Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Festus, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Festus, 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 crash? Call the Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin working for you and securing for you the best possible recovery for your Festus, MO hit and run accident.

When a thoughtless driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a loved one, it is typical to feel shocked and furious. It is particularly unsettling when the at-fault party will not take responsibility for their reckless driving and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be pondering who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The committed, veteran and talented Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight by your side to maximize your compensation and put you on the journey 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 died in hit and run crashes, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of the fatalities, 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 caused by an auto wreck can be traumatizing and produce life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate your wounds as you may not get medical attention right away, and you may not be certain who to turn to or how to secure fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of accomplished and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those harmed in hit and run accidents in the Festus, MO area get great recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case at once, and you do not owe us any payment until we win your suit.

If you have been harmed 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 Festus, MO

If a motorist drives negligently and harms you in a hit and run accident, they are not only responsible for your injuries, they are guilty of a criminal act. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is against the law. When a motorist 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 until directed by police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Festus, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with others 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 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 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 is fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the compensation you deserve. They may be found guilty in front of the Festus, MO criminal court, but you need talented and dedicated hit and run accident attorneys like the ones 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 are relentless until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make certain 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 accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling vulnerable, it can be particularly worrisome if the liable person does not respect the law 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 drives selfishly and recklessly. The dedicated and accomplished Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers accountable and secure you the money 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 crash site yourself. You could think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be anxious that you are in some measure at fault. Leaving the scene of an accident will make it much harder for you to receive compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. The health and safety of everybody involved should be your number-one thought. If you or somebody else is hurt, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Festus, MO emergency services to get there and render 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 causes physical injury or death. Even if you are not sure what the extent of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will go a long way in winning your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are common reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Festus, MO law enforcement’s task. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will impede you from being able to get valuable information and may even cause the police to not believe you.
• DO safely note what you can about the at-fault driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not badly injured and can take out your phone before the car is completely gone, take as many photos as you are able to. Even if you cannot get complete license plate number, just part of the license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly useful in finding the driver. It is also useful to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the crash site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people in the area might have had a better view than you, or will be able to validate your story. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or Festus, MO hit and run accident attorney 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 easier to recall 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 Festus, 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 at once. Our talented and accomplished hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including getting access to nearby surveillance footage and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work alongside a network of Festus, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the crash and prove exactly how the at-fault 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 injuries and hold them accountable for their reckless actions. In those cases, the indefatigable and talented Festus, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you collect the best possible 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 are unable to locate the aliable 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 a recovery from your own insurance company. In Festus, MO, there are four specifications that are required to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained bodily injuries
2. The injuries occurred as a result of 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 Festus, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like any insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need veteran and expert Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been challenging insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not back down until your own insurance company reimburses you for 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 sure you get the full compensation that you are owed. When you sustain injuries because somebody else disregarded the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained owing to the accident, including: your medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how grave your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for every dime you are owed. If you or a family member in Festus, 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 every driver’s legal and ethical responsibility to stay at the scene of an accident. When someone leaves the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more concerned about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or injury their dangerous behavior caused. There are many reasons the negligent party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Festus, 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 are also never removed from a Festus, 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 under the influence of drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also result in 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 flee a crash site.

• 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, dozing off or just have their head in the clouds.

• 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 probable between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Festus, 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 want to get in trouble. Sometimes, these drivers turn themselves in after 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 get distracted and never assume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Regardless of the reason a driver opts to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of running outweighed the cons. The Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them responsible and make sure they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Festus, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying scenarios. We demand maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not rest until you recover the money you are owed to put you on the path to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary case evaluation and so we can begin working on your case right away.

The Festus, 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 Festus, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and anxious. Injuries and their related expenses can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Festus, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting for you straight away. We demand the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you receive maximum compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.