Hit and Run Accident Attorneys North St. Louis County, MO

Hit and Run Accident Attorneys in North St. Louis County, MO. How do you hold a driver to blame and receive the best possible compensation for your damages when you have been harmed in a hit and run crash? Call the North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online so that we can begin working for you and getting you a full recovery for your North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident.

When a reckless driver knowingly breaks the rules of the road and hurts you or a family member, it is typical to feel shocked and angry. It is particularly unsettling when the reckless party refuses to take responsibility for their reckless driving and drives away from the scene of the in a hit and run accident. You may be wondering who is going to reimburse you for the damages to your property and you or your loved one’s injuries. The devoted, experienced and knowledgeable North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law know how to hold thoughtless and knowingly irresponsible driver’s accountable. We will help you comprehend the situation and will fight for you to maximize your recovery and put you on the path to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

In the United States in 2016, 2049 people were killed 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 20 percent of pedestrian deaths transpire in hit and run accidents. A hit and run accident happens every 43 seconds in the United States. Any injury stemming from an auto crash can be traumatizing and bring about life-long consequence or, in the worst cases, wrongful death. However, hit and run cases compound your wounds as you may not find medical treatment at once, and you may not know who to turn to or how to seek just compensation for your injuries and damages. Our group of veteran and talented hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law have helped people harmed in hit and run accidents in the North St. Louis County, MO area get maximum recoveries and understand 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 payment until we win your suit.

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 St. Louis County, MO

If somebody behaves carelessly and hurts you in a hit and run accident, they are not only liable for your injuries, they are a lawbreaker. In Missouri, fleeing 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 scene
• Move their car if it may cause other drivers to crash, otherwise, wait for instructions from police
• Attend to anyone who is hurt
• Call the North St. Louis County, MO police
• Use flares, reflectors, or flashlights if the accident happened at night or in bad weather
• Exchange contact info and insurance information with anybody involved
• Remain at the scene until a police officer tells them they can leave

Furthermore, an accident report needs 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 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 becomes a Class D Felony if the crash becomes fatal and leads to somebody’s death. While it is encouraging that we have laws discouraging hit and runs, a criminal conviction for the at-fault driver will not get you the money you are owed. They may be found responsible in front of the North St. Louis County, MO criminal court, but you need skilled and devoted hit and run accident attorneys like those at Burger Law who will fight by your side until you get the maximum recovery you need to recover. When you hire us, we start working on your case at once and do not let up. We do not charge any fees until we win your case and we will represent you aggressively to make sure the at-fault party bears full responsibility for their harmful actions.

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

While being in any crash is frightening and can leave you feeling helpless, it can be especially nerve wracking if the negligent individual disregards the rules and leaves the scene. The rules were enacted for a reason, and it is discouraging and frightening when someone breaks those rules and acts carelessly and recklessly. The committed and accomplished North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys at Burger Law hold thoughtless drivers responsible and secure you the money you are entitled to. 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 might think the damages are too small to want to deal with the hassle, or you may be afraid that you are partially at fault. Leaving the scene of a crash 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 treatment. The health and safety of everybody there should be your number-one concern. If you or somebody else is harmed, focus on keeping them in a stable condition and wait for North St. Louis County, MO emergency services to come and provide aid.
• DO NOT wait to call the police. Missouri law dictates 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 making your case.
• DO NOT pursue the driver. After being hit by another driver in a hit and run accident, anger and outrage are normal reactions. You may want to follow the driver and find out who hit you. That is North St. Louis County, 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 impede you from being able to get valuable information and may even make the police suspicious of you.
• DO safely note what you are able to about the irresponsible driver and vehicle. To do so, you can:
  • Take photos. If you are not badly injured and can use your phone before the car you cannot see the car anymore, take as many photographs as you can. Even if you cannot get a full license plate number, a partial number and/or the make, model and color of the car will be a great help in locating the driver. It is also useful to take photographs of any tire marks or other damage at the scene of the crash.
  • Speak to witnesses. Other people at the crash site may have had a better view than you, or will be able to verify your version of events. Be sure to get their contact information so a claims adjuster, law enforcement officer or North St. Louis County, 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 photographs, anything you could observe about the other car or driver will be fresher in your memory immediately after the accident, and those details will still be incredibly helpful to law enforcement and your hit and run accident attorneys.
• DO contact your North St. Louis County, MO insurance company. If the driver is never 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 accomplished hit and run accident attorneys will assist in gathering evidence, including obtaining close by surveillance footage and contacting witnesses for complete depositions. We work with a network of North St. Louis County, MO car accident experts who will be able to reconstruct the scene and demonstrate exactly how the at-fault party caused your injuries.

Listed 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

The ideal scenario is that police and/or your hit and run accident attorneys will be able to track down the at-fault driver that caused your injuries and hold them accountable for their reckless actions. In those cases, the tenacious and knowledgeable North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident lawyers at Burger Law will make certain you recover 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 cannot 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 make a claim against your own insurance company. In North St. Louis County, MO, there are four standards that must be met so that you can make this claim:

1. You received physical injuries
2. The injuries occurred because 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 North St. Louis County, MO insurance company acts as a stand in for the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to compensate you for your damages. However, like any insurance companies, they may still have to be persuaded to pay. To have the best opportunity to receive the best possible compensation from an uninsured motorist claim, you need experienced and expert North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys like the ones at Burger Law to fight by your side. We have been standing up to insurance companies and other bullies for decades, and will not give up the fight until your own insurance company pays you back the money you have certainly been paying into their policies for a long time.

Whether the at fault driver is found or not, the hit and run accident attorneys at Burger law will make certain you get the full recovery that you are entitled to. When you sustain injuries because somebody else broke the rules of the road, you deserve maximum compensation for all of damages you have sustained because of the accident, such as: your medical costs, lost wages, lost earning potential, pain and suffering, mental anguish and reduced capacity to enjoy life. No matter how grave your injuries, we demand that you are compensated for all the money you deserve. If you or a family member in North St. Louis 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 moral duty to stay at the scene of a crash. When someone flees the scene of a hit and run accident, it is because they care more about the repercussions for themselves than any damage or harm 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 North St. Louis County, MO, not having adequate 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 also remain on a North St. Louis 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, depending 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 result in 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 have already committed a crime would risk breaking the law again to flee 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, dozing off or just have their head in the clouds.

• 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 likely to occur between 12AM and 4AM, when there is low visibility and far fewer witnesses on the North St. Louis County, 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. Sometimes, 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 behind the wheel, never get distracted and never presume that leaving the scene of an accident is the best choice.

Regardless of the reason a driver chooses to flee the scene after causing a hit and run accident, they must have assumed the benefits of fleeing were greater than the cons. The North St. Louis County, 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 North St. Louis County, MO we have successfully litigated hit and run cases in many different situations. We demand full compensation for all of our hit and run accident clients and will not give up until you recover the money you are owed to put you on the path to recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT for a free consultation and so we can start working on your case right away.

The North St. Louis 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 sustained injuries in a North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident, you are probably feeling confused, livid, and vulnerable. Injuries and their related bills can uproot your life. Burger Law is here to help you recover. When you hire our team of North St. Louis County, MO hit and run accident attorneys, we start working on your case and fighting on your behalf at once. We demand the liable parties and their insurance companies are held accountable and we demand that you recover great compensation to aid you in your recovery. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation to take the first step in getting your life back on track.