Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Kirkwood, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Kirkwood, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and collect great compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run accident? Call the Kirkwood, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can start fighting for you and securing for you the best possible recovery for your Kirkwood, 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 normal to feel dismayed and furious. It is particularly perturbing when the at-fault party declines to take responsibility for their negligent driving and leaves the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be puzzled about who is going to pay for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The devoted, veteran and knowledgeable Kirkwood, 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 for you to maximize your recovery and get you on the path to healing. Call us now 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 accidents, which was a 62 percent increase from 2009. Of those killed, about 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 occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury caused by an auto crash can be traumatizing and cause life-long changes or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases magnify your wounds as you may not receive medical care right away, and you may not know who to turn to or how to pursue fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of seasoned and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped individuals and families injured in hit and run accidents in the Kirkwood, MO area get great recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you reach out to 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 suit.

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

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

If a motorist drives recklessly and harms you in a hit and run accident, they are not only culpable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, driving away from 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 hazardous to other drivers, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Help anyone who is hurt
• Call the Kirkwood, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Stay at the scene until a police officer tells them differently

Furthermore, an accident report needs to be filed if damages exceed $500 or the accident leads to 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 the three conditions listed 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 becomes a Class D Felony if the crash is fatal and leads to somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws against hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the compensation you are entitled to. They may be found responsible in front of the Kirkwood, MO criminal court, but you need talented and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will insist that you get the maximum recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we get started on your case straight away and do not give up. We do not charge any fees 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 crash is frightening and can leave you feeling vulnerable, it can be particularly worrisome if the negligent individual breaks the rules and flees the accident site. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone breaks those rules and acts carelessly and dangerously. The dedicated and accomplished Kirkwood, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers accountable and recover for you the compensation you deserve. 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 accident site 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 scene of a crash will make it much more difficult for you to receive compensation for your injuries, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical care. Your foremost concern should be your health and safety and the health and safety of everybody 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 Kirkwood, MO emergency services to get there and give aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law says 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 are not sure what the degree of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help a lot in proving your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are natural reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Kirkwood, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. Chasing after the other driver not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at increased risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get important information and may even cause the police to not believe you.
• DO safely find out what you can about the reckless driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can use your phone before the car disappears from view, take as many pictures as possible. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, just part of the license plate and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in determining who the driver was. It also helps to take photos of any tire marks or other damage at the scene of the crash.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people at the accident site might have had a better view than you, or will be able to verify your version of events. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, police officer or Kirkwood, MO hit and run accident lawyer will be able to get in touch with them at a later date.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take pictures, anything you noticed 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 Kirkwood, MO insurance company. In the event that the driver cannot be 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 savvy and expert hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for complete statements. We work alongside a network of Kirkwood, 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 locate the liable driver that caused your injuries and hold them accountable for their thoughtless driving. In those cases, the aggressive and knowledgeable Kirkwood, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you are awarded 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 are unable to find the anegligent 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 pursue damages from your own insurance company. In Kirkwood, MO, there are four specifications that must be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. You incurred the injuries 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 Kirkwood, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for 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 veteran and skilled Kirkwood, 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 in until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have probably been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is identified or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make sure you get the maximum amount of money that you are owed. When you get hurt because somebody else disregarded the rules of the road, you deserve the best possible compensation for all of damages you have received owing to the accident, such as: your medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how serious your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for all the money you are entitled to. If you or a family member in Kirkwood, 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 any driver’s legal and ethical obligation to remain at the scene of an accident. When someone runs away from the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they care more about the consequences for themselves than any damage or injury their dangerous 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 Kirkwood, MO, not having proper 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 Kirkwood, 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 that was under the influence of 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 likely is not surprising that people who have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to leave 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, drowsy or are just thinking about something else.

• Lack of potential witnesses or low lighting

  A driver may leave an accident 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 Kirkwood, 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. Occasionally, 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 areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are behind the wheel, stay alert at all times 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 thought that the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Kirkwood, 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 Kirkwood, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different circumstances. We insist on great compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not rest until you get the money you deserve to put you on the path to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary consultation and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Kirkwood, 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 Kirkwood, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, angry, 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 Kirkwood, 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 help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.