Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Montgomery County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in Montgomery County, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and get full compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run crash? Call the Montgomery 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 getting you a full recovery for your Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a loved one, it is common to feel appalled and outraged. It is particularly unnerving when the at-fault party refuses to take responsibility for their actions and flees 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 devoted, experienced and talented Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold careless and willfully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you make sense of the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and put you on the journey to healing. Call us immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people died in hit and run accidents, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of the fatalities, nearly 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately one in five pedestrian deaths happen in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury arising from an auto crash can be traumatizing and cause life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases exacerbate that trauma as you may not get medical attention at once, and you may not be certain who to turn to or how to secure equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of accomplished and adept hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people injured in hit and run accidents in the Montgomery County, MO area get great recoveries and understand how to maximize your compensation. When you contact us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your claim.

If you have been hurt 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 Montgomery County, MO

If someone else acts negligently and hurts 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, the law requires them to:

• Stay at the scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for directions from police
• Provide aid to anyone who is hurt
• Call the Montgomery County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Trade contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Remain at the accident site until a police officer tells them differently

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

Missouri Statute 577.060 classifies “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 the following 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 becomes a Class D Felony if the accident becomes fatal and results in somebody’s death. While it is reassuring that we have laws deterring hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the reckless driver will not get you the money you deserve. They may be found guilty in front of the Montgomery County, MO criminal court, but you need expert and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will demand that you get the full recovery you need to heal. When you hire us, we start working on your case immediately and work tenaciously until we win. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make sure the at-fault party accepts full responsibility for their thoughtless actions.

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 at fault individual does not respect the law and leaves the scene. The rules are in place for a reason, and it is discouraging and alarming when someone breaks those rules and drives selfishly and irresponsibly. The dedicated and talented Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold negligent 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 leave the crash site yourself. You may think the damages are too insignificant to want to deal with the hassle, or you may worry that you are in some measure responsible. Leaving the location of an accident will make it much harder for you to collect compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical attention. The health and safety of everyone present should be your foremost worry. If you or somebody else is hurt, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for Montgomery County, MO emergency services to get there and give aid.
• DO NOT hesitate to call the police. Missouri law says 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 unsure of the degree of the damages or injuries are immediately, having a police report will help immeasurably in winning your case.
• DO NOT go after the driver. After being hit by another vehicle in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who they are. That is Montgomery County, MO law enforcement’s responsibility. Chasing after the other person not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will hamper you from being able to get important information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely discern what you are able to about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photos. If you are not seriously injured and can take out your phone before the car disappears from view, 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 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.
  • Talk to witnesses. Other people in the area may have had a better view than you, or will be able to corroborate your version of events. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, police officer or Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to get in touch with them later.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take photographs, anything you noticed about the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately after the collision, and those details will still be incredibly helpful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your Montgomery County, 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 immediately. Our talented and knowledgeable hit and run accident attorneys will help you gather evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance footage and reaching out to witnesses for full depositions. We work alongside a network of Montgomery County, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the crash and prove exactly how the negligible party caused your injuries.

Here 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 negligent driver that caused your damages and hold them accountable for their reckless driving. In those cases, the aggressive and talented Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you are awarded the best possible 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 locate the aat-fault 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 Montgomery County, MO, there are four specifications that need to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You sustained physical injuries
2. The injuries occurred because 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 Montgomery County, MO insurance company takes the place of the negligent party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like other insurance companies, they may still need convincing before they pay you. To have the best opportunity to receive full compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and savvy Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been resisting insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not relent 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 found or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the maximum amount of money that you are entitled to. When you are injured because somebody else did not respect the rules of the road, you are entitled to a full compensation for all of damages you have received as a result of the accident, including: your medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. No matter how grave your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for every dollar you deserve. If you or a family member in Montgomery County, MO has been hurt 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 responsibility to stay at a crash 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 injury their reckless actions caused. There are a variety of reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In Montgomery County, MO, not having the right 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 are also never removed from a Montgomery County, MO driver’s record.

• The driver does not have a driver’s license, or has a suspended license

  This also carries crushing 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 revocation of a license.

• The driver may have a warrant out for their arrest

  It probably is not surprising that people who already fear an interaction with law enforcement would risk breaking the law again to leave the scene of an accident.

• 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 an accident site simply because they think they will not be caught. Hit and run accidents are 4.5 times more likely to occur between midnight and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the Montgomery 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. 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 areas with bad lighting at night, and when you are behind the wheel, stay alert at all times and never take for granted 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 assumed the benefits of fleeing outweighed the cons. The Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many differing situations. We insist on the best possible compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not stop fighting for you until you recover the money you deserve to put you on the path to healing. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a complimentary case review and so we can get started on your case right away.

The Montgomery 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 family member sustained injuries in a Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, 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 Montgomery County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting by your side immediately. We demand the responsible parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you collect maximum compensation to help 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.