Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Franklin County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Franklin County, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and collect great compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the Franklin 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 the best possible recovery for your Franklin County, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver consciously breaks the rules of the road and harms you or someone you care about, it is common to feel shocked and angry. It is especially upsetting when the negligent party declines to take responsibility for their behavior and flees 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 skilled Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and intentionally irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and get you on the road to healing. Call us now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people died in hit and run accidents, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those killed, just about 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of pedestrian deaths happen in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident happens every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury resulting from a car crash can be traumatizing and create life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases aggravate that trauma as you may not receive medical treatment at once, and you may not be certain who to trust or how to collect just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of veteran and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families harmed in hit and run accidents in the Franklin County, MO area get great recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you call us at (314) 500-HURT, we begin work on your case right away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your suit.

If you have been injured 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 Franklin County, MO

If a motorist behaves carelessly and injures you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is against the law. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, they are required by law to:

• Remain at the crash site
• Move their car if it dangerous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Supply aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Franklin County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in poor weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with others involved
• Remain at the accident site until a police officer tells them differently

Additionally, an accident report must 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 county 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 has previously left the scene of a hit and run accident.

A hit and run becomes a Class D Felony if the crash becomes fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the negligent driver will not get you the money you are entitled to. They may be found responsible in the Franklin County, MO criminal court, but you need knowledgeable and committed hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law who will insist that you get the full recovery you need to make you whole again. When you hire us, we start working on your case right away and do not let up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to make sure the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their careless actions.

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

While being in any accident is terrifying and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially stressful if the responsible individual disregards the rules and flees the scene. The rules exist for a reason, and it is disheartening and frightening when someone disregards those rules and drives carelessly and recklessly. The committed and skilled Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers accountable and secure 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 accident site yourself. You might think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the inconvenience, or you may worry that you are partly responsible. Leaving the scene of an accident 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 care. Your number-one 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 harmed, do your best to keep them in a stable condition and wait for Franklin County, MO emergency services to get there and provide aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law dictates that you have to call the police in any accident that causes over $500 worth of damages or results in physical harm or a fatality. Even if you are not sure what the extent of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help immeasurably in proving your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. After being hit by another vehicle 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 Franklin County, MO law enforcement’s job. Chasing after the other person not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will impede you from being able to get valuable information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely discern what you are able to about the negligent driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you are not seriously injured and can take out your phone before the car disappears from view, take as many photos as you can. Even if you cannot get complete license plate number, a partial license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be incredibly helpful in determining who the driver was. It is also useful to take photos of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the crash site may have had a better view than you, or will be able to verify your story. Be sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorney 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 fresher in your memory immediately after the crash, and those details will still be of great help to the police and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Franklin County, 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 expert hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including obtaining adjacent surveillance video and contacting witnesses for full statements. We work with a network of Franklin County, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the scene and show exactly how the liable 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

In the best case scenarios, police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to discover the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their dangerous behavior. In those cases, the indefatigable and talented Franklin County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you get maximum compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, motorists must have uninsured motorist insurance. If you cannot track down 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 make a claim against your own insurance company. In Franklin County, MO, there are four specifications that must be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. The injuries happened as a result of an uninsured motorist, or in the case a motorist you cannot 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 Franklin County, MO insurance company takes the place of the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like any insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best odds at receiving maximum compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need accomplished and knowledgeable Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not give up the fight 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 ensure you get the maximum amount of money that you deserve. When you are injured because somebody else disregarded the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of damages you have experienced owing to the accident, including: your medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced ability to enjoy life. No matter how severe your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you are entitled to. If you or a someone you care about in Franklin 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 every driver’s legal and social duty to remain 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 careless actions caused. There are a lot of reasons the at-fault party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Franklin County, MO, not having the 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 Franklin County, 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 pulled over without a valid license before.

• A drunk driver or a driver that was impaired by drugs

  A DWI is a criminal charge that can also carry 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 run away from an accident site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not focusing on 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 flee 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 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Franklin 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 know what to do. Occasionally, 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 driving, never get distracted and never take for granted that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Whatever the reason a driver chooses to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presumed the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them responsible and make certain they see they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Franklin County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying situations. We insist on the best possible compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you are awarded 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 get started on your case right away.

The Franklin 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.

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

If you or a loved one experienced injuries in a Franklin County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, and anxious. Injuries and their related bills can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you heal. When you hire our team of Franklin County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting on your behalf immediately. We demand the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you great 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.