Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Farmington, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Farmington, MO. How do you hold a driver accountable and collect full compensation for your damages when you have been injured in a hit and run accident? Call the Farmington, 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 a great recovery for your Farmington, MO hit and run accident.

When a careless driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and injured you or a loved one, it is normal to feel shocked and indignant. It is especially unnerving when the at-fault party declines to take responsibility for their behavior and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be asking yourself who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, accomplished and talented Farmington, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you understand the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your recovery and put you on the road to healing. Call us today 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 crashes, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those who died, just about 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 transpires every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by an auto wreck can be traumatizing and cause life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases compound your wounds as you may not find medical care right away, and you may not know who to turn to or how to seek equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of experienced and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those harmed in hit and run accidents in the Farmington, MO area get full recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start working on your case immediately, and we do not collect any payment until we win your suit.

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

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

If a driver drives recklessly and harms you in a hit and run accident, they are not only liable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

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

Furthermore, an accident report must be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident causes injury or death.

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 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 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 becomes fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is comforting that we have laws deterring 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 before the Farmington, MO criminal court, but you need skilled and committed hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will fight for you until you get the best possible recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we start working on your case straight away and work tenaciously until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make sure the at-fault party accepts complete responsibility for their careless behavior.

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

While being in any accident is scary and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially worrisome if the responsible person breaks the rules and leaves the crash site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disheartening and startling when someone disregards those rules and behaves carelessly and recklessly. The committed and knowledgeable Farmington, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold negligent drivers accountable and get you the compensation 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 scene yourself. You may think the damages are too small to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may worry that you are partly responsible. Leaving the location of an accident 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 attention. Your primary worry 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 injured, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Farmington, MO emergency services to arrive and provide aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law dictates that you have to call the police in any accident that leads to over $500 worth of damages or leads to bodily harm or death. Even if you do not know the extent of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help a lot in making your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. When you are hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be motivated to follow the driver and find out who caused your accident. That is Farmington, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. Chasing after the other motorist not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at further risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get necessary information and may even cause the police to suspect you.
• DO safely learn what you are able to about the reckless driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photos. If you are not seriously injured and can get hold of your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many pictures as possible. Even if you cannot get an entire license plate number, just part of the number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly useful in discovering who the driver was. It also helps to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage at the scene of the accident.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the accident site might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to corroborate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, police officer or Farmington, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to reach out to them at a later date.
  • Write down everything you can. If you did not have time or the ability to take photos, any knowledge you have of the other car or driver will be easier to recall immediately following the accident, and those details will still be incredibly helpful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Farmington, 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 right away. Our talented and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including obtaining nearby surveillance video and contacting witnesses for full depositions. We work alongside a network of Farmington, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the accident 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 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 track down the negligent driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their dangerous behavior. In those cases, the tenacious and skilled Farmington, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you receive full compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers must have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot find the anegligent driver after a hit and run accident, you and your hit and run accident attorneys will need to use this part of your policy to seek damages from your own insurance company. In Farmington, MO, there are four specifications that need to be met in order for you to make this claim:

1. You sustained physical injuries
2. The injuries occurred as a result 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 Farmington, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the responsible party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like other insurance companies, they may still have to be persuaded to pay. To have the best odds at receiving great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and skilled Farmington, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been challenging insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not give up the fight until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have probably been paying into their policies for years.

Whether the at fault driver is identified 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 injured because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you deserve a full compensation for all of damages you have received owing to 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 severe your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for every nickel you deserve. If you or a someone you care about in Farmington, 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 moral responsibility to remain at an accident 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 irresponsible behavior 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 Farmington, MO, not having the 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 Farmington, 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 pulled over 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 having your license revoked.

• 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 leave the scene of an accident.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not paying full attention to the road is reckless 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 will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more probable between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Farmington, 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. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in after they have calmed down.

While we cannot control what other drivers do on the road, 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 take for granted that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

No matter the reason a driver opts to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Farmington, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and make certain they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Farmington, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different circumstances. We insist on maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not give up 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 Farmington, 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 Farmington, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and anxious. Injuries and their related costs can disrupt your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of Farmington, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you right away. We insist that the at-fault 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 complimentary case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.