Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Crystal City, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Crystal City, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and recover maximum compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start working for you and winning you a full recovery for your Crystal City, MO hit and run accident.

When a thoughtless driver intentionally breaks the rules of the road and injured you or someone you care about, it is typical to feel dismayed and angry. It is especially unnerving when the liable party refuses to take responsibility for their negligent driving and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be pondering who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, accomplished and skilled Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and purposefully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight for you to maximize your compensation and get you on the journey to healing. Call us right away 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 accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, almost 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths occur in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident transpires every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury arising from an auto crash can be traumatizing and bring about life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases aggravate that trauma as you may not receive medical attention at once, and you may not know who to turn to or how to collect fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of accomplished and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people hurt in hit and run accidents in the Crystal City, MO area get full recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin working on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your claim.

If you have been injured in a hit and run accident, check out 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 Crystal City, MO

If someone else drives irresponsibly and harms 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 dictates that they must:

• Stay 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 Crystal City, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Remain at the accident site until a police officer tells them they can leave

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

Missouri Statute 577.060 categorizes “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 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 has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run turns into a Class D Felony if the crash becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is reassuring 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 Crystal City, MO criminal court, but you need knowledgeable and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will fight by your side until you get the best possible recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we get started on your case at once and work tenaciously until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make certain the at-fault party bears full responsibility for their reckless behavior.

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

While being in any accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling unprotected, it can be especially nerve wracking if the negligent driver does not respect the rules of the road and flees the scene. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disheartening and startling when someone disregards those rules and behaves selfishly and recklessly. The committed and knowledgeable Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold selfish drivers responsible and secure 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 accident site yourself. You might think the damages are too minor to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be nervous that you are in some measure at fault. Leaving the location of a crash will make it much harder for you to be awarded compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical treatment. Your number-one concern 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 Crystal City, MO emergency services to come and render aid.
• DO NOT hesitate 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 a fatality. Even if you are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help a lot in winning your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle 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 Crystal City, MO law enforcement’s job. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get valuable information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely discern what you can about the negligent driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not seriously injured and can use your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many pictures as you are able to. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, a partial license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in locating the driver. It is also useful to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the area of the accident.
  • 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. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Crystal City, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to contact them later.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, any knowledge you have of the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately following the collision, and those details will still be of great help to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Crystal City, 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 straight away. Our skilled and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys will help you collect evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Crystal City, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident and prove exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

Listed 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 locate the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their reckless actions. In those cases, the determined and talented Crystal City, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you recover maximum 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 cannot locate the anegligent 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 compensation from your own insurance company. In Crystal City, MO, there are four standards that must be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. You sustained the injuries as a result 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 Crystal City, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like many insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best odds at receiving full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and skilled Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not give up the fight until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have certainly been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is tracked down or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the full recovery that you are entitled to. When you are hurt because somebody else did not respect the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have experienced because of the accident, for example: your medical expenses, 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 every dollar you are owed. If you or a family member in Crystal City, MO has been harmed 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 ethical obligation to remain 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 reckless actions caused. There are a lot of reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Crystal City, MO, not having adequate 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 are also never removed from a Crystal City, MO driver’s record.

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

  This also carries severe 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 impaired by 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 have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to flee 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, drowsy 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 probable between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Crystal City, 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. often, these drivers turn themselves in once they have calmed down.

While we cannot control how other people drive, we can take some safety measures as both drivers and pedestrians. Try to avoid walking in areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are driving, never get distracted and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

No matter the reason a driver decides to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and ensure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Crystal City, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying circumstances. We demand the best possible compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not rest until you collect the money you are owed to put you on the road to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can begin working on your case right away.

The Crystal City, 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 someone you care about sustained injuries in a Crystal City, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and anxious. Injuries and their related costs can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of Crystal City, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you at once. We insist that the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.