required for the court and the insurance companies to claim compensation for the loss.  

Investigate the Case: A lawyer can authentically investigate your case. They can interrogate the witnesses and track the surveillance footage to look for evidence to trace the driver who fled. In addition, a legal team can find out the details more precisely as they have access to classified information.    

Gather Evidence: To avail compensation from the insurance companies, the victim needs to provide evidence to support the severity of the injuries caused and that they happened because of the accident. Even if the victim gathers some evidence of their own, they may be considered invalid or unacceptable for legal procedures. However, an experienced lawyer knows and can gather the required evidence that is relevant and supports the claim.  

Handles Communication: Insurance companies try to befriend the victim and discuss the accident. However, they can later use the received information against them to deny compensation. This is where a lawyer helps in communication with these companies. A lawyer communicates on behalf of the victim and protects them from giving out any information that can be used against their case.  

Demand Fair Settlement: Most hit-and-run accident cases are settled outside the court, mainly through negotiations. Unfortunately, the insurance companies and other parties try to manipulate the victim by delaying the settlement, offering a lowball settlement for their loss, or sometimes completely denying any claim. An experienced attorney knows these companies’ tactics and how to speed up the process to help the victim get their rightfully deserved compensation.  

Represent in a Lawsuit: Sometimes, the insurance companies do not offer a fair settlement, and the case has to be taken to court. A hit-and-run accident attorney with appropriate litigation experience can rightly represent the victim in court and has a better chance of winning the case. Moreover, having a lawyer shows the insurers that the victim is serious about their claims and would not hesitate to file a lawsuit if required.  

Contact Coleman Law Group  

A hit and run are among the most common accident cases in the country. Many people hit the vehicle and fled the accident site to save themselves from further consequences. But unfortunately, they’re unaware of how they affect the person left behind who faces multiple troubles just because of the absence of the other party.  

An accident causes a lot of damage to the person. A hit-and-run accident is more tragic as it adds emotional frustration as well. The victim cannot make compensatory decisions because of the inability to trace or find the driver who fled. 

Thus, it is recommended to contact a professional legal team to represent the case. Hit-and-run accident lawyers at Coleman Law Group are compassionate and have the appropriate experience and knowledge to help victims and their families after an accident.