Hit and Run Accident Attorneys De Kalb, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in De Kalb, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and receive the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run accident? Call the De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and getting you the best possible recovery for your De Kalb, MO hit and run accident.

When a thoughtless driver willfully breaks the rules of the road and injured you or a family member, it is normal to feel appalled and angry. It is particularly unnerving when the liable party refuses to take responsibility for their behavior and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The committed, seasoned and skilled De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold thoughtless and willfully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight on your behalf to maximize your compensation and put you on the road to healing. Call us straight away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people died in hit and run accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, nearly 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 happens every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury stemming from a car crash can be traumatizing and create life-long repercussions or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate that trauma as you may not find medical care immediately, and you may not know who to trust or how to secure fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of accomplished and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those injured in hit and run accidents in the De Kalb, MO area get great recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case at once, and we do not collect any fees until we win your case.

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

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

If somebody acts negligently and hurts 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 motorist causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Remain at the scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the De Kalb, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in poor weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Stay at the scene until a police officer tells them they can leave

Additionally, an accident report has to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes injury or a fatality.

Missouri Statute 577.060 categorizes “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 turns into 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 leads to somebody’s death. While it is comforting that we have laws discouraging 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 in front of the De Kalb, MO criminal court, but you need talented and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will fight for you until you get the full recovery you need to make you whole again. When you hire us, we get started on your case right 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 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 unprotected, it can be especially nerve wracking if the liable individual disregards the rules of the road and flees the crash site. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone does not respect those rules and behaves carelessly and recklessly. The dedicated and knowledgeable De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold careless drivers accountable and win you the money you are owed. 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 may think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may worry that you are in some measure responsible. Leaving the location of a crash will make it much more complicated for you to get compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. Your principal concern 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 hurt, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for De Kalb, MO emergency services to arrive and render 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 causes physical harm or death. Even if you do not know the degree of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will go a long way in making your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are typical reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is De Kalb, MO law enforcement’s obligation. Chasing after the other person not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will impede you from being able to get important information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely learn what you are able to about the reckless driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not badly injured and can take out your phone before the car disappears from view, take as many photographs as you can. Even if you cannot get complete license plate number, a partial number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly helpful in discovering who the driver was. It also helps to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the crash site may have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to confirm your version of events. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or De Kalb, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to contact them later.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photos, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be easier to recall immediately following the crash, and those details will still be of great help to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your De Kalb, MO insurance company. In the event that the driver cannot be 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 talented and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will assist in collecting evidence, including obtaining adjacent surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for complete statements. We work with a network of De Kalb, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the scene and demonstrate exactly how the liable 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

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to discover the at-fault driver that caused your injuries and hold them responsible for their irresponsible actions. In those cases, the tenacious and expert De Kalb, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you collect 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 find 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 De Kalb, MO, there are four standards that need to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained physical injuries
2. You incurred the injuries because of 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 De Kalb, 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 need convincing before they pay you. To have the best odds at receiving full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need accomplished and expert De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight on your behalf. We have been pushing back against insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not back down 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 located or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will ensure you get the maximum amount of money that you deserve. When you get injured because another driver broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, for example: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how serious your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you are owed. If you or a family member in De Kalb, 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 every driver’s legal and social responsibility to stay at the scene of a crash. When someone leaves 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 dangerous behavior caused. There are many reasons the at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In De Kalb, 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 De Kalb, 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, 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 result in fines, jail time, and getting your license revoked.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It likely is not 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 paying full attention to the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, fatigued or just have their head in the clouds.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave an accident site simply because they think they will not be caught. 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 De Kalb, 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 safety measures 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 assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

No matter the reason a driver decides to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the pros of fleeing outweighed the cons. The De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make sure they know they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in De Kalb, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up 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 review and so we can get started on your case right away.

The De Kalb, 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 sustained injuries in a De Kalb, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and anxious. Injuries and their related bills can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of De Kalb, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side straight away. We insist that the responsible parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you the best possible 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.