Hit and Run Accident Attorneys North Kansas City, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in North Kansas City, MO. How do you hold a driver responsible and get maximum compensation for your damages when you have been hurt in a hit and run accident? Call the North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law straight away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin fighting for you and securing for you the best possible recovery for your North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident.

When a dangerous driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a family member, it is normal to feel shocked and indignant. It is particularly unnerving 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 pay for the damages to your property and you or your family member's injuries. The committed, experienced and skilled North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold dangerous and purposefully irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you grasp the situation and will fight on your behalf to maximize your compensation and get you on the path 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 crashes, which is 62 percent more than 2009. Of those who died, almost 65 percent of them were pedestrians or bicyclists, and approximately 20 percent of 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 an auto accident can be traumatizing and create life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases intensify that trauma as you may not find medical care right away, and you may not know who to trust or how to secure equitable compensation for your injuries and damages. Our team of experienced and skilled hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped those harmed in hit and run accidents in the North Kansas City, MO area get the best possible recoveries and know how to maximize your compensation. When you reach out to us at (314) 500-HURT, we start work on your case immediately, and we do not charge any payment until we win your case.

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 North Kansas City, MO

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

• Stay at the crash site
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait until instructed by police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the North Kansas City, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in inclement weather
• Swap contact info and insurance information with other people involved
• Remain 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 results in injury or a fatality.

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 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 below 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 accident becomes fatal and causes somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the irresponsible driver will not get you the recovery you are entitled to. They may be found culpable in the North Kansas City, MO criminal court, but you need skilled and committed hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law who will fight for you until you get the best possible recovery you need to make you whole again. When you hire us, we get started on your case straight away and are relentless until we win. You do not owe us a dime until we win your case and we will fight tirelessly to ensure the negligent party accepts full 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 particularly worrisome if the liable person breaks the rules of the road and flees the scene. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is disappointing and frightening when someone breaks those rules and drives carelessly and dangerously. The dedicated and knowledgeable North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold reckless drivers accountable and win 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 crash site yourself. You could think the damages are too small to want to deal with the nuisance, or you may be anxious that you are partly responsible. Leaving the scene of an accident will make it much more difficult for you to recover compensation for your damages, and, more importantly, it is against the law.
• DO get medical attention. Your principal worry 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 hurt, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for North Kansas City, MO emergency services to arrive 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 results in bodily injury or a fatality. Even if you are unsure of the extent of the damages or injuries are at that moment, having a police report will go a long way in making your case.
• DO NOT follow the driver. When you are hit by another driver in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are common reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who is responsible. That is North Kansas City, MO law enforcement’s task. Chasing after the other motorist not only puts yourself, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians at more risk, but it will hamper 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 irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do this, you can:
  • Take pictures. If you did not sustain a serious injury and can take out your phone before the car disappears from view, take as many photographs as you are able to. Even if you cannot get an entire 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 is also useful to take pictures of any tire marks or other damage to the accident site.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the accident site may have had a better view than you, or will be able to validate your story. Make sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, police officer or North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorney will be able to contact them at a later date.
  • Write it all down. If you did not have time or the ability to take pictures, any knowledge you have of the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately after the accident, and those details will still be very helpful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your North Kansas City, 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 talented and experienced hit and run accident attorneys will assist in collecting evidence, including getting access to adjacent surveillance footage and getting in touch with witnesses for complete depositions. We work with a network of North Kansas City, MO car accident experts who will be able to recreate the crash and demonstrate exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Here 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 liable driver that caused your damages and hold them responsible for their careless driving. In those cases, the indefatigable and talented North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will ensure you are awarded 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 cannot 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 make a claim against your own insurance company. In North Kansas City, MO, there are four specifications that are required to be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received bodily injuries
2. You incurred the injuries due to 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 North Kansas City, MO insurance company acts as a substitute for the liable party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your injuries. However, like many insurance companies, they may still have to be convinced to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive great compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need seasoned and expert North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys like we have at Burger Law to fight for you. We have been challenging insurance companies and other bullies for over 20 years, and will not back down until your own insurance company reimburses you for the money you have probably 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 certain you get the full recovery that you deserve. When you are injured because another driver broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have experienced because 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 grave your injuries, we insist that you are compensated for every dollar you are owed. If you or a someone you care about in North Kansas City, 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 obligation to stay at a crash site. When someone flees 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 negligent behavior caused. There are a wide array reasons the liable party might not want to take responsibility for their actions:

• The driver does not have car insurance

  In North Kansas City, MO, not having appropriate 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 North Kansas City, 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, 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 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 flee a crash site.

• Distracted driving

  Driving while not paying full attention to the road is careless and dangerous. People can become distracted if they are texting, eating, looking at directions, tired 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 can do so without any consequences. 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 North Kansas City, 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 know what to do. often, these drivers turn themselves in once they have calmed down.

While we cannot control what other drivers do behind the wheel, 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 driving, never lose focus 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 presupposed the benefits of running were greater than the cons. The North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law will hold them accountable and make sure they understand they were wrong. In our seventy years of experience as hit and run accident attorneys in North Kansas City, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many varying scenarios. We insist on great compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not let up until you collect the money you are owed to put you on the journey to being made whole again. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free case review and so we can begin working on your case right away.

The North Kansas City, 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 loved one experienced injuries in a North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, outraged, and overwhelmed. Injuries and their related expenses can upend your life. Burger Law is here to help make you whole again. When you hire our team of North Kansas City, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting on your behalf right away. We insist that the negligent parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we insist on getting you full compensation to help you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review to take the first step in getting your life back on track.