Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Clinton County, MO

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

When a thoughtless driver willfully breaks the rules of the road and harms you or someone you care about, it is common to feel shocked and outraged. It is especially perturbing when the negligent party will not take responsibility for their behavior and flees the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be wondering who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The dedicated, accomplished and talented Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold thoughtless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you comprehend the situation and will fight on your behalf to maximize your compensation and get you on the journey to recovery. Call us straight away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people were killed in hit and run crashes, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths occur in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by an auto accident can be traumatizing and bring about life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases amplify your wounds as you may not find medical care right away, and you may not know who to trust or how to pursue equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of seasoned and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families harmed in hit and run accidents in the Clinton County, MO area get full recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your claim.

If you have been hurt in a hit and run accident, take a loot at our personal injury calculator to see how much your damages may be worth.

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

If a driver behaves negligently and harms you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are guilty of a criminal act. In Missouri, fleeing the scene of an accident is a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, the law dictates that they must:

• Stay at the crash site
• Move their car if it dangerous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Clinton County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with everybody involved
• Stay at the scene 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 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 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 becomes a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws deterring hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the compensation you are owed. They may be found culpable in front of the Clinton County, MO criminal court, but you need accomplished and committed hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will insist that you get the full recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we start working on your case at once and do not let up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to ensure the negligent party bears full responsibility for their careless behavior.

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 particularly stressful if the at fault person breaks the rules and leaves the scene. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disappointing and frightening when someone does not respect those rules and acts thoughtlessly and recklessly. The devoted and accomplished Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers accountable and recover for 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 leave the scene yourself. You might think the damages are too minor to want to deal with the inconvenience, 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 treatment. Your number-one thought should be your health and safety and the health and safety of everybody else in your car or involved in the accident. If you or somebody else is harmed, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Clinton County, MO emergency services to come and give aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law requires you to call the police in any crash that leads to over $500 worth of damages or results in physical 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 proving your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is Clinton County, MO law enforcement’s obligation. Going on a wild goose chase 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 learn what you can about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you are not seriously injured and can use your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many photos as you are able to. 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 incredibly helpful in finding the driver. It is also useful to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the scene might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to confirm your story. Be sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to get in touch with them later.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you noticed about the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately after the accident, and those details will still be very useful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Clinton 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 skilled and expert hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance video and getting in touch with witnesses for full depositions. We work with a network of Clinton County, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the scene and show exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

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

Hit and Run Cases in Missouri

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to locate the at-fault driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their irresponsible driving. In those cases, the tenacious and talented Clinton County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you win 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 are unable to track down 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 seek damages from your own insurance company. In Clinton County, MO, there are four standards that must be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. The injuries happened due to an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you cannot 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 Clinton County, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like other insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best opportunity to receive maximum compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and talented Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not relent until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have likely 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 maximum amount of money that you are owed. When you sustain injuries because another driver broke the rules of the road, you deserve a full compensation for all of damages you have received because of the accident, such as: 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 insist that you are compensated for every dime you are owed. If you or a someone you care about in Clinton County, 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 any driver’s legal and social obligation to remain at a crash site. When someone runs 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 liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Clinton 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 also remain on a Clinton County, 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 pulled over without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver otherwise impaired by drugs

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

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It probably is not 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 thoughtless 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 a crash site simply because they think they can do so without any consequences. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more likely to happen between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Clinton 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. often, these drivers turn themselves in after they have calmed down.

While we cannot control how other people drive, we can take some precautions as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in poorly lit areas at night, and when you are behind the wheel, never get distracted and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best option.

No matter the reason a driver opts to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have assumed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and make sure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Clinton County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing scenarios. We demand great compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not rest until you are awarded the money you deserve to put you on the road to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free case evaluation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Clinton 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.

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

If you or a family member sustained injuries in a Clinton County, 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 you heal. When you hire our team of Clinton County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting on your behalf straight away. We insist that the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you collect great 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.