Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Callaway County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Callaway County, MO. How do you hold a driver accountable and receive the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin fighting for you and winning you a full recovery for your Callaway County, MO hit and run accident.

When a negligent driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a loved one, it is normal to feel shocked and indignant. It is especially upsetting when the negligent party declines to take responsibility for their actions and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be wondering who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The dedicated, veteran and talented Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold thoughtless and consciously irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and put you on the road to healing. Call us right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people were killed in hit and run accidents, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those who died, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths take place in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by a car accident can be traumatizing and produce life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate that trauma as you may not get medical care immediately, and you may not know who to turn to or how to pursue fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of experienced and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those injured in hit and run accidents in the Callaway County, MO area get great recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start working on your case straight away, and we do not charge any payment until we win your suit.

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

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

If somebody acts irresponsibly and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only responsible for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Stay at the scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Render aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Callaway County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with everybody involved
• Stay at the crash site until a police officer tells them differently

Furthermore, 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 type of misdemeanor 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 the following 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 has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run turns into a Class D Felony if the accident is fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the recovery you are entitled to. They may be found responsible in front of the Callaway County, MO criminal court, but you need accomplished and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will insist that you get the best possible recovery you need to make you whole again. When you hire us, we get started on your case straight away and work tenaciously until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to ensure the at-fault party accepts complete responsibility for their harmful actions.

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

While being in any crash is scary and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be particularly nerve wracking if the negligent individual disregards the law and flees the scene. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is disappointing and alarming when someone breaks those rules and drives carelessly and irresponsibly. The devoted and accomplished Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold selfish drivers accountable and get you the money you deserve. 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 leave the scene yourself. You might think the damages are too minor to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be afraid that you are partially responsible. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much more difficult for you to recover compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. The health and safety of everybody there should be your principal concern. If you or somebody else is injured, try to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Callaway County, MO emergency services to arrive and render aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law says that you have to call the police in any crash that causes over $500 worth of damages or results in bodily harm or death. Even if you do not know the degree of the damages or injuries are right away, having a police report will go a long way in making your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being hit by another driver in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are typical reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Callaway County, MO law enforcement’s job. Chasing after the other person not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at further risk, but it will impede you from being able to get necessary information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely find out what you can about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can use your phone before the car you cannot see the car anymore, take as many photographs as you can. Even if you cannot get an entire license plate number, a partial license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in discovering who the driver was. It also helps to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the area of the crash.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the accident site may have had a better view than you, or will be able to corroborate your story. Be sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, law enforcement officer or Callaway County, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to reach out to them at a later date.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you noticed about the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately after the crash, and those details will still be of great help to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Callaway County, 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 immediately. Our savvy and expert hit and run accident attorneys will help you collect evidence, including acquiring adjacent surveillance video and contacting witnesses for complete statements. We work with a network of Callaway County, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the accident and show exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other types 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 track down the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their careless actions. In those cases, the determined and knowledgeable Callaway County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you get the best possible compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, motorists need to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you are unable to find 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 pursue damages from your own insurance company. In Callaway County, MO, there are four standards that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. You incurred the injuries due to 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 Callaway County, MO insurance company takes the place of the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like many insurance companies, they may still have to be persuaded to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive the best possible compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and talented Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not back down until your own insurance company pays you back 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 sure you get the full compensation that you are owed. When you sustain injuries because another driver disregarded the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, including: your medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how severe 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 Callaway County, 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 obligation to stay at the scene of an accident. When someone runs away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they care more about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or harm their negligent actions caused. There are a wide array reasons the negligent party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Callaway County, MO, not having appropriate insurance can cause you to have 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 Callaway County, MO driver’s record.

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

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

• A drunk driver or a driver that was under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also lead to fines, jail time, and revocation of a license.

• 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 run away from a crash site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, drowsy or are just thinking about something else.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee an accident site simply because they think they can do so without any repercussions. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more likely to happen between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Callaway County, 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. Occasionally, 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 poorly lit areas at night, and when you are driving, never lose focus and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best option.

Whatever the reason a driver decides to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and ensure they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Callaway County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not give up until you are awarded the money you deserve to put you on the journey to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Callaway County, 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.

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

If you or a family member experienced injuries in a Callaway County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, livid, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related bills can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Callaway County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you straight away. We insist that the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you great compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.