Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Ballwin, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Ballwin, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and recover full compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run accident? Call the Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start working for you and getting you a full recovery for your Ballwin, MO hit and run accident.

When a negligent driver willfully breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a family member, it is common to feel dismayed and angry. It is particularly distressing when the liable party will not take responsibility for their behavior and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be asking yourself who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The dedicated, veteran and knowledgeable Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and purposefully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you understand the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your recovery and get you on the road to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people were killed in hit and run crashes, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those killed, almost 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths take place in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident transpires every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from a car crash can be traumatizing and cause life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases magnify that trauma as you may not receive medical treatment immediately, and you may be unsure of who to trust or how to pursue fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of accomplished and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families hurt in hit and run accidents in the Ballwin, MO area get great recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your claim.

If you have been injured in a hit and run accident, take a loot at our personal injury calculator to see how much you may be able to recover in compensation.

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys: Understanding the Laws in Ballwin, MO

If a driver acts carelessly and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, fleeing the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law dictates that they must:

• Remain at the scene
• Move their car if it hazardous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Ballwin, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in poor weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with everybody involved
• Stay at the scene until a police officer tells them they can leave

Additionally, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes injury or death.

Missouri Statute 577.060 classifies “leaving the scene of an accident" as a Class A Misdemeanor, which is the most serious misdemeanor offense and carries a maximum penalty of one year in a local jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene becomes a Class E Felony if any of these three conditions are met:

1. Physical injury was caused by another party;
2. Over $1,000 in damages was caused to another party’s property; or
3. The defendant was previously found guilty of leaving the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run turns into a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the money you are entitled to. They may be found culpable before the Ballwin, MO criminal court, but you need expert and committed hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will insist that you get the full recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we get started on your case right away and are relentless until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make sure the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their reckless actions.

Dos and Do Nots After Being in a Hit and Run Accident

While being in any accident is frightening and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially worrisome if the liable individual does not respect the rules of the road and leaves the scene. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disappointing and frightening when someone disregards those rules and drives carelessly and dangerously. The devoted and talented Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold careless drivers responsible and get you the compensation you are entitled to. It is important to know what to do and what not to do directly following your accident, so you can increase your odds of getting the best possible compensation:

• DO NOT flee the crash site yourself. You could think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the hassle, or you may be nervous that you are partly responsible. Leaving the scene of a crash will make it much more difficult for you to get compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. Your chief thought should be your health and safety and the health and safety of anyone else in your car or involved in the accident. If you or somebody else is injured, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Ballwin, MO emergency services to arrive and give aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any accident that leads to over $500 worth of damages or results in bodily harm or death. Even if you do not know the scope of the damages or injuries are right away, having a police report will help immeasurably in winning your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. After being hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are common reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Ballwin, MO law enforcement’s obligation. Chasing after the other driver not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at heightened risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get necessary information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely learn what you can about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you are not seriously injured and can get hold of your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many pictures as possible. Even if you cannot get an entire license plate number, just part of the license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in finding the driver. It also helps to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage at the scene of the accident.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the scene might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to corroborate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to contact them later.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately after the accident, and those details will still be of great help to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Ballwin, MO insurance company. If the driver is never located, you will have to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT at once. Our skilled and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including getting access to close by surveillance video and reaching out to witnesses for complete statements. We work alongside a network of Ballwin, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the scene and show exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other kinds of car accidents:

Hit and Run Cases in Missouri

In the best case scenarios, police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to find the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their dangerous behavior. In those cases, the tenacious and talented Ballwin, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you recover maximum compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers are required to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you are unable to locate the aat-fault driver after a hit and run accident, you and your hit and run accident attorneys will need to utilize this part of your policy to make a claim against your own insurance company. In Ballwin, MO, there are four criteria that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. You sustained the injuries because of an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you are unable to identify
3. You are legally owed compensation from the at-fault driver
4. All other limits of applicable policies have been exhausted by payment or settlement

In these cases, your own Ballwin, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like any insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need accomplished and talented Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not give in until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have certainly been paying into their policies for years.

Whether the at fault driver is found or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the maximum amount of money that you are owed. When you get injured because another driver did not respect the rules of the road, you deserve a full recovery for all of damages you have received owing to the accident, including: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced ability to enjoy life. No matter how serious your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you are entitled to. If you or a someone you care about in Ballwin, MO has been hurt in a hit and run accident, call Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

Causes of Hit and Run Accidents

It is any driver’s legal and social responsibility to stay at the scene of an accident. When someone flees the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more worried about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or injury their careless actions caused. There are a variety of reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Ballwin, MO, not having appropriate insurance can result in you having your license suspended for up to a year, paying a $400 reinstatement fee, a $500 fine and/or up to 15 days in jail. "No insurance" tickets are also never removed from a Ballwin, MO driver’s record.

• The driver does not have a driver’s license, or has a suspended license

  This also carries stiff penalties and can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class E felony, depending on whether you have been caught without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver that was impaired by drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also result in fines, jail time, and having your license revoked.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It might not be surprising that people who already fear an interaction with law enforcement would risk breaking the law again to leave an accident site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not paying full attention to the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, fatigued or are just thinking about something else.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave the scene of an accident simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more frequent between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Ballwin, MO roads or sidewalks.

• A panicked driver

  Sometimes the driver has a clean record but simply leaves the accident because they are afraid and do not want to get in trouble. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in after they have calmed down.

While we cannot control what other drivers do behind the wheel, we can take some precautions as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are behind the wheel, never lose focus and never take for granted that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Whatever the reason a driver opts to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the pros of fleeing were greater than the cons. The Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make certain they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Ballwin, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not stop fighting for you until you are awarded the money you deserve to put you on the road to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free case evaluation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Ballwin, MO lawyers of Burger Law have the experience and knowledge to help you receive the full recovery you deserve after any accident or injury caused by someone else leaves you injured. Learn more about our fields of expertise below.

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

If you or a family member sustained injuries in a Ballwin, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related costs can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of Ballwin, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you immediately. We insist that the responsible parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to aid you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.