Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Higginsville, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Higginsville, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and recover full compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run crash? Call the Higginsville, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin fighting for you and winning you a great recovery for your Higginsville, MO hit and run accident.

When a careless driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and harms you or a loved one, it is typical to feel appalled and outraged. It is particularly distressing when the reckless party declines to take responsibility for their actions and runs away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be wondering who is going to compensate you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The dedicated, veteran and skilled Higginsville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold reckless and intentionally irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight for you to maximize your compensation and put you on the journey to healing. Call us immediately 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 was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of the fatalities, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths transpire in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident takes place every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury arising from a car accident can be traumatizing and cause life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases compound that trauma as you may not get medical care at once, and you may not be certain who to turn to or how to collect equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of veteran and skilled hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people harmed in hit and run accidents in the Higginsville, MO area get the best possible 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 you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you have been injured 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 Higginsville, MO

If someone else behaves carelessly and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only liable for your injuries, they are guilty of breaking the law. In Missouri, driving away from the scene of an accident is a crime. When a driver causes or is involved in an accident, the law requires them to:

• Remain at the crash site
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Render aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Higginsville, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with anybody involved
• Remain at the accident site 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 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 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 causes somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the negligent driver will not get you the compensation you are entitled to. They may be found culpable in the Higginsville, MO criminal court, but you need skilled and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like those 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 at once and do not give up. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to ensure the negligent party accepts complete responsibility for their dangerous 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 unprotected, it can be especially nerve wracking if the liable party disregards the rules of the road and flees the scene. The rules exist for a reason, and it is discouraging and startling when someone disregards those rules and drives thoughtlessly and irresponsibly. The committed and talented Higginsville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold negligent drivers responsible and get 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 leave the scene yourself. You may think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be afraid that you are partially at fault. Leaving the location of a crash will make it much more complicated for you to receive compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. Your number-one 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 harmed, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for Higginsville, 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 harm or death. Even if you are unsure of the degree of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will help a lot in proving your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. After being hit by another car in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may be tempted to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Higginsville, MO law enforcement’s task. Going on a wild goose chase not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get valuable information and may even cause the police to suspect you.
• DO safely find out what you can about the reckless driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photographs. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can take out your phone before the car vanishes from sight, take as many photographs as possible. Even if you cannot get complete license plate number, a partial number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in determining who the driver was. It is also useful to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage to the area of the accident.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the crash site might have been able to see more than you did, or will be able to verify your story. Make sure to get their contact information so an insurance company, police officer or Higginsville, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to reach out to 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 remember immediately after the crash, and those details will still be very useful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Higginsville, 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 immediately. Our savvy and accomplished hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including obtaining adjacent surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for full depositions. We work alongside a network of Higginsville, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the crash and demonstrate exactly how the negligible 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

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to locate the liable driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their careless driving. In those cases, the tenacious and skilled Higginsville, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make sure you recover maximum compensation from the driver and their insurance company.

Uninsured Motorist Claims in Hit and Run Accidents

In Missouri, drivers are required 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 use this part of your policy to seek damages from your own insurance company. In Higginsville, MO, there are four standards that must be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained physical injuries
2. You incurred the injuries 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 Higginsville, MO insurance company takes the place of the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like other insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best opportunity to receive maximum compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and talented Higginsville, 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 likely 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 make sure you get the maximum amount of money that you are entitled to. When you get injured because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained as a result of the accident, for instance: your medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how serious 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 Higginsville, 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 responsibility to remain at the scene of an accident. When someone drives away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they are more concerned about the consequences for themselves than any damage or injury their thoughtless 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 Higginsville, MO, not having appropriate insurance can result in you 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 Higginsville, 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 caught 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 result in fines, jail time, and having your license revoked.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It probably is not surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to flee a crash 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 are just thinking about something else.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may flee the scene of an accident simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more frequent between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Higginsville, 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. often, these drivers turn themselves in once 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 areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are driving, never lose focus and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best decision.

Whatever the reason a driver chooses to leave the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have presupposed the pros of fleeing were greater than the cons. The Higginsville, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will make them pay and ensure they understand they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in Higginsville, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying situations. We demand maximum compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not stop fighting for you until you get the money you deserve to put you on the journey to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free case evaluation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Higginsville, 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 a family member sustained injuries in a Higginsville, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and vulnerable. Injuries and their related costs can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of Higginsville, 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 demand that you are awarded great compensation to aid 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.