Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Carrollton, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Carrollton, MO. How do you hold a driver accountable and get the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run crash? Call the Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and getting you a full recovery for your Carrollton, MO hit and run accident.

When a careless driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and injured you or a loved one, it is typical to feel shocked and indignant. It is particularly unsettling when the at-fault party refuses to take responsibility for their reckless driving and drives away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The dedicated, experienced and talented Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and consciously irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight on your behalf to maximize your compensation and get you on the journey 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 died in hit and run crashes, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of the fatalities, about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths transpire in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by an auto wreck can be traumatizing and produce life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases aggravate your wounds as you may not get medical attention immediately, and you may not know who to trust or how to secure equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of experienced and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people harmed in hit and run accidents in the Carrollton, MO area get full recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your case.

If you have been harmed in a hit and run accident, take a loot at 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 Carrollton, MO

If somebody behaves irresponsibly and hurts 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 a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

• Stay at the scene
• Move their car if it hazardous to other drivers, otherwise, wait for directions from police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the Carrollton, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with everybody involved
• Stay at the scene until a police officer tells them differently

Additionally, an accident report has to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to 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 county jail and a fine of $2,000. However, leaving the scene becomes a Class E Felony if any of the three conditions listed 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 crash is fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the money you are owed. They may be found culpable in the Carrollton, MO criminal court, but you need expert and committed hit and run accident attorneys like those 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 start working on your case at once and do not let up. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make sure the negligent party bears full responsibility for their dangerous 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 vulnerable, it can be especially stressful if the negligent person disregards the law and flees the accident site. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone breaks those rules and behaves selfishly and recklessly. The dedicated and accomplished Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers accountable and secure 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 flee the accident site yourself. You could think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may be afraid that you are partially at fault. Leaving the scene of an accident will make it much harder for you to get compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. The health and safety of everybody present should be your number-one worry. If you or somebody else is harmed, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Carrollton, MO emergency services to get there and give aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any crash that results in over $500 worth of damages or leads to physical harm or a fatality. Even if you are not certain what the degree of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help a lot in making your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. After being hit by another auto in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Carrollton, MO law enforcement’s job. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at heightened risk, but it will impede you from being able to get necessary information and may even cause the police to not believe you.
• DO safely find out what you are able to about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photos. If you are not badly injured and can get hold of your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many photos as you are able to. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, a partial number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly helpful in locating the driver. It also helps to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the accident site may have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to confirm your story. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to contact them later.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take pictures, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be easier to remember immediately following the crash, and those details will still be of great help to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Carrollton, MO insurance company. If the driver is never located, you will need to make an uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
• DO call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT immediately. Our skilled and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will help you collect evidence, including acquiring adjacent surveillance video and getting in touch with witnesses for complete statements. We work alongside a network of Carrollton, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and prove exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Here are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for hit and runs and other categories 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 at-fault driver that caused your injuries and hold them responsible for their careless behavior. In those cases, the indefatigable and expert Carrollton, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you are awarded maximum compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers need to have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot track down the aliable 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 Carrollton, MO, there are four criteria that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

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

In these cases, your own Carrollton, MO insurance company takes the place of the liable party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like any 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 savvy Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, 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 ensure you get the maximum amount of money that you are entitled to. When you are harmed because another driver disregarded the rules of the road, you deserve a full compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, including: your medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how serious your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for every nickel you are entitled to. If you or a loved one in Carrollton, MO has been injured 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 every driver’s legal and social responsibility to stay at the scene of an accident. When someone drives away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more worried about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or harm their reckless behavior caused. There are a wide array reasons the at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Carrollton, MO, not having appropriate insurance can lead to 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 also remain on a Carrollton, 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, based on whether you have been discovered without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver otherwise under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also carry 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 the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on the road is reckless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, dozing off or just have their head in the clouds.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee the scene of an accident simply because they think they can do so without any consequences. 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 Carrollton, MO streets or sidewalks.

• A panicked driver

  Sometimes the driver has a clean record but simply leaves the accident because they are afraid and do not know what to do. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in once 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 driving, never lose focus and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

No matter the reason a driver decides to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and ensure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Carrollton, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying circumstances. We insist on full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you recover the money you deserve to put you on the path to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Carrollton, 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 someone you care about experienced injuries in a Carrollton, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related bills can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Carrollton, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you immediately. We demand 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 consultation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.