Suffering serious injuries in any type of car accident is incredibly frustrating. In most accidents, your life is immediately disrupted due to another person’s negligence. However, when the at-fault driver flees the scene, leaving you to fend for yourself, the situation is almost incomprehensible. Yet, a hit and run accident occurs across the United States every 43 seconds, according to the most recent estimates.
Victims of a hit and run accident may feel like recovering financial compensation after the accident is hopeless, as the at-fault driver is nowhere to be seen. However, that is not necessarily the case. Depending on your own insurance coverage, you may be able to file a claim under you insurance policy. Additionally, sometimes, law enforcement are able to locate the hit and run driver days, weeks or even months after the accident.
At Console & Associates, P.C., we proudly represent hit and run accident victims, helping them make sense of the laws and insurance regulations that govern these claims. We have more than 25 years of experience standing alongside accident victims, helping them obtain the compensation they need to begin moving on with their lives after an accident. We also offer all accident victims a free consultation. Unlike many other hit and run accident law firms, we don’t use a free consultation to sell you on our services. Instead, we use this as a chance to educate you about all of your rights, provide you with an honest assessment of your case, and explain how we can help if you decide to move forward. If you decide to move forward with a hit and run accident lawsuit, we won’t bill you unless and until we can recover compensation on your behalf. That’s part of the “No Fee Promise” we make to each one of our clients.
Hit and run accidents are complicated, but we’ll figure it out together. For your free, confidential consultation, call (866) 778-5500 today.
Hit and run accidents are uniquely devastating. They’re also uniquely challenging when it comes to investigating the cause of the crash and identifying the driver and any other legally or financially liable parties.
It takes an experienced hit and run lawyer to handle the intricacies of a case like yours. At Console & Associates, we have a history of holding the drivers who cause hit and run accidents accountable and getting maximum compensation for their victims. Our hit and run accident lawyers have gotten our clients numerous six-figure settlements by thoroughly investigating hit and run accidents and meticulously building their cases for success.
The hit and run definition is an accident in which a driver fled the scene illegally. Historically 11 to 12% of motor vehicle accidents have been hit and runs since 2006, according to AAA.
When a collision occurs, all motorists involved are required to stop their vehicles. Generally, they must render aid if necessary, which may include calling 911 to bring emergency medical personnel to the scene. Motorists are typically required to identify themselves and provide their auto insurance information. If an injury or significant property damage occurred, they are usually obligated to report the collision to the police.
Improperly leaving the scene of the collision is breaking the law, regardless of whether the person who flees was at fault for causing the crash. In addition to being cited for traffic safety violations, hit and run drivers may face criminal charges and civil liability for the damage their victims suffered.
Examples of hit and run collisions may include:
Hit and run accident cases are particularly disturbing because a victim suffered injuries, and—instead of administering first aid or at least calling for help—the fleeing driver left them to suffer in pain or to potentially lose their lives. Attorneys like Console & Associates P.C. take hit and run cases extremely seriously and undertake detailed investigations to identify the at-fault driver or other legally and financially responsible parties.
Motor vehicle accidents happen for many reasons, but most drivers—even when they’re at fault for the collision—don’t just flee the scene. Often, hit and run accidents occur when the motorist that leaves the scene of the crash was already breaking the law prior to getting in a wreck.
Some of the more common hit and run accident causes include:
Leaving the scene of an accident, especially when an injured person needs your help, is unacceptable. If someone struck you in a hit and run accident, you deserve answers, accountability, and compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. A hit and run attorney can help.
Even if you know what to do in the event of an accident (and many drivers don’t), a driver fleeing the scene can throw off your plans. What steps should you take when the other driver has disappeared?
Some of the most common types of injuries that result from a hit and run driver’s negligence include:
A hit and run accident can cause all of the same types of injuries that go along with pedestrian accidents, drunk driving accidents, and other types of auto accidents. The difference is that, because the driver fled the scene without rendering aid, a hit and run accident injury may be allowed to worsen unless the injured person is able to get help for themselves.
It may be worth hiring a hit and run accident lawyer when you have suffered any significant injury due to someone else’s negligence. Hit and run cases are complicated, which makes having an attorney on your side all the more important. You need someone with the experience to investigate these challenging cases and identify all possible sources of coverage from which you could seek compensation.
The sooner you bring on a hit and run attorney, the earlier they can launch an investigation into the crash. Having fresh evidence is critical for proving legal liability in any personal injury claim, and waiting to get a lawyer involved may allow evidence to fade away or disappear entirely. This evidence is necessary for getting the hit and run accident settlement you deserve.
To prove negligence in a legal claim, you must establish that the defendant owed you a duty of care, that a breach of duty occurred that caused or contributed to the accident, and that damages resulted.
The hit and run driver’s duty of care may have been as simple as following traffic safety laws, not endangering others on the road, and staying at the scene of a crash to render aid. Proving the breach of duty of care—the traffic violations that caused the crash and the fleeing of the scene—may require an extensive investigation that includes accident reconstruction. To prove your legal damages, a hit and run attorney will document all of the economic and non-economic losses you suffered, from your medical bills and lost wages to the pain and emotional anguish you experienced.
It costs nothing upfront to get an experienced hit and run attorney involved in your case. Under Console & Associates’ No Fee Promise, we offer every potential client a free, no-obligation legal consultation and no-win, no-fee legal representation.
Our affordable hit and run lawyers advance the costs of pursuing your claim, including securing the services of expert witnesses in accident reconstruction. We don’t get paid until we’ve successfully gotten you a hit and run settlement.
To get the best hit and run settlement you can, you should hire professional legal representation. Studies by the Insurance Research Council have shown that attorneys get their clients, on average, 3.5 times more money than unrepresented claimants get.
The law firm of Console & Associates, P.C. has more than 25 years of experience representing auto accident victims and securing hit and run settlement offers that fairly compensate our clients for all of the types of damages they suffered. Our diligent work investigating crashes, calculating damages, and representing clients throughout all legal proceedings has allowed us to negotiate hit and run settlement amounts in the six figures when warranted. Our service to clients begins with their initial, free legal consultation, where we review the facts of their case at no charge, answer injured victims’ questions, and explain what to expect from the legal claims process.
Hiring an attorney familiar with hit and run laws and successful strategies for personal injury claims improves your chance of getting the money you deserve. Putting your claim in the hands of a lawyer also simplifies and streamlines the legal process, so you don’t have to worry about the hassle of a legal claim while you’re trying to get better.
To find the best hit and run lawyers for your claim, you should look at a law firm’s history of success, including its years of experience working in hit and run law, its results, and what clients say. You should also take advantage of a free legal consultation to acquire valuable legal advice from qualified professionals and get to know how a firm’s team treats the clients they serve.
Get your case started today with a free consultation. Just call Console & Associates, P.C. at (866) 778-5500.
Although you can pursue an auto accident claim without an attorney, it’s not recommended, especially for serious injuries that result from a hit and run collision. An attorney can add value to your claim by thoroughly investigating the accident, carefully documenting and calculating your damages, and fighting for the full amount of money you deserve. It costs nothing upfront to hire hit and run lawyers like Console & Associates P.C.
You could run an Internet search for “hit and run lawyer near me,” but that doesn’t mean it’s wise to choose the first attorney you stumble across. Take the time to find out what a law firm’s clients have to say about the services they received and to look at the attorney’s results, especially in handling hit and run matters.
Settlements for hit and run lawsuits should cover your legal damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, up to the limits of the insurance policy. Depending on the specific facts of your case, this could be tens of thousands of dollars or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
